Jorge Lorenzo has dished out plaudits for his former rival Casey Stoner, who he spent several years battling against in MotoGP.
Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner shared some memorable moments on track over the years, with their title fights at the beginning of the 2010s showcasing the high drama that the premier class of motorcycle Grand Prix brings week in, week out.
MotorLand is Marc Marquez’s backyard 🔥
But he’s not the only one who shone at Aragon, with legends like Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner joining the list ✨#AragonGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/xM42hVrcvZ
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Stoner’s antics on two wheels have become the stuff of legends since his retirement from the class in 2012, with his championship triumph in 2007 on a bike that was being ‘eaten alive’ by rivals being just one of many.
Valentino Rossi even congratulated the Australian for being able to compete on a Ducati bike before Rossi took his seat in 2011. The Italian referenced the bike destroying the careers of other riders, except for Stoner.
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Casey Stoner’s ‘instinct’ set him apart from other riders on the MotoGP grid
On a recent episode of Mig Babol featuring Jorge Lorenzo, the five-time motorcycle world champion spoke on the sheer natural talent Stoner brought to the MotoGP grid, stating, “After Stoner, [Pedrosa] is the rider with the most instinct.
“More instinct, more talent to immediately understand the limits of the track. If the races were without practice, just race only, [Stoner] would win them all.”
“When the track was so mixed and had very poor grip, he understood where the limit was in every single part,” Lorenzo continued. “Dry, wet, to give the maximum on the whole track, in all the parts of the circuit.
“He started out 2 seconds ahead of everyone else. It started like that, the session lasted 45 minutes, and by the end of the session, we were more or less with him, but he was already ahead. In the first run, he’d give us seconds, it was incredible.”
Marc Marquez’s current form reminds Jorge Lorenzo of when he was trying to beat Casey Stoner
Lorenzo has previously drawn comparisons towards himself and Pecco Bagnaia due to the Italian’s current predicament in not being able to beat his Ducati teammate, Marc Marquez.
In trying to keep up with the Australian at his home race at Phillip Island in 2010, Lorenzo pushed his Yamaha over the limit. He lost control of the bike behind Stoner and ended up losing half of one of his fingers after it got stuck underneath the bike during the crash.
Lorenzo fretted about not having any feeling in the finger following the incident, which caused him to miss the final rounds of the season and ultimately handed the title to Stoner.