Chris Vermeulen pinpoints area that Casey Stoner was ‘never really strong’ during his MotoGP career

Add as preferred source on Google

Casey Stoner is often celebrated for some of his most incredible achievements in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, but one former rival has pinpointed one of his weakest areas on a MotoGP bike.

The Australian MotoGP legend is known for taking the fight to Valentino Rossi during the Italian’s peak in motorcycle racing, and for good reasons too.

Casey Stoner was Ducati’s first-ever riders’ championship winner in the premier class, paving the way for those who succeeded him in bringing a title back to Borgo Panigale, like Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez.

He added a second world title to his collection in 2011 and called it quits on his illustrious career after the following season.

During the seven-year stint in the premier class, Stoner claimed some of MotoGP’s most difficult feats, including securing a Grand Prix victory at every single circuit he visited.

• READ MORE: Former Ducati manager thinks Diogo Moreira will ‘overcome’ one problem that bothered Casey Stoner

Chris Vermeulen pinpoints the MotoGP attribute that Casey Stoner was ‘never really strong’ with during his career

In an appearance on the Motorsport Republica podcast, former MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen was asked about the mental aspect of being a Grand Prix motorcycle racer.

More specifically, the thoughts that go through the mind of a rider when they realise that a world champion like Stoner or Rossi is trying to overtake them.

The Australian admitted that he would ride differently with those two giants behind him, before adding, “You’d only ride a little bit differently, maybe if there was something coming up, because Casey was never really strong on the brakes.

“So you didn’t need to defend hard on the brakes with Casey. But you needed to defend. You needed to change the way you ride because he’s going to get a run on you out of a corner more than anyone else to put you in a position. So you might change.

“With Valentino, he’s going to be the guy that outbrakes you, and he does it very smartly, by breaking earlier and then letting it off.

“So it was good knowing who was behind you because you might know how to ride to defend that position a little bit better. But I didn’t care who it was. Honestly, did not care.”

• READ MORE: Casey Stoner reveals the main ‘similarities’ between himself and Marc Marquez on a MotoGP bike

Toprak Razgatlioglu has drawn comparisons to Casey Stoner ahead of his MotoGP debut next season

Despite his braking being one of the leading attributes in Toprak Razgatlioglu’s success in World Superbikes, the Turkish rider has drawn comparisons to Stoner through his approach to racing.

MotoGP rider manager Alberto Vergani believes that Razgatlioglu has the same mindset as the Australian after speaking to him during the MotoGP new boy’s first official testing session as a Pramac rider in November.

This same mindset aided the 29-year-old in his quest to secure three world titles in the production motorcycle racing category, and is hoping to carry that same mentality over to its prototype racing counterpart.

Vergani also believes that Razgatlioglu will cause headaches for his Yamaha stablemates, given his talents that have already been recognised in WSBK.