After his lap of the Catalunya circuit aboard the Honda RC213V, Casey Stoner gave an interesting interview to the Spanish site enlasgradas in which, aside from his personal situation, he discusses some interesting topics.
Excerpts…
Do you think there are people interested in creating controversy between you and Márquez?
Casey Stoner: “It looks like it. Things that Marc said, others that I said. But they (journalists) take and put what they want. It's easy to be a journalist. You take the words that interest you and it's easy to create a sentence. It's not correct. »
Do you agree with him when he says that no rider can develop a bike by doing three tests a year?
“To see, if I wasn't fast enough or if I was very slow, I could figure that out. When you are fast, you understand the bike quite well. I haven't tried the areas where there are problems. It's impossible to do it. It's not me who develops his bike.
I do tests for Honda, but it's Marc and his team who decide what to do. No matter which direction I would prefer, Marc is different from me, as is Dani. This is why everyone chooses a different option. I drove with one electronic and he prefers another. Things like that. When I take a test now, I don't do it for me. I try parts, I do a few laps at a good pace, I compare things: maps, brakes... and I suggest different directions. »
But you tried this 2015 engine. Did you find it so aggressive, as Marc and Dani or Crutchlow say?
“When I arrived at Honda in 2011, everyone said the same thing: that Honda was very aggressive. But when I compared it to my previous bike (Ducati), it was very smooth. Now, I tried it in Malaysia, which is a good indicator of whether it's very aggressive, and, for me, it's not too aggressive.
Naturally, engine development has progressed, but you can change everything with engine maps. Technicians can say, 'okay, we're doing it, gentler.' I don't think that's the problem with this bike. It is more difficult to change the chassis. If you don't have grip behind you, any engine will feel aggressive. It's my point of view. »
