HRC just tweeted that '12 will be Stoner's last year in MGP

[Squidpuppet]

If the Moto2 and Moto3 teams are not allowed to park their motorhomes in the paddock, where the hell DO they park them and are the forced to commute to and from the track everyday??? Why would they not be allowed?

[Zaphod]

He didn't elaborate. Just stated that if that was the case when he started, they never would have made it.

Seems a bit wrong. Glad he spoke out.

Can't find the video of the interview. Will keep looking, as it explains it much better than me and my late night memory.

[Squidpuppet]

He didn't elaborate. Just stated that if that was the case when he started, they never would have made it.

Seems a bit wrong. Glad he spoke out.

Can't find the video of the interview. Will keep looking, as it explains it much better than me and my late night memory.

The video lonk has been posted a few posts back. I watched the video, but was hoping Krop might be able to answer my question.

[Kropotkin]

If the Moto2 and Moto3 teams are not allowed to park their motorhomes in the paddock, where the hell DO they park them and are the forced to commute to and from the track everyday??? Why would they not be allowed?

Hotels. And because the paddock is already full, mostly with hospitality suites.

[Squidpuppet]

If the Moto2 and Moto3 teams are not allowed to park their motorhomes in the paddock, where the hell DO they park them and are the forced to commute to and from the track everyday??? Why would they not be allowed?

Hotels. And because the paddock is already full, mostly with hospitality suites.

Thanks. Are there many more hospitality suites now than there were before. Casey's wording made it sound like this is a new thing?

[Kropotkin]

If the Moto2 and Moto3 teams are not allowed to park their motorhomes in the paddock, where the hell DO they park them and are the forced to commute to and from the track everyday??? Why would they not be allowed?

Hotels. And because the paddock is already full, mostly with hospitality suites.

Thanks. Are there many more hospitality suites now than there were before. Casey's wording made it sound like this is a new thing?

The rule is new for 2012. It's also because of the success of Moto2, Moto3 and CRT: there are just more teams in the paddock, and so space is needed for the tents that some teams have to use instead of a garage (there are not enough pit garages to go around).

[Squidpuppet]

Thank you.

[Oscar]

The interview with Beattie was quite interesting. Stoner really sounded and rather looked like someone who is utterly burnt-out emotionally, and not just because of the strain of the retirement announcement thing, but rather as if he has accepted that the things he was fighting for - or at least hoping to change about the way that motoGp is going - are a battle he just can't win. Whether those things are right or wrong doesn't really matter in the context of where he appears to have arrived; I got the feeling that, far from being passionless about the sport, he cared about it very much and has had to accept that he can't change it, and that is hurting.

Though all the attention is on Stoner at the moment, and a considerable amount of debate will ensue about the correctness of his vision of the sport vs. 'reality', I don't think he is at all alone in feeling that certain things are very important to the riders and that there are more riders with burrs under their saddle than just Stoner. I recall Lorenzo's strong comment last year in response to Paul Butler's statement that 'motoGp is contact sport': Lorenzo stated that if indeed it became that, he would retire. It wasn't just a flippant comment, he took a strong position.

Ezpeleta's reaction to Stoner's comments is utterly dismissive, much as one would expect of the man. In all likelihood, neither of them is completely right, and motoGp will continue to exist in whatever form it evolves into simply because there will always be riders ready to throw themselves into the fight. I suspect that Stoner will be seen mainly as a bit of a Quixotic figure, tilting at windmills from misguided beliefs - but I also think there will be some who will come to see his position as that of the classic 'prophet in his own land' and most of those will be the people closest to the action. The sport is obviously bigger than any one man and it will roll on regardless, so ultimately what Stoner feels is relevant only to him. Personally, I hope he'll have a damn fine year and leave feeling that he did the best job of riding that he could.

[Cam D]

It seemed like an interview Casey had with someone else, and Beattie and co made up there own questions etc to suit Casey's answers. Not an uncommon practice on tele and on the radio. He never mentions their names and the personal stuff could have been about going to a BBQ... I could be wrong but there is nothing I saw that makes it feel very personal. Maybe it was pre-recorded? Either way it's nice to hear Casey having his say. I enjoyeed hearing Barros' commentss once he stopped racing, same with KRJR. Really opens up your eyes to what's actually going on.

[Rossifumi]

Having worked for big corporations and been screwed by them after years of loyal service I can have some empathy with what he appears to be thinking. However, for all the downsides he (and I) gained an awful lot too, not least being the fact that he can afford to retire very comfortably at the age of 26!.....only wish I could've done that too! I hope he appreciates how much the sport has given him too and that without the corporate/business side of motoGP he wouldn't have been earning the millions of dollars he has.

