Thursday, July 05, 2007

MotoGP: Stoner Interview By Noyes

Casey Stoner has been interviewed by Dennis Noyes for Speed TV's website.
It's a good read. Stoner, as with most of our Aussie friends, is certainly a plain speaker. Interestingly, he claims that his incessant hop-offs from the 990cc Honda last year were down to a certain frogs'-leg-chomping tyre company supplying him with rubbish tyres, and that a certain raw-fish-chomping motorcycle manufacturer told him a load of porkie pies about the quality of the electronics on his bike.
This pretty much tallies with my feelings about his debut year. Clearly, Honda don't supply their best equipment to the LCR Honda satellite team, and Michelin don't knock themselves out to supply them with great tyres either. It has already been stated that Stoner didn't once benefit from Michelin's ability to fly in new tyres specially for the Sunday of a race weekend (now banned under the new 2007 rules).
To be honest, I always thought that Stoner chucked his bike at the scenery because he just didn't get on with Michelins in general (the lower GP classes running Dunlops), and that he would do better on Bridgestones, since Japanese riders like Tamada and Nakano who have switched the other way have found no confidence in the French rubber. In the Noyes interview, Stoner says he was usually baffled as to why he had suddenly lost grip and flown into a gravel trap last year, suggesting that he was on worse tyres than he had been in practise, and saying that it was down to politics.
Stoner says he has no sympathy with the Michelin runners who claim that the garlicky snail eaters should be allowed to fly in special tyres mid-meeting again. Bridgestone, being based about 20 hours flying time away from the European circuits, couldn't possibly fly in tyres mid-meeting. I have to say, I agree with the MotoGP championship leader on this one. If Michelin can't produce tyres as good as Bridgestone then they should shut up, not demand an unfair advantage.
Anyway, it's good to hear a good interview from the kid who's giving The Doctor a run for his money this year.

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