Photo: motogp.com
"Livio Suppo never understood me, nor listened to me," MotoGP Legend Casey Stoner told the Italian magazine Gazzetta Dello Sport after the recent test at Sepang in Malaysia, at the beginning of the week. It looks like criticism against Honda Racing Corporation will not just stop here, and we might hear more on the matter.
Even though Casey Stoner didn't make the comeback millions of his fans dreamed he would, his presence back astride a MotoGP Ducati motorcycle in the first official test of the season was a very successful one.
On the third day of the test, Stoner was the fastest of all the riders using Ducati machinery, including the two GP16 factory bikes that had Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone at the helm. The Australian didn't even ride the latest incarnation of the Desmosedici, as he first wanted to get used to the 2015 bike better.
With around one year passing since Stoner was last on a MotoGP bike, it's easy to understand that he wanted to see on what base Ducati is building the GP16 machine.
Even more, despite Stoner saying that the power of the machine is similar to what his latest Ducati (2010) delivered, the electronics and the tires were an entirely new thing. Still, the IRTA test went very well, with both the Oz-based rider and the team more than happy with his results.
Stoner says that his job as a Honda test rider could have yielded much better results if the team had paid more attention to what he could do for them. He even adds that at times he felt like Honda believed that his only goal was to race again and cause trouble, while Suppo behaved at times as if Stoner had a secret and dark agenda.
We've got a feeling that this is not going to be the last time when we hear the two-time MotoGP world champion speaking about the time he spent as an HRC test rider. The only Honda man Stoner associated with friendship and mutual understanding was HRC Vice-President Nakamoto-san, and we guess that the Australian will not hesitate if and when payback time comes.
On the third day of the test, Stoner was the fastest of all the riders using Ducati machinery, including the two GP16 factory bikes that had Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone at the helm. The Australian didn't even ride the latest incarnation of the Desmosedici, as he first wanted to get used to the 2015 bike better.
With around one year passing since Stoner was last on a MotoGP bike, it's easy to understand that he wanted to see on what base Ducati is building the GP16 machine.
Even more, despite Stoner saying that the power of the machine is similar to what his latest Ducati (2010) delivered, the electronics and the tires were an entirely new thing. Still, the IRTA test went very well, with both the Oz-based rider and the team more than happy with his results.
The closet door is ajar, the skeletons start coming out
Now, we heard Case Stoner saying that HRC never used him to the full potential, so reading his new statement as to how Honda's Livio Suppo never got to understand or listen to what he had to say is no surprise.Stoner says that his job as a Honda test rider could have yielded much better results if the team had paid more attention to what he could do for them. He even adds that at times he felt like Honda believed that his only goal was to race again and cause trouble, while Suppo behaved at times as if Stoner had a secret and dark agenda.
We've got a feeling that this is not going to be the last time when we hear the two-time MotoGP world champion speaking about the time he spent as an HRC test rider. The only Honda man Stoner associated with friendship and mutual understanding was HRC Vice-President Nakamoto-san, and we guess that the Australian will not hesitate if and when payback time comes.
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