[Gar]

Having worked for big corporations and been screwed by them after years of loyal service I can have some empathy with what he appears to be thinking.

Couldn't agree more.

[drayon]

No-one (journalists) have asked or relayed to us why HRC President Tetsuo Suzuki suddenly flew in to attend Le Mans. He must have pressing business, talk Stoner i to staying or recruiting another rider if so who?

Regarding Stoner and his beef with Carmelo, find the wiki on Dorna and have a read. Consider that all Dorna directors are exclusively Spanish, consider how many Spanish riders in each of the classes (up to 65+%?), consider the rookie rule, Marc Marquez. Consider Randy De Puniet getting shafted, first by loosing his seat by Dorna giving it to Elias (Spaniard) then loosing a his POS Ducati ride to Barbera (Spaniard) to end up on another POS CRT bike. Was that not another injustice and blatant favouritism? I bet there are countless other dirty Dorna tricks Carmelo has been scheming up that Stoner is getting his back up over.

[dave_m]

No-one (journalists) have asked or relayed to us why HRC President Tetsuo Suzuki suddenly flew in to attend Le Mans. He must have pressing business, talk Stoner i to staying or recruiting another rider if so who?

Regarding Stoner and his beef with Carmelo, find the wiki on Dorna and have a read. Consider that all Dorna directors are exclusively Spanish, consider how many Spanish riders in each of the classes (up to 65+%?), consider the rookie rule, Marc Marquez. Consider Randy De Puniet getting shafted, first by loosing his seat by Dorna giving it to Elias (Spaniard) then loosing a his POS Ducati ride to Barbera (Spaniard) to end up on another POS CRT bike. Was that not another injustice and blatant favouritism? I bet there are countless other dirty Dorna tricks Carmelo has been scheming up that Stoner is getting his back up over.

There may be something to that, but there are other facts to most of those decisions. Elias to LCR had much more to do with wanting to move the inaugural Moto2 champion up to MotoGP, his being Spanish had little to no impact. I also think DePuniet is happier to be riding the for one of the top CRT teams rather than the satellite Ducati, so that probably shouldn't be in your list of problems. One reason Dorna has input over some of these decisions is because they've been financially supporting the satellite teams, and with the smaller financial requirements of the CRT teams, Dorna will probably have less input over where riders end up in the future.

[Faster1]

No-one (journalists) have asked or relayed to us why HRC President Tetsuo Suzuki suddenly flew in to attend Le Mans. He must have pressing business, talk Stoner i to staying or recruiting another rider if so who?

Regarding Stoner and his beef with Carmelo, find the wiki on Dorna and have a read. Consider that all Dorna directors are exclusively Spanish, consider how many Spanish riders in each of the classes (up to 65+%?), consider the rookie rule, Marc Marquez. Consider Randy De Puniet getting shafted, first by loosing his seat by Dorna giving it to Elias (Spaniard) then loosing a his POS Ducati ride to Barbera (Spaniard) to end up on another POS CRT bike. Was that not another injustice and blatant favouritism? I bet there are countless other dirty Dorna tricks Carmelo has been scheming up that Stoner is getting his back up over.

There may be something to that, but there are other facts to most of those decisions. Elias to LCR had much more to do with wanting to move the inaugural Moto2 champion up to MotoGP, his being Spanish had little to no impact. I also think DePuniet is happier to be riding the for one of the top CRT teams rather than the satellite Ducati, so that probably shouldn't be in your list of problems. One reason Dorna has input over some of these decisions is because they've been financially supporting the satellite teams, and with the smaller financial requirements of the CRT teams, Dorna will probably have less input over where riders end up in the future.

Got to agree with drayon on this one, especially about about DePunet getting screwed. and more than once in gp for sure.
As far as RDP being "happier" ,, If I were to put myself in his situation, I could use the term "fortunate to have a ride" but:
1.) I don't think that any rider on a CRT bike, with even one drop of competitive blood could honestly be considered happy,, moving over while the "real bikes" go by.
2.) IMO - given a real bike, he would be right on par with Baustista,, hell,, give him a 3rd TECH3 bike and he would be battling it out with Cal/Dovi. My opinion is based on the last time that he was on good bike, which was the LCR , pre broken leg. Absolutely no one's purgatory time on a Satellite Duc should ever be counted against them or on their record,,, and that goes for all riders from Guintoli, Canepa, Capirossi, etc.

