Photo: Jorge Lorenzo
Casey Stoner and HRC did, in fact, have talks about potentially racing at COTA, and this is arguably one of the most interesting developments in the recent history of Honda's premier class racing program. Still, it looks like Honda preferred to play the safest card and not have Stoner on the bike at COTA and Termas de Rio Hondo, for several strong reasons.
HRC's Livio Suppo spoke to motomatters and confirmed the existence of discussions for a potential substitution for Dani Pedrosa, who recently had a new arm pump surgery. Honda understood that having Stoner on a factory bike would generate very high expectations from the fans, with many of them maybe even dreaming to see him actually win again like he used to before retirement.
Suppo added that Stoner has no experience at neither of these tracks, as they have been added to the calendar after his retirement. Even more, despite the fact that Casey Stoner is a test rider for HRC, his expertise aboard a bike like Dani Pedrosa's is very limited, while racing with the 2015 Bridgestone tires is another unknown for him.
This may be a tiny open door HRC has for Stoner, in case he decides to make a better-timed move towards the track. From his initial refusal to accepting the deal for Suzuka 8 Hours and to the prospect of at least one MotoGP race substituting for Pedrosa, Casey Stoner seems to have evolved quite a bit.
Is this a sign that the 29-year-old Australian thinks about returning the MotoGP paddock? We'd put money on "no", but it looks like nobody can tell for sure, not even Stoner himself.
Suppo added that Stoner has no experience at neither of these tracks, as they have been added to the calendar after his retirement. Even more, despite the fact that Casey Stoner is a test rider for HRC, his expertise aboard a bike like Dani Pedrosa's is very limited, while racing with the 2015 Bridgestone tires is another unknown for him.
A small door remains open
All in all, according to the HRC official, Stoner's presence in MotoGP as a substitute for Pedrosa had more drawbacks than strong points. Suppo hasn't, however, offered any info on what may happen in the future. The fact is that nobody from Honda said anything about Stoner's almost proverbial refusal to race (until now).This may be a tiny open door HRC has for Stoner, in case he decides to make a better-timed move towards the track. From his initial refusal to accepting the deal for Suzuka 8 Hours and to the prospect of at least one MotoGP race substituting for Pedrosa, Casey Stoner seems to have evolved quite a bit.
Is this a sign that the 29-year-old Australian thinks about returning the MotoGP paddock? We'd put money on "no", but it looks like nobody can tell for sure, not even Stoner himself.
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