It is Casey Stoner’s belief that the Honda RC213V isn’t a bad bike, with the former world champion – who won with Honda and Ducati – to say that in his opinion the current bike that many have criticised… isn’t ‘quite as bad’.

In this last weekend Stoner was very attentive to what happened on his home GP, and spoke of the current brand’s bike, just like he did on Marc Máquez… and Álex Rins: ‘Marc is going to give himself a shot to understand whether it’s him or the bike. We saw Alex Rins win in Austin, he dominated that race. A bike doesn’t go from winning to being massively uncompetitive’.

For Stoner the current model, winner of a GP already this year shouldn’t be bad: ‘I’m of the opinion that these bikes aren’t quite as bad… If they can win a race earlier in the season – he almost destroyed everyone – then it shouldn’t be outside of the top 10 in the rest of the rounds’.

Given his experience, he believes that sometimes all it takes is one to «guide» the rest of riders… recalling Dani Pedrosa:

– Unfortunately in racing, sometimes you get lost and it needs someone to show what it’s capable of. We’ve also seen that with the KTMs, Dani Pedrosa hops on it in Jerez and everyone lifts, then he does it again in Misano. Sometimes you need a guiding star to show what it’s capable of, then it gives everyone else the confidence to do more.

And praised also the Desmosedici: ‘It’s easy to sit there and think the grass is greener. To look at what else is doing. Ducati have beaten most bikes and are doing a good job. It’s easy to lose heart and motivation and confidence. Those things combined drop you down hill’.

O conteúdo Casey Stoner has faith in Honda: ‘These bikes aren’t quite as bad; It doesn’t go from winning to being massively uncompetitive’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Honda has struggled over the last few years and it’s been the other manufacturers who have excelled, as happened with Suzuki in 2020 when Joan Mir – currently with Repsol Honda – won the title, or the following year when Fabio Quartararo became champion, before the Ducati began to take centre stage in MotoGP. Casey Stoner thinks that such a situation… is strange.

During the MotoGP round in his home country, Stoner spoke about the state of the manufacturer and apologised to the team: ‘Honda have been struggling for a couple of years. It’s easy to sit on the outside and say «the team haven’t been doing a good job, but it’s not actually the team. It goes way further above than that. We’re not sure how much effort they’re putting into the racing’.

In the australian’s opinion, some recent changes could be at the root of the problems, with this «delay» of the structure not singular to Honda, but to the japanese manufacturers, he recalled, since Yamaha is also in a less positive phase:

– I know there were a few position changes in Japan and it seems to be affecting the team.The two Japanese manufacturers seem to be a step or two behind. The European manufacturers got on top of everything a bit quicker, they’re ahead of the game. It’s puzzling that the Japanese manufacturers are equally behind the Europeans.

O conteúdo ‘The japanese manufacturers seem to be behind while europeans got everything a bit quicker and are ahead of the game’ – Casey Stoner aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

For the first time in his career, Marc Márquez will ride a motorcycle other than a Honda in MotoGP – he joins Gresini aboard a Ducati in 2024. After several years of dominance, the last few seasons have been challenging, not only for the Japanese manufacturer but also for the rider himself, with the performances and results way below the expectations.

In the team change he will make next year, Casey Stoner believes that #93 may finally see the reason behind all the troubless. The former rider told Crash.net:

– Honda have been struggling for a couple of years. It’s easy to sit on the outside and say «the team haven’t been doing a good job». But it’s not actually the team. It goes way further above than that. We’re not sure how much effort they’re putting into the racing. I know there were a few position changes in Japan and it seems to be affecting the team. The two Japanese manufacturers seem to be a step or two behind. […]. It’s puzzling that the Japanese manufacturers are equally behind the Europeans. Marc is going to give himself a shot to understand whether it’s him or the bike.

O conteúdo ‘Marc Márquez is going to give himself a shot to understand whether it’s him or the bike’ – Casey Stoner aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Casey Stoner, the former Australian MotoGP rider, recently shared his thoughts on the current situation between Honda and Marc Márquez. Stoner, who has firsthand experience working with Honda, was present at the Grand Prix held at Phillip Island. During the event, he had the opportunity to reconnect with old acquaintances and assess the ongoing scenario at Repsol Honda.

Repsol Honda, the Japanese factory team, is currently navigating through one of its most challenging phases. The biggest question looming is who will step in to fill the shoes of Marc Márquez. Stoner expressed his astonishment at Honda’s decision, stating to TNT Sports, “I’m genuinely surprised that Honda let Marc Márquez go. They should have tried to keep him at any cost.”

The departure of Márquez poses a significant challenge for the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC). Finding top-tier talent to represent their official team won’t be easy, especially with Márquez’s minimal losses. “Marc can now head to Gresini and test the waters with Ducati,” Stoner added, touching upon the hottest topic in MotoGP currently.

The exit of Márquez is undoubtedly a massive setback for Honda. However, the team will soon have to address several other pressing issues. With Márquez’s confirmed departure, Honda’s priority is to onboard a new rider. Stoner’s advice is straightforward: “Marc leaving is a blow to Honda. Attracting new talent will be tough, especially with the recent negative press. They need to hire a rider with the right mindset, someone ready to give their all with the equipment provided.”

Stoner believes that Honda should focus on recruiting a “young, fast, and hungry” rider. He suggests looking into the Moto2 talent pool. “Everyone emphasizes maturity and experience, but it often comes at a cost. An experienced rider knows exactly what they want. In contrast, a young, ambitious competitor is willing to give everything. I believe that’s the direction HRC should take. It’s not always about having a team leader; sometimes, what you need is a passionate rider, even if they’re not the most experienced,” concluded the Australian.

