Casey Stoner continues to share his memories of his time as a phenom as a starting rider in MotoGP. A difficult period, because Valentino Rossi was still the boss of the category, and he intended to remain so, even if he felt himself bending under the weight of the accomplished seasons and increasingly strong competition. Jorge Lorenzo was in the landscape and the Australian had appeared there without warning. At that time, surprising and upsetting Vale was not without risk and the double world champion realized this in the paddock and in front of the stands where he confronted the attacks of the “Rossisphère”…
In the jubilation of the departure from Valencia, it is a gray area of the character Valentino Rossi which was classified without further action and yet many drivers who stood up to him on the track had to suffer. It is about this pressure from a part of the yellow people, fanatic - in the most worrying sense of the term - of their idol considered untouchable. The jeers were his way of identifying himself in the stands and under the podiums. These ultras were heard and identified by everyone, except by Valentino Rossi himself who never reacted to these excesses of individuals clearly wearing his colors.
Marc Marquez after the controversial final of 2015 has never been spared, the boss at Yamaha that is Lin Jarvis, has already said that by expanding the audience for Grands Prix, Red had also drained “ hooligans ". And to listen Casey Stoner, we see that sometimes, this went quite far. We can even speak of an attack… On Mowmag we read thus: “ when I came out of the box, there were people who annoyed me ". But there is worse : " when I was on the scooter in the paddock there were people trying to tear my arm off and to make me fall. They did everything they could to hurt me and affect the race. They were writing “shit” on my camper van and that kind of thing, there were threats ».
Casey Stoner: “it was a lot to bear"
An atmosphere that is obviously difficult to live with: “ it was a lot to bear. I feel like I've done a good job and been involved in things that I've learned from. I wouldn't go back and do it any other way ". The Australian champion explained that suffering this type of attitude led him to experience eternal conditioning, dictated by the fact that he did not see his talent fully recognized. As if beating, or trying to, Valentino Rossi, at that time, was a serious mistake and not a great merit.
A climate of hostility against which he struggled more and more. Even if in Portimao first and in Valencia later, Valentino Rossi et Casey Stoner hugged and shook hands, the Australian did not forget the essential with this regret: “ Valentino never really tried to stop it all ". A sentence which raises questions about the role played Red in all these nauseating maneuvers. He who says nothing consents, they say.