[Squidpuppet]

As far as RDP...

hell,, give him a 3rd TECH3 bike and he would be battling it out with Cal/Dovi.

That is a tussle I'd love to watch for 45 minutes.

[Gustav O]

That is a tussle I'd love to watch for 45 minutes.

Me too. I really like de Puniet.

[Rusty Bucket USA]

I don't think this has been posted yet, has it?
http://www.cycleworld.com/2012/05/21/kevin-schwantz-on-casey-stoner/

[Oscar]

It seemed like an interview Casey had with someone else, and Beattie and co made up there own questions etc to suit Casey's answers. Not an uncommon practice on tele and on the radio. He never mentions their names and the personal stuff could have been about going to a BBQ... I could be wrong but there is nothing I saw that makes it feel very personal. Maybe it was pre-recorded? Either way it's nice to hear Casey having his say. I enjoyeed hearing Barros' commentss once he stopped racing, same with KRJR. Really opens up your eyes to what's actually going on.

Nope, it was definitely a one-on-one interview, the pauses before Stoner's answers were due to the transmission time gap. When Stoner said that he didn't want to lose the passion for riding a motorcycle, Beattie said that he completely understood that and when he (Beattie) retired he didn't get on a bike again for 10 years, he was exhausted by the whole crap around the racing. Stoner responded 'I don't want to get to the point that you got to' (or something very similar) - it was an absolutely direct response to Beattie's comment.

I don't think this has been posted yet, has it?
http://www.cycleworld.com/2012/05/21/kevin-schwantz-on-casey-stoner/

Schwantz has always been remarkably antipathetic to Stoner and very quick to shout his own negative opinion about him, but for once he mainly seems to have taken a more dispassionate line. Despite somewhat revising his own history (when he left the sport, the main reason he gave at the time was that without Rainey there, he had no interest in riding) - now it is his injuries.. with which I have no problems, but he seems to suggest that a lot of Stoner's stated reasons are 'an excuse', before in fact going on to analyse them and agree with most of them!

Stoner also said that he loves motorcycles and doesn’t want to lose his passion for two wheels. Schwantz identifies with that sentiment. “When I quit racing,” said Schwantz, “I didn’t even want to see a motorcycle. I spent two or three years driving cars in Australia, never once even sat on a motorcycle. Came back home, bought part of a NASCAR team, drove cars. I talked cars, played cars.

I can't remember Schwantz driving down here, but presumably it did happen!

“One championship, three championships, 15 championships, however many wins, it’s all your interpretation of your achievements. If you’re happy with what you’ve done, and you don’t feel like doing it any more, then walking away is absolutely the right thing to do.”

If Schwantz continues to adopt this 'I don't agree with what you are doing but I acknowledge the validity of you doing what you feel is the right thing to do' line, I will have considerably more respect for Schwantz's commentaries than I have had to date.

[Zaphod]

disclaimer. Rabid Schwantz fan.

Schwantz drove a Porsche in Aus.

The trouble with Schwantz is, what he means isn't always the way it comes out of his mouth. He's Ok, you just have to read between the lines and try to think of how to apply what he said in the most positive way possible.

Absolutley agree with him, 1, 3, 15......if you've had enough, you've had enough. Do whatever makes you happy.

If you want to see, what I believe is, the real Kevin...........see if you can catch him having a chat with Beattie. All of a sudden he's relaxed and talks like a normal person. I remember not to long ago the two of them on Aus TV, the main host was talking to "Kevin", and getting the usual replies.

Then Beattie chimed in with a question......." Kev, it's Darryl here..."

"Hey ! Dazz, how's it going....."

Basically, I find Schwantz and Stoner similar in some ways......great to watch, but annoying as hell when they take the helmet off

Oscar, I don't know if you remember this, but Schwantz at Eastern Creek when the channel 9 lady interviewer put it to him that he had "a bit of a reputation as a crasher"

"Well,........where do my team-mates, or other Suzuki's finish in the races !!?? I think I'm just pushing the bike a lot harder than it's capable of going, and when you're riding it to that level, it's easy to sometimes make small mistakes that bring you down."

Who the hell are you Lady !?

How Stoner is that.

[Gar]

If Schwantz continues to adopt this 'I don't agree with what you are doing but I acknowledge the validity of you doing what you feel is the right thing to do' line, I will have considerably more respect for Schwantz's commentaries than I have had to date.

I agree - I've found a lot his comments and theories weird or not well thought out but I agree with him here. I remember Schwantz from back when he was a kid learning to ride the Yosh superbike at Willow Springs club races, so I've pretty much followed him from day one.

[Cam D]

It seemed like an interview Casey had with someone else, and Beattie and co made up there own questions etc to suit Casey's answers. Not an uncommon practice on tele and on the radio. He never mentions their names and the personal stuff could have been about going to a BBQ... I could be wrong but there is nothing I saw that makes it feel very personal. Maybe it was pre-recorded? Either way it's nice to hear Casey having his say. I enjoyeed hearing Barros' commentss once he stopped racing, same with KRJR. Really opens up your eyes to what's actually going on.

Nope, it was definitely a one-on-one interview, the pauses before Stoner's answers were due to the transmission time gap. When Stoner said that he didn't want to lose the passion for riding a motorcycle, Beattie said that he completely understood that and when he (Beattie) retired he didn't get on a bike again for 10 years, he was exhausted by the whole crap around the racing. Stoner responded 'I don't want to get to the point that you got to' (or something very similar) - it was an absolutely direct response to Beattie's comment.

Definitely? Watch it again. Like I said he never once said hello/see ya/thanks etc Daryl or Greg. That comment from Stoner would have been the same if for instance Schwantz, or maybe even Steve Parish had asked it. I have seen tv stations do this before, the interview is done by someone else and they just do a voice over.

[WayneG]

Schwantz drove a Porsche in Aus.

When did Schwantz race porches out here? Not doubting you but I only ever remember him racing in the now defunct Auscar series at the "Thunderdome" at Calder. I don't recall him doing any circuit racing out here.

[Oscar]

Definitely? Watch it again. Like I said he never once said hello/see ya/thanks etc Daryl or Greg. That comment from Stoner would have been the same if for instance Schwantz, or maybe even Steve Parish had asked it. I have seen tv stations do this before, the interview is done by someone else and they just do a voice over.

Ok, I accept it as a possibility but really, does it matter? Channel 10 claimed it to be an exclusive but yes, it could have been a Parrish interview on their behalf with Beattie doing a voice-over, though Stoner was wearing headphones which suggests a satellite video hook-up. We had sensible questions and answers. No, it wouldn't have been a Schwantz interview....

[Zaphod]

Schwantz drove a Porsche in Aus.

When did Schwantz race porches out here? Not doubting you but I only ever remember him racing in the now defunct Auscar series at the "Thunderdome" at Calder. I don't recall him doing any circuit racing out here.

Shit Wayne !.....don't make me go out on limb and get more things wrong !

I don't know if it was early Porsche cup, GT racing or what. I remember it was a Yellow Porsche, and Eastern Creek was one venue I remember him fanging around.

He then went and did more of the Porsche thing overseas. If you remeber the movie "Faster", he's sitting in one talking about how when you move your arse a bees-dick back and fro on a 500, it makes it do different things, and he still has (had) the habbit of moving his arse in the Porsche seat to try and get more drive out of corners.......to no effect.

Cut the bloke some slack, he's got opinions, he's not always right (who is) and he has the benefit of at least having raced,won and won a championship at the elite level.

.........and did on a bike that, by all accounts, was worse than the Ducati.

It's not like he's an unbridled, opinionated, self righteous wanker who achieved F.A in the premier class ( Hello JK, Fogarty.....and to a slightly lesser extent, Max)


People here like others to try and interperate Stoners blunt, abrupt way of speaking, as well as his opinions, yet are quite happy to slag off someone who is basically doing the same thing.

I notice no-one had a go at Doohan for saying that he didn't think Stoner was doing the right thing by retiring......

[Cam D]

Definitely? Watch it again. Like I said he never once said hello/see ya/thanks etc Daryl or Greg. That comment from Stoner would have been the same if for instance Schwantz, or maybe even Steve Parish had asked it. I have seen tv stations do this before, the interview is done by someone else and they just do a voice over.

Ok, I accept it as a possibility but really, does it matter? Channel 10 claimed it to be an exclusive but yes, it could have been a Parrish interview on their behalf with Beattie doing a voice-over, though Stoner was wearing headphones which suggests a satellite video hook-up. We had sensible questions and answers. No, it wouldn't have been a Schwantz interview....

No it doesn't matter. I just put up an opinion, you felt it was necessary to add your opinion and I responded.
The question and answers were excellent that's why I said - "Either way it's nice to hear Casey having his say. I enjoyed hearing Barros' comments once he stopped racing, same with KRJR. Really opens up your eyes to what's actually going on."