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Casey Stoner as Coach for All Ducati Riders, Including Jorge Lorenzo

All Ducati riders, both factory and non-factory, will benefit from the expertise of one of the most valuable names Borgo Panigale managed to hire this year, Casey Stoner.
Stoner and Rossi 1 photo
Photo: motogp.com
Already a test rider and brand ambassador, the Australian MotoGP Legend will be present at the side of the track and in the pits at the races, also take on guiding the Ducati riders to a brighter future.

The primary goal is, naturally, putting as many Ducati riders as possible on the podium from 2017 onwards, with the ultimate endeavor being returning to winning races. Ducati has high hopes from the 2015 World Champion and believes that Lorenzo's riding prowess will sync with the new Desmosedici GP prototype, providing Borgo Panigale with the long-expected upper hand necessary for the victory.

Casey Stoner says that he thinks he knows what Lorenzo is looking for in a motorcycle and is ready to make his best to develop the right machine for him. On the other hand, Casey insisted that Ducati brings in Cristian Gabarini as the crew chief for Lorenzo.

Gabarini and Stoner worked together and clawed the World Title in 2007, so it wasn't exactly difficult to convince Gigi Dall'Igna to ask the Italian mechanical engineer to join Lorenzo's team. Gabarini is calm and utterly rational, and could serve as the ideal buffer between the sometimes impetuous Jorge Lorenzo and the results-focused Ducati management.

The very good relationship between the Italian and the Australian also caused the former to move from Ducati to Honda when the latter made the switch. With Stoner being both a coach and a development rider and Gabarini being Lorenzo's crew chief, things could indeed speed up towards delivering a far more competitive motorcycle.

Rossi can still win the 2016 title, Stoner believes

Despite the fact that Yamaha star Valentino Rossi already recorded three DNFs, Stoner believes that the Italian can still win the 2016 Championship. The Oz-based rider declared this in Italy when he met with the Nolan officials and received his one-off X-Lite carbon fiber helmet.

"Rossi is not too old to win the championship," Stoner said. "There are people winning marathons at 40. He has a good team, and he is a true champion. The end of the season is still so far, and we must wait and see what happens. I am pretty sure that he has real chances of winning the 10th title of hs career," the MotoGP Legend added.
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