*SPOILER ALERT* MOTO GP '14 2nd race @ COTA

mark419ny said:

i say barring injury we are looking at at least 8 years. I am also saying rossi wasn't great he did the job can't take it away from him no matter who the comp was he still had to win and he did. But these fans swearing he is back he's not and not coming back. he was done in 2010.

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Eleven 99 said:

8 years? Lol Sounds like you might be forgetting about the mandatory switch to the spec ECU software coming in 2016. Honda loses their advantages with electronics and Dorna gains control. Dorna has already said they plan on removing a lot of performance enhancing features and keeping the safety features. They want to slow the bikes and level out the playing field. Marc is off to a great start, but has a long way to go just to win this year. Nobody can predict what's going to happen in 2016... that will be the most interesting year since they went from the 500s to I4s.

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centeroff said:

The DORNA ECU for Moto GP is going to be very similar to what the Moto 2 bikes are using now, which will only play into the KIDS hand even more, we all saw what he did in Moto 2. His wins from the back were stunning, and showed that NO ONE out there had anything for him. No doubt at some point in time some .... hot kid will show up and elevate the game to another new level, but right now he is IT.

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Eleven 99 said:

... especially if Stoner comes back next year.

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Phl said:

Where did you read that? Some newspaper in NYC where the editors name begins with M?

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Eleven 99 said:

You could be right, but either way the bikes should be more equal in 2016. He'll have to show that no one in GP has anything for him without his current advantages with Honda's electronics. Should make for some exciting races... especially if Stoner comes back next year.

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Capt CF said:

Wait, who are you and what have you done with Mark?

I'm going to start taking bets on who is going to come back first - Stoner or Jesus.

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Stw said:

Jesus gets my vote...

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Capt CF said:

The odds are pretty even I'd say.

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Stw said:

I don't see Jesus riding a Honda though...

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MacaveliMC said:

The Bible does say that He and His disciples traveled in one accord......just sayin'.....

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Eleven 99 said:

You could be right, but either way the bikes should be more equal in 2016. He'll have to show that no one in GP has anything for him without his current advantages with Honda's