Casey Stoner

Just after his 14th birthday, Casey and his parents relocated to England to follow his dream of riding in the premier category. Casey could not legally road race in Australia until he was 16, but he and his family had decided he was ready for the challenge, so the decision was made to move to England where Casey was already of legal age to race. A big risk to take, but it paid off.

​

2007 was a golden year for Casey after joining the Factory Ducati Marlboro Team alongside Loris Capirossi, with whom he had struck up a good friendship. He married Adriana on January 6th and on his debut on the new bike at the first race of the year in Qatar he took victory. Then on September 23rd, in Japan, after a dominant season winning 10 races, Stoner secured his first MotoGP World Championship.

​

He secured his second career World title and became the first rider to win the title twice in his first year on a new machine (in 2007 in his first year on a Ducati and in 2011 in his first season on an 800cc Honda). Casey finished on the podium in every race except one (Jerez), where he was taken out in a racing incident involving Rossi.

​

Ready to fight to retain his title in 2012, Casey became a father in February to daughter Alessandra and began the year in top form, with wins at Jerez, and Estoril, both tracks he had not won a MotoGP race at before; his victory in Estoril allowed him to take the Championship lead. His fourth place at the Catalunya GP was his first finish off the podium in fourteen months. Then during the Pre-Event Press Conference for the French GP in May, Casey shocked the motorcycling World by announcing his retirement from the sport at the end of the season. Citing personal reasons and dislike for the way the Championship was headed as his reasons for his decision.

Since retiring from MotoGP in 2012, Casey spent 2013 racing in the V8 Supercars Development series and also served as testing rider for HRC until November 2015. He is without a doubt the King of Phillip Island and out of respect, the circuit owners named turn three after him and created a bronze bust in his honour.

​

On his retirement from the sport, he was also named a MotoGP Legend, joining a list of greats including fellow countrymen Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner, Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood and Freddie Spencer.

In December 2015, Casey announced that he was returning to Ducati in the role of brand ambassador and test rider – a role in which he continued until the winter of 2018.