O conteúdo ‘Honda should have tried to keep Marc Márquez at all costs’ – Casey Stoner aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Still on the subject of GPOne’s interview with the charismatic Autralian rider Casey Stoner, one of the topics inevitably covered was Marc Márquez’s move from Honda to Gresini.

On the topic of Marc Marquez’s move to Gresini, Stoner said, “I’m not surprised by Marc’s decision to leave Honda. It must have been challenging for the Japanese to compete with the Europeans in recent years. I’m, however, surprised that Honda let him go. I understand Marquez’s choice; he wants to win on a winning bike.”

When asked about the potential of Marquez winning the championship, Stoner responded, “I still believe Marc is one of the greatest talents in this paddock. In recent years, Marc has had to deal with his physical condition and injuries. The Ducati is a winning bike, and he’s a champion. Whether he’ll be championship material, we’ll find out soon.”

Regarding Bagnaia, Stoner commented, “Pecco is a good rider. I know his chief technician, Gabarrini, well. Bagnaia has made significant progress and deservedly won the 2022 title. This year will be interesting with fast riders like Bezzecchi and Martin.”

Finally, when asked if there’s a new Stoner in the paddock, he said, “I don’t think so. Not because current riders lack talent, but because every rider is different. I’ve always been hard on myself. People sometimes don’t understand that I didn’t desperately want to beat others; I wasn’t happy with myself if I didn’t do my job. What mattered to me was personal achievement.”

O conteúdo ‘I still believe Marc is one of the greatest talents in this paddock’ – Casey Stoner aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

During this first day of the Autralia GP, one of the special guests is Casey Stoner, who will be present throughout the weekend, and during an interview with the GPone website, the Australian commented on the current situation in MotoGP.

Discussing the current state of MotoGP, Stoner expressed concerns about the dominance of electronics. “Electronics are taking over MotoGP, and that’s one of the main reasons I left. Riders aren’t given the chance to grow and understand their shortcomings because everything is compensated by controls. They should remove these controls to make it more fun and spectacular. Now, MotoGP is becoming like Formula 1, if not worse, where electronics rule. But these aren’t cars; they’re bikes. We don’t need to move in that direction.”

Stoner believes that the regulations need a revision. He suggests limiting the number of bikes per manufacturer and removing winglets to facilitate easier overtaking. “MotoGP is a spectacular sport to watch, and we should bring the championship back to the reality we all knew. Unfortunately, with all these devices, talent doesn’t shine through anymore. Today, the heroes are the engineers, not the riders.”

O conteúdo ‘Electronics are taking over MotoGP, and that’s one of the main reasons I left’ – Casey Stoner aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Marc Márquez experienced two more crashes during the weekend in Indonesia, in both races. With his future now set with Gresini Racing, Márquez is looking forward to the Australian Grand Prix, aiming to enjoy his time on the bike.

After the Indonesian GP, Márquez didn’t appeared to the media, but he later explained to Motosan.es the reason with a hint of humor: ‘There were greater forces at play. In fact, I did all the TV interviews one by one; if I’m upset, I don’t even do the TV interviews. But I had to go to the hotel. I’ll try to make sure it doesn’t happen again, but if there are overriding reasons, I can’t promise anything’.

Regarding his future, Márquez is still uncertain if he’ll be able to ride the Ducati during the Valencia tests. ‘It’s not 100% confirmed, I hope so. For a more relaxed winter, it’s quite important. Or more worrying, depending on how you see it. But there’s this intrigue. For now, my team is working on it’.

He will have a GP23 in the Gresini box, but he might get the latest updates from Ducati: ‘From what I understand, you earn it on the track. If you go faster, you’ll get more; if you go slower, you’ll get less. I’ve signed with Gresini, then it’s up to Gresini… I have to earn it on the track, there’s no other way’.

Joan Mir spoke about the possibility of not competing in Australia due to weather conditions: ‘It has to be assessed on Sunday itself. If there’s water, we use wet tires; if it’s windy, we’ll go slower. And if there’s too much water, and «aquaplaning», then Race Direction will make their decision’.

Márquez explained his mental state in recent weeks: ‘After the summer, my discourse wasn’t understood. I had a plan in my head and followed it. The plan was to take a step back, be 15th or 14th, and if three fell, be 11th. And build confidence. I built it and when I had it, I started to push harder. So, when you push harder, more results come, but also more falls’.

After announcing his departure from Honda, Márquez seems more relaxed: ‘Not happier per se. I’ve always been happy, but with that weight of deciding. Now it’s decided. I’m more relaxed and enjoying the last five races with my team’.

Márquez will only be able to bring Javi Ortiz to the Gresini box: ‘Yes, Javi is coming. Javi is the only one who will come. And thanks to Honda, they’ve made it easy for Javi to come with me, the rest of the team stays. It will be very strange to see them work with another rider. But I think it will be stranger for them. I wish them the best, and hopefully, they have a good rider to fight where they deserve’.

Márquez also remembered Casey Stoner at his home Grand Prix: ‘For me, Stoner is one of the riders I would have liked to, not compete against, but watch on track, follow him to see what he did differently. Everyone said he was a beast. In fact, I could compare his telemetry data in my first year, and indeed, he was a beast. We had a very similar riding style. In fact, my electronic setup was more like Stoner’s than Dani [Pedrosa]’s. Stoner is one of those riders who could have won a lot more. But he had factors that didn’t help him’.

O conteúdo Marc Márquez reflects on Casey Stoner’s legacy and his own journey with Honda – ‘He was a beast’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.