There was a lot of talk about Casey Stoner’s visit to the MotoGP paddock at Portimão last weekend, and many people were pleased to see him of course, particularly the Ducati team.
Bagnaia: “Casey would be fundamental"
In fact, Pecco Bagnaia spoke outright about the respect he has for the two-time world champion: “We're talking about Casey Stoner, the most successful Ducati rider, able to win with the red bike, one of the world’s best. It would be fundamental to have him as coach. He helped me understand how to tackle the last turn this weekend, I like his approach”, stated the winner of the Algarve GP after scoring pole on Saturday.
Ciabatti talks
But the dream of having Stoner in the garage may remain just that, as Paolo Ciabatti explains while talking to MotoGP.com.
“There’s been a lot of talk about Casey and he clearly helped many of our riders with his analysis, giving them some great advice – comments the Sporting Director – it’s always nice to have a champion and friend like Stoner in the garage, but the results came down to Pecco and Jack and their talent”.
“Having him with us in 2022? We’d like it, but I don’t think he plans to move back to Europe. Casey has a family and two small kids, and they are his priority. He’ll be with us at Valencia and we hope he brings us luck there too”, concludes Ciabatti, essentially dashing the Ducati fans’ hopes.
Translated by Heather Watson
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