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Key trait identified that separated 'special' Casey Stoner from other legends | MotoGP

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

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Casey Stoner's riding style made him unique from other MotoGP legends, a former rival claims.

Stoner won two MotoGP titles, with Ducati and Honda, before retiring from the sport prematurely.

However, he remains exceptional even compared to Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo.

“Devastating” is how Andrea Dovizioso described his competition against Stoner to Relevo.

“On the days he was good, he could beat any runner.

“He had such a particular talent that if you tried to copy him, to imitate him, it didn’t work.

“Stoner was something innate. To compete with him, it was not enough to do the same thing but rather something completely different.

“Something like fighting with different weapons.

“Casey, unlike the other pilots, is most admirable for his flying abilities. See him and enjoy his motorcycle, just like that.

Dovizioso explained what it was like to fight against the legends of Rossi and Stoner's era.

“I lost sleep a lot, but that’s normal,” he says.

“I'm actually happy to have competed against them.

“Rossi is perhaps one of the most complete. In fact, he's the one who has won the most championships.

“About Márquez, let's say he is incredibly strong in many ways and it was very difficult to beat him.

“In my case, for three years in a row I competed with him at a high level.

“At one point I found the winning card to win a battle, but not the war.

“During the season, he always ended up finding solutions to go first.

Dovizioso also described Lorenzo.

“Jorge was a constant driver,” he said.

“When he was fit, he hammered you. When he set a goal, he was precise and decisive in achieving it. I think that was one of his main virtues.

“In a way, he was like his favorite driver: Max Biaggi.

“I studied Dani Pedrosa a lot. I also had him as a teammate.

“Very good, difficult to beat him, although sometimes he had his ups and downs.

“I think he deserved to win more championships than him.

“When he had the day, Dani was also impossible to beat.

“In short, it was difficult to compete with them, but at the same time fascinating.”

Dovizioso said of his many rivals on the track: “There has always been love and hate between them.

“I want to think that fortunately in my career I have had to deal with enormous talent.