Between Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi, it is now a relationship of young retirees which punctuates their exchanges recounting the games of yesteryear. However, there is no real forgiveness and the memories remain vivid and rarely diluted by time. Thus, the double Australian world champion returned to this Grand Prix at Laguna Seca in 2008, the course and outcome of which marked the man who was then the title holder on Ducati. An episode that he recalls, hiding nothing of the fact that he still has this race in his throat...
Valentino Rossi has plenty of fans around the world and in the stands but he has of course not only made friends on the track. Besides, he did not try to do so and, even, he showed himself in his best light when he had identified an enemy. Max Biaggi was the first to discover it in the premier category, then others went there and it ended up going wrong with Marc Marquez. In the meantime, there has been Stoner who also has his truth run with the Doctor, the kind that changed everything. And for the Australian it was Laguna Seca in 2008.
Valentino knew that the Californian track perfectly suited the style of his Australian rival. From the first tests, the Italian had never been able to approach the pilot Ducati, and after that Stoner took a record pole position, 'Vale' understood that he could only stand up to the Borgo Panigale official if he harassed him from start to finish, thus preventing the Australian from finding his rhythm.
The site motogp.com has released a video as part of its "Tales of Valentino" series that focuses on what happened at that 2008 United States Grand Prix, a race in which, according to Stoner, Rossi had a clear strategy before arriving at the Laguna Seca circuit: “ we were both starting to chase more points for the championship. Maybe he already had a plan in his head: or he was capable of beating me. Either none of us were going to finish the race. I don't know. But some oversteps suggest that was his mentality. From the first laps it was very clear that this was his plan, not to let me go, not to let me find my rhythm."
Casey Stoner does not forgive Rossi: “ Somehow he didn't want me to win this race. He used the track in a dangerous manner”
Casey Stoner is convinced that Valentino did not want to give up victory under any circumstances, even if it meant an accident between the two men: “ it doesn't matter if he wins or we both get in an accident. Somehow he didn't want me to win this race. He used the track in a dangerous way, he went off the track and got an advantage, the rules say if you go off the track and you get an advantage you have to give it back" , has explained Stoner in reference to the excess of Red at the Corkscrew.
Another highlight of this race occurred on the final corner at Laguna Seca, when Casey had to brake early to avoid hitting the Yamaha by Valentino, an intentional maneuver according to n°27 which ended badly: “ in the last round, he did something he had done several times during the race, brake very early in the corner, basically to try to catch me off guard, because he knew I was going to try to look for a way out. Unfortunately, at that time, I didn't expect him to brake so soon. I went into the gravel, in the deepest part I lost the front wheel and the race was over. It was my mistake. I still think I would have won the race if I hadn't made that mistake in the gravel“, said Stoner, who was able to lift his Ducati to cross the finish line in second position, 13 seconds behind Rossi.
« Maybe he made a mistake that day, doing what he did" , analysis Casey Stoner. " Before, we were rivals, and after, we were… not enemies, but tougher rivals. From that point on, I didn't care if he fought for the championship, I definitely wasn't going to be his friend. If he was fighting to win or if he needed points, I certainly wasn't going to help him. After that moment, I learned to be more selfish in my shopping"
Laguna Seca 2008 was undoubtedly a turning point in the already frosty relationship between Stoner et Red. In fact, from that point on, Casey believes Valentino was shaping the press to turn against him and view him as an enemy, something he also conveyed to his fans: “ he had great power, he knew how to use it and he knew how to create everything. He knew how to make trouble and he knew the things he had to say to the press to get attention, the things he tried to pressure you with“, concluded the double MotoGP champion.
