Casey Stoner once explained why Marc Marquez was ‘threatened’ by him even after retiring from MotoGP

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Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez never quite received the honour of racing against each other in MotoGP.

Stoner retired at the end of the 2012 season, while Marquez would burst onto the scene in 2013 by claiming the title in his rookie campaign.

Even though he had retired, the former signed a deal to test on a limited basis for Honda throughout the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

The two-time champion was meant to be helping with the development of their MotoGP bike, as they pushed for more world titles.

Marquez showed admiration for Stoner at Honda by going over all of his data when he first joined the team in 2013.

While the two never met on track, Stoner’s biggest rivalry was with Valentino Rossi. Considering that Marquez clashed with Rossi too, it would be acceptable to presume that these two would have been close too.

READ MORE: Marc Marquez reminds Michael Laverty of Casey Stoner with one ‘unearthly’ ability

Casey Stoner feels Marc Marquez was ‘threatened’ by him while being a Honda test rider

Rather unusually by today’s standards, considering that Rossi competed until he was 41, Stoner retired at a young age.

The dangers of motorsport should not be forgotten, and after achieving all he felt he could at the highest level, he stepped away at the age of 27 in 2012.

Speaking in 2016 after a split from Honda, he told GPxtra that he felt the young Marquez felt intimidated by his presence within the team.

“At Honda I was just an occasional tester, I did not have any other role and, to tell you the truth, they never took full advantage of my potential,” he said.

“I think Marquez and all his entourage felt threatened by me. I don’t know why they thought that, but that’s my feeling.

“I was at Honda to do some testing, to try new things that could then be transferred to the works riders, so I was there to help Marc. But it’s also true that the number one rider is the one everyone must follow.”

READ MORE: Casey Stoner started to lose ‘respect’ for Valentino Rossi after one MotoGP overtake

Why did Casey Stoner split with Honda in 2015?

After a throttle failure during the 2015 Suzuka 8 Hours, Stoner crashed out of the race, injuring his ankle and shoulder.

At the end of the year, he would leave the team to go and join Ducati, where he would serve as a test rider for three more years until 2018.

He could have reunited with Honda during their recent major struggles, considering that he is still yet to hit 40 years of age.

However, he seems to be done with racing for good, and seems to be enjoying life away from the circuit after dedicating a lot of his life to his career.