Stoner retires
Discussion
I've always liked his honesty in this regard. He says that there have been things he liked and things he didn't in racing, but the balance has now flipped and he has lost his passion. A good time to get out I think. It must take balls to walk away from the only thing you have ever known though.
krissstephen said:
fair play to him for putting his family first(although he'll probably be back), guess things like Simoncelli would really put your family, life into perspective.
I don't get why everyone thinks this is now an opportunity for Rossi, he should be the one retiring.
Because there were no spare seats on a factory Honda for next year as it was expected that Repsol Honda would re-sign Pedrosa and Stoner. There is now a spare seat and people will automatically link any factory seat with Rossi.I don't get why everyone thinks this is now an opportunity for Rossi, he should be the one retiring.
Allyc85 said:
Such a shame to waste such a huge talent, but if your hearts not in it when your hanging onto a Moto gp bike at 200mph then its the right choice.
It's not really a waste though, is it? A waste would have been dropping out after doing British 125s. You can't really say its a waste of talent when you retire fit and healthy as a two time (very possibly three time) world champion with one of the best start to win ratios in the sport.-Pete- said:
hanks.
That's the whingey side which puts me off him. He may be right, but I don't like the way he expresses himself. I can just see him doing a similar thing about being a father (the excitement's gone, it's heading in the wrong direction, no respect for the nanny, tired of the noise/smell etc) before he makes a miraculous comeback in MotoGP or WSB
One man's explanation is another man's whinging.That's the whingey side which puts me off him. He may be right, but I don't like the way he expresses himself. I can just see him doing a similar thing about being a father (the excitement's gone, it's heading in the wrong direction, no respect for the nanny, tired of the noise/smell etc) before he makes a miraculous comeback in MotoGP or WSB
3doorPete said:
I do think it's a shame and a loss for the sport and a shame that Stoner can't find the motivation to go on to be one of the all time greats.
I think you are going to find that Stoner will be remembered as one of the all time greats regardless. Spencer is viewed as an all time great, but as far as I can tell he wasn't around for too long thanks to burning himself out doing the 250//500 titles in the same year. It doesn't change the fact that he was a legend. From a raw pace perspective I don't think I've ever seen anyone with Stoner's ability. With regard to his image, yes he comes across as a bit of a prick. That said, so did Doohan. Add into the mix that it is in the journalists best interest for things to be controversial and you can never really take what you see in the press as an accurate reflection of the man. Judge him on his riding, not his talking.
Jayyylo said:
Marquez to take Stoner's seat?
Leaving the door open to Lorenzo for a season, then we'll see great battles once Marquez has settled in.
Crutchlow vs Pedrosa for 3rd.
Marquez can't take Stoner's seat. No rookies are allowed in the Factory Team. He would have to take Bradl's or Bautista's ride and one of them promoted to the Repsol squad.Leaving the door open to Lorenzo for a season, then we'll see great battles once Marquez has settled in.
Crutchlow vs Pedrosa for 3rd.
-Pete- said:
I'm not sure how many doors we'd have between me and 3doorPete but the point is not about his ability, nor his desire to stop while he's on top and devote more time to his family and other interests. All of these are admirable things, I'm truly shocked that he's chosen the end of 2012 to do it, but respect his courage to make such a bold decision.
But the words in the 'Autosprout' article are so massively negative and, to be honest, at odds with what he does with a bike. The words say 'loser' and 'whinger' where the reality is he's a winner and should be feeling positive about himself and the world.
Anyway, I wonder if he'll come back on 2 or 4 wheels in the future? I'd say it's more than 50/50 odds.
I get where you are coming from, but if you compare him to everyone's fan favourite: Colin Edwards. Sadly, Colin has never met the expectations that many people had for him. He has had some top machinery over the years but never performed. Now, when he was asked why he wasn't winning he was always very honest and gave his reasons ( if I remember correctly in his Honda years it was "chatter"). This was widely accepted by the masses as 'a reason'. When Stoner does the exact same (the ony difference is that he doesn't have Col's way with words or charisma, but very few do) he is lambasted for rolling out excuses and whinging. It always strikes me as a bit of double standard that we like to apply to bike racers where racers we support are honest and great, and those we don't like many excuses and whine. Maybe it's a human nature thing. But the words in the 'Autosprout' article are so massively negative and, to be honest, at odds with what he does with a bike. The words say 'loser' and 'whinger' where the reality is he's a winner and should be feeling positive about himself and the world.
Anyway, I wonder if he'll come back on 2 or 4 wheels in the future? I'd say it's more than 50/50 odds.
Jayyylo said:
Dare2Fail said:
Marquez can't take Stoner's seat. No rookies are allowed in the Factory Team. He would have to take Bradl's or Bautista's ride and one of them promoted to the Repsol squad.
I wasn't aware of that. Is it an official rule or a Honda rule?chrisga said:
Anyone else follow @sofaracer on twitter. I nearly spit my dinner all over the keyboard....
"In a Motorhome in a quiet corner of the paddock. Alberto Puig, in a black leather chair, smiles as he strokes a white cat"
That had me choking on a glass of water when I read it earlier. I have really enjoyed sofaracer's coverage of the Stoner retirement announcement. From the criminal mastermind that is Alzamora to his mourning the loss of Stoner's wife from the paddock, altogether some top quality bike humour."In a Motorhome in a quiet corner of the paddock. Alberto Puig, in a black leather chair, smiles as he strokes a white cat"
blade7 said:
So the under achieving Americans and Spaniards that get factory bikes are there because ?.
Are you not confusing the manufacturers motives with the riders motives? The riders couldn't give a flying f
k about bike sales, they just want to win. Those that are winning can get out of a lot of the promotional crap (see Rossi at the peak of his powers) as the manufacturers know that having a winning rider trumps having a PR mouthpiece. As soon as they stop winning they have to start playing the game a bit more (see Hayden, Pedrosa, Rossi). As to the comments about preserving the show as it keeps racing alive; that's the problem of the series organisers. Again, the racers just want to win. For most of them they'd prefer to have a close race but very few of them are going to slow down in order to get one. If they can disappear into the distance and take the win then they will. In the words of Doohan "what do you want me to do? Slow down?".
Racers: responsible for winning and playing the PR game when they have to
Manufacturers: responsible for selling bikes
Race Organisers: responsible for the show
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