Stoner to retire

[Crasherfromwayback]

Fixed it for ya

100% agree with ya. But I was referring to the current punters.

[pritch]

I'm glad I saw Stoner race, I'm pleased I saw him win, but he always struck me as psychologically brittle.

He was inclined to be negative, and looking at his announcement there's so many things he doesn't like it's surprising he hung around as long as he did. Apparently he reached his goal 2007 and hadn't really set another?

I recently read an article which made the case that he thinks he is paid to race by Honda. He doesn't understand that his wages are paid by the guy in Ho Chi Minh City who buys a Honda runabout, or the guy in Spain who puts Repsol in his engine, the guys who buy the brand of leathers that he wears, or the same brand of helmet. By all those people in the grandstands and watching on pay TV.

Looking on the bright side, the racing might be closer next year.

[Crasherfromwayback]

I'm glad I saw Stoner race, I'm pleased I saw him win, but he always struck me as psychologically brittle.

Looking on the bright side, the racing might be closer next year.

Me too, but I doubt anyone that's been doing it as long as he has, and had the knocks he has,won what he has, could ever be considered in anyway psycholoically brittle.

But I will certainly agree with you regarding the racing once he's gone. Like Rossi before him, and Doohan before that.

[rachprice]

Selfish? Why the hell is it selfish?

I'll miss watching him too... Hopefully some new stars will start to come through! Will be interesting to see who gets his seat!

[Crasherfromwayback]

Selfish? Why the hell is it selfish?

I'll miss watching him too... Hopefully some new stars will start to come through! Will be interesting to see who gets his seat!

Betcha anything you like Repsol will be a knocking on Lorenzo's door!

[merv]

He started at 4 and has been racing for close on 23 years. Hell many in combat jobs (army etc) retire after 25 years and racing is pretty tough combat.

Me, I couldn't have stuck at doing it for that long so he is tough for sure.

Betcha anything you like Repsol will be a knocking on Lorenzo's door!

Well he is from the right country - just wonder how long the Repsol money holds up.

[NZsarge]

Love him or hate him, you can't help but admit he's a fucking weapon. Still...someone faster and better always comes along.

He must be a fucking weapon, he managed to get that baron looking tart of a wife of his pregnant...

I'm with 5150, Lorenzo goes to Honda and Rossi comes to his senses and goes back to Yamaha and drops the Ducati shite like a hot potato, might get back up the pointy end again then.

[Crasherfromwayback]

He must be a fucking weapon, he managed to get that baron looking tart of a wife of his pregnant...

I'm with 5150, Lorenzo goes to Honda and Rossi comes to his senses and goes back to Yamaha and drops the Ducati shite like a hot potato, might get back up the pointy end again then.

lol. I'd like to have too.

One thing I would've paid seriosly big money to see would've been Lorenzo, Rossi AND Stoner with HRC! Like Lawson, Gardner and Doohan years ago. Fireworks?

[NZsarge]

Fireworks?

Yep...
........

[merv]

He must be a fucking weapon, he managed to get that baron looking tart of a wife of his pregnant...

Hmmm - baron, baroness or barren.

[pritch]

Betcha anything you like Repsol will be a knocking on Lorenzo's door!

You'd have to think that Bradl and Bautista are the obvious candidates, and being Spanish, Bautista has probably got the inside running, depending on the results to come from the rest of the season.

Repsol, Dorna, and probably Honda, would like to get Marquez on a factory bike, but that would be against the rules. Rules though are subject to bending, and to changing. If Marquez keeps his current sponsor it could be very difficult to distinguish his "satellite" bike from a factory bike.

The simplest fix for Honda would be to put Rossi on a factory bike for a couple of years but their parting was not entirely amicable. While not impossible, it's not likely.

Steve Martin is pushing Johnnie Rae's cause, but he'd be a rookie.

With almost all the riders coming off contract there's a lot of possibilities. The off-track action could be more interesting than the racing, unless Yamaha find some speed, or Ducati manage to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

[Crasherfromwayback]

unless Yamaha find some speed,

With Stoner gone the Yamaha will be more than capable of winning races.

[NZsarge]

Hmmm - baron, baroness or barren.

Barren, ok?

[jasonu]

100% agree with ya. But I was referring to the current punters.

I live in the past, it was more exciting...

[Crasherfromwayback]

I live in the past, it was more exciting...

There were certainly a lot of good races way back when. But I think people tend to use rose tinted specs a lot too. There were a lot of different era's when people were dominating and simply fucking off from the rest.