Ducati ‘going to have an advantage’ in MotoGP 2027 rules - Casey Stoner “That gap, to them, is going to be even larger than it is now.” Stoner, who won Ducati’s first MotoGP title in 2007, thinks the Italian manufacturer will continue to be at a performance advantage under the new regulations. “I think it’s Ducati, basically, trying to get those rules implemented again,” Stoner said when speaking to Neil Hodgson on the Ducati Diaries podcast. “I think they know that they’re going to have an advantage in that situation. If you think about it, if you’ve already got a lot of power — everyone’s got a lot of power now, and yet they’ve [Ducati] still got an outstanding difference — the gap’s going to be bigger when you go to a smaller [displacement] engine. “That gap, to them, is going to be even larger than it is now.” The potential for continued domination by Ducati, which has won 10 of the first 11 races in 2024, is not the only cause for Stoner’s concern. “The braking [zones] are going to shrink, when the braking [zones] shrink there’s less overtaking opportunities,” he said. Additionally, “Corner speed might pick up, which allows for less overtaking again because it’s not like 125s, 250s, Moto3, it’s not like that; there’s still enough power to separate everyone [under acceleration], but everything’s going to shrink now in terms of overtaking opportunities, in my opinion. “They’ve done some of the right things with some of the stuff that’s being removed (such as ride height devices), but the rest of it isn’t even close to what it needs to be.” Stoner’s fundamental concern with the 2027 MotoGP regulations is that they don’t address what he sees as a core issue in the current rules, which is that the technology is becoming too advanced. “I still feel like they’re Formula 1 cars with two wheels,” the two-times MotoGP World Champion said. “We’ve got traction control, wheelie control and everything that Formula 1 doesn’t have. “I understand that bikes need to go forwards technically to a certain degree, but there’s a point that it has to stop.” The advancement of technology means that it’s harder for riders to showcase their talent, in Stoner’s opinion. “I want to see these riders’ talent. I want to watch a slow-mo’ and instead of winglets flexing I actually want to see these guys sliding, controlling a wheelie, finding grip where there’s no grip. That’s what these things are about, and the challenge.” In Stoner’s opinion, the bikes should become more difficult to ride, not easier. “People complain all the time in motocross that the 450s are too powerful, they complain about these MotoGP bikes are too powerful, they’re too big,” he said. “[But] it’s the point, you have to learn to control that power. “They’re talking about these electric bikes, ‘they’re so much easier to ride’ — then count me out. I don’t want something that’s easy to ride, I want something that’s hard to ride. When that grip level disappears, when it’s harder to ride is when you need to start watching what people are capable of. “Right now, we’re not watching a championship that’s showcasing talent, we’re watching a championship where the engineers are trying to take riders out of the equation. They want to get to the point where they can stick just about any rider on and they’re going to be somewhat competitive. “Essentially, it ends up like Formula One where it depends what car you’re in, rather than the actual talent of the driver, or [in the case of MotoGP] the rider. It’s very hard for me to sit back and watch because I’ve seen this happening. “I would like to see the best riders in the world riding the toughest bikes, not because they’re easy to ride. I don’t want them easier to ride; if anything, harder, and you’ve got to try and make the best of it.” From Stoner’s perspective, the inability of the riders to make a difference with their talent means the quality of the racing suffers. Stoner compared the racing in current MotoGP to that seen in AMA Supercross, where contact is a fundamental part of racing on tight stadium tracks with limited line choice. “We’re starting to see [that kind of racing] now in MotoGP,” Stoner said. “People are just seeing a gap and taking it. “It goes down to something that, for me, is an incredibly immature way of thinking, which is to win at all costs. “I hate that way of thinking. I mean, if you stop and actually think about what you’re saying, or what somebody is willing to do, it’s the lowest of low in my opinion: basically saying ‘I’m not good enough to win, so I will take whatever road I need to to get it done’.” Stoner did concede that occasional contact is a part of racing, but said “when you’re going in there with intent to either take someone out or without even worrying that you are going to hit someone just because you want that piece of track — for me, that’s a thoughtless way of racing. “It’s not actually being intelligent; number one for championships, number two [because] you can also bring yourself down, which we see a lot of those guys do in [AMA] Supercross. “But it’s starting to happen in MotoGP and, unfortunately, a lot of the MotoGP ones are happening because of the bikes, and all the problems that we’re seeing with all of the aero and winglets, and the only way they can actually make an overtake is to risk it all on the brakes.” You wonder if hes ever had any enjoyment out of motorcycle racing sometimes. I mean if it made you feel like that would you even be bothered?
I think he enjoyed his racing in an era defined by what he sees as lacking nowadays, where the rider was an integral part of the package, on bikes that bit you if you didn't learn to handle them. And you couldn't really disagree with much of what he said, well I couldn't. I get that a lot of the development filters down to us mortals, but I'd rather ride the bike than have the bike control everything for me. Each to his own though.
He makes good points but the manufacturers don’t care about the racing or the riders, only on winning races. They want to develop tech and don’t care about the show. he’s right though about the advantage Ducati will have
I wonder what 93 thinks of that lol. Think its a bit disrespectful tbh although ive never been his biggest fan, face like a slapped arse unless absolutely everything was going his way.
I was never very charmed by Stoner but I agree with a lot of that. All the emphasis on aero has detracted a lot from my enjoyment of MotoGP.
Since the year 2002, when the 4 stroke MotoGP era started, only 2 riders have won Motorcycling World Championships for different manufacturers, Rossi and Stoner. Like him or not, IMO, Stoner has every right to express an opinion on the current trend of putting technology first. Marquez got the best out of a Honda at least twice (out of his 6 titles), when it wasn’t the best bike on the grid, which would seem to back up what Stoner thinks about technology taking the rider skill out of the equation. Marquez might join the club next year, which I am sure his brain is focussed on but he is only 1 serious bang on the head from losing his eyesight so lets wait and see if his fragile body over rules his impetuous head. Andy
No problem with him having an opinion or am I in any doubt that he was a great rider (while he could be bothered). It’s not the first time he’s had a pop at the current generation of riders though. Makes him sound like a bitter washed up ex pro footballer in my opinion. You can say you don’t like aero and ride height devices without reducing the current back to back world champion and the rest of the field to passengers.
Having come face to face with a gravel lorry on a restricted access, single track section of B road and followed a selfish farmer, towing a trailer with hay bails on it in a queue of about 2 and a half miles long of slow moving traffic, for 8 miles today, my mood is less buoyant than this morning. IMO, none of the current crop of MotoGP riders (except maybe MM but I have my doubts) would be able to ride a 500cc two-stroke era race bike. Get rid of the technology and see how good they are. OMG, I sound like Neil Hodgson Andy
I don’t know if you saw that piece Hodgy did on the factory KTM last round but I think it proves that Casey is vastly underestimating the new riders and the job they do. He got off it after a handful of laps quivering like a leaf in a gale and said it was the best bike hed ever ridden and hed “never ride his road bike again”. The KTM guy said “it’s a great bike if youre riding to enjoy yourself which you were but when you start trying to get the performance out if it, it turns into a completely different animal” Hard to argue with that when you look at their results this season. Pecco et al, also spend most of their weeks going sideways on flat trackers/dirt bikes, so not too dis-similar to Casey's upbringing. (Sorry to hear about your issue with farmers too, at least it’s the road going kind and not the kind that needs a good dollop of cream on your index finger)
Stoner never made a secret of his dislike of the PR side of being a MotoGP rider. His health problems have been well-documented ... although some are given to childish assumptions. It seems quickly overlooked that he took a bike that no-one else was competitive on to the championship in 2007. If what he predicts in the interview eventutates MotoGP will become even more processional than it is at the moment.
Not arguing with any of that although again i think a lot of people who yearn for the good old days do so with rose tinted glasses. If you look back at his 2007 winning season the gaps between say the top 10 riders at the end of a race, are by no means too dis-similar to what they are now.
His podcast with Hodgy was really good. i liked Stonor and i would argue more naturally talented than all the riders of his era and there after.
If he was such a unique and exceptional talent above everyone else he would have won more than 2 championships. Lorenzo won more championships competing against Stoner and in less years.
I don't think it's that simple (and as I say above I always disliked Stoner as a bloke). Stoner won two championships on two different bikes and most people would say that that's more impressive than three on the same one. Plus one of CS's titles was on a pig of a Ducati that nobody else could even podium; JL's Yamaha was the most user-friendly bike on the grid, hence him duking it out with VL so much of the time. Yes JL won one more title than CS but he rode in almost twice as many races (203 to 115). And CS's win percentage (33 from 115 = 33%) is notably higher than JL's (47 from 203 = 23%). Of course one can play with the numbers but what weighs with me is the sheer number of their contemporaries who speak of Stoner as one of the most naturally talented riders of all time because of what he did on that Ducati - you only have to look at what happened to VR when he hopped onto it. "One of the most talented and difficult riders to beat because, for me, about the pure talent, he's unbeatable.” Rossi. And: "I have seen very few, if any, riders with the natural talent of Casey, to be fast right away with any bike and in all weather conditions." Jorge Lorenzo ...
Yep his talent has never been in doubt, what’s upstairs and what comes out of his mouth on the other hand….
Racing is about winning championships. Whilst Stoner was very fast, he didn’t like other riders mixing it with him. The year Stoner won on the Ducati he had the advantage of Bridgestone tyres developed for his bike, an advantage that Rossi twigged on to with Michelin.
I get the feeling that he was one of those people who gets more pleasure from riding the bike and his personal achievements then from actually beating other people. Most of the very top people in any sport wanted to win above anything else and they would have the same mentality in whatever field they chose.
Casey Stoner hits the nail on the head in imploring MotoGP/Dorna to preserve the contribution of the skill of the rider to make for good, watchable racing. What has always seemed to be an odd difference between MotoGP and F1 is that in the former, manufacturers actually have a hard-wired right to lobby and influence the generation and interpretation of technical regulations. This arrangement will tend to the dominant manufacturer of any particular era, rather than level the technical playing field.
Hodgson was talking to Tardozi ahead of the race on Sunday suggesting they should get rid of ride height devices at the start of races to stop riders spinning off the line (a la Pecco) and either taking someone out or getting hit from behind "surely you dont want to see your rider injured like that and i dont want to commentate on something like that" (or words to that effect). Tardozi looked at him like he was a bit crazy and politely disagreed.
