Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi shared one of the most exciting MotoGP rivalries of the modern era in the 2000s and 2010s.
Unfortunately, it was cut short when Stoner announced a premature retirement from the sport at the age of 27 in 2012.
MotoGP was robbed of at least two of three more instalments of an intense rivalry, which saw the two go head-to-head for multiple titles.
Rossi would come second a few more times, but fail to reach the top again after his Australian rival retired. His biggest chance in 2015 slipped through his grasp.
Rossi had the media ‘wrapped around his finger’ according to Stoner, who felt like the Italian had an off-track advantage.
Stoner thinks the ‘worst thing’ Rossi ever did was make enemies out of his rivals, and turn the intensity up on track. It made his life more difficult.
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Photo by Lucas Dawson/Getty ImagesCasey Stoner finds Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP differences ‘beautiful’ after retirement
Stoner won a championship getting ‘eaten alive’ by a Ducati bike that no one else could seem to ride as fast as him back in 2007.
It was a common theme throughout his time with the Italian manufacturer. Nobody could quite understand how quick he was at times.
So much so that when Rossi joined them in 2011, he was left dumbfounded by their bike and its lack of performance.
Speaking to TNT Sports at the Austrian Grand Prix, Stoner revealed how his relationship with Rossi has taken a ‘beautiful’ turn.
“They say time heals all wounds,” he said. “He’s been an incredible competitor of mine over the years, and yes, we definitely had our differences while we were racing.
“There’s some things I didn’t agree with. He probably didn’t like some of my cheek as well. We thought differently, saw differently, and that’s the beautiful part of motorsport. Everyone’s a little bit different.”
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What was Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner’s best MotoGP battle?
By far the most renowned of battles came very early on in their rivalry, at the 2008 United States Grand Prix.
Going side-by-side at the ‘Corkscrew’ corner, which is known for being one of the most challenging to navigate in the racing world, was insane.
On that occasion, despite taking pole position and being very quick, Stoner would lose out to Rossi in the race, who led him home by a margin of 13 seconds.
At the end of the season, the Italian rider would go on to secure his sixth title, the penultimate of his MotoGP career.