- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
-
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
MOTOGP: Stoner News Headlines Le Mans Presser
Casey Stoner's announcement was the biggest buzz coming out of today's pre-event press conference at Le Mans.
(Photo: Dorna Communications)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Round 4 of the MotoGP World Championship from Le Mans, France will air LIVE on SPEED on Sunday, May 20 at 8:00am ET. Qualifying will air LIVE all season long on SPEED2. #SPEEDmoto
At Thursday’s pre-event press conference at the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France in Le Mans, Repsol Honda Team’s Casey Stoner surprised the racing world by announcing his retirement at the end of the 2012 MotoGP™ season. At the same time Valentino Rossi confirmed he will be continuing in the sport for at least another two years.
Stoner had previously dismissed his retirement plans as rumours, however he has now publicly stated that he will not continue racing past the end of the 2012 season. He said: “After a long time thinking, a lot of time talking with my family and my wife, this has been coming for a couple of years now but at the end of this 2012 season I will be not racing in the 2013 Championship. I will be finishing my career at the end of this season in MotoGP, and go forward in different things in my life.
“After so many years of doing this sport which I love, and which myself and my family made so many sacrifices for, after so many years of trying to get to where we have gotten to at this point, this sport has changed a lot and it has changed to the point where I am not enjoying it."
“There are a lot of things that have disappointed me, and also a lot of things I have loved about this sport, but unfortunately the balance has gone in the wrong direction. And so, basically, we won't be continuing any more. It would be nice if I could say I would stay one more year, but then where does it stop? So we decided to finish everything as we are now.”
As for the race in Le Mans, Stoner hopes to resolve the chatter issues which have plagued him throughout the season so far: “The last two races we’ve struggled a little bit with chatter, especially the last two, and it’s something we want to really reduce so we have to work hard here.”
Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo, who lies just one point behind the reigning world champion was shocked by the Australian’s announcement: “It’s a surprise for me, for everyone. I didn’t expect it. I heard the rumors and I thought there was a possibility, but I thought he would continue next year. Now he has told us, it’s not good news for MotoGP I think, but his decision is to live quietly with his family and we must respect his decision.”
He will be looking to snatch back the lead in the championship this Sunday at a track he really enjoys: “Le Mans is one of my favorite tracks. Since my first ever-front row in 2003 I have always had good results, so I’m happy to be here.”
At Thursday’s pre-event press conference at the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France in Le Mans, Repsol Honda Team’s Casey Stoner surprised the racing world by announcing his retirement at the end of the 2012 MotoGP™ season. At the same time Valentino Rossi confirmed he will be continuing in the sport for at least another two years.
Stoner had previously dismissed his retirement plans as rumours, however he has now publicly stated that he will not continue racing past the end of the 2012 season. He said: “After a long time thinking, a lot of time talking with my family and my wife, this has been coming for a couple of years now but at the end of this 2012 season I will be not racing in the 2013 Championship. I will be finishing my career at the end of this season in MotoGP, and go forward in different things in my life.
“After so many years of doing this sport which I love, and which myself and my family made so many sacrifices for, after so many years of trying to get to where we have gotten to at this point, this sport has changed a lot and it has changed to the point where I am not enjoying it."
“There are a lot of things that have disappointed me, and also a lot of things I have loved about this sport, but unfortunately the balance has gone in the wrong direction. And so, basically, we won't be continuing any more. It would be nice if I could say I would stay one more year, but then where does it stop? So we decided to finish everything as we are now.”
As for the race in Le Mans, Stoner hopes to resolve the chatter issues which have plagued him throughout the season so far: “The last two races we’ve struggled a little bit with chatter, especially the last two, and it’s something we want to really reduce so we have to work hard here.”
Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo, who lies just one point behind the reigning world champion was shocked by the Australian’s announcement: “It’s a surprise for me, for everyone. I didn’t expect it. I heard the rumors and I thought there was a possibility, but I thought he would continue next year. Now he has told us, it’s not good news for MotoGP I think, but his decision is to live quietly with his family and we must respect his decision.”
He will be looking to snatch back the lead in the championship this Sunday at a track he really enjoys: “Le Mans is one of my favorite tracks. Since my first ever-front row in 2003 I have always had good results, so I’m happy to be here.”
LATEST HEADLINES: AUTOMOTIVE
-
AUTOS: Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta
The Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta, which scored the first Le Mans… -
AUTOS: Score One For Cadillac
Cadillac has truly knocked it out of the ballpark with the stunning… -
AUTOS: Mustang Movie Site Logs Ponycars In Film
More than 3,000 films, TV shows catalogued... -
SPEED Joins GarageMonkey, The New Social Destination For Gearheads…
SPEED is now on GarageMonkey, a social network for auto, moto and… -
F1: Villeneuve's Ferrari 312 T3 Remembered
The Ferrari 312 T3 was used by Gilles Villeneuve to win the Canadian… -
AUTOS: 2014 Chevy SS Priced At $44,470
GM's full-size not just for police... -
AUTOS: Porsche Reveals 911 50th Anniversary Edition
Museum exhibit joins limited-edition model... - More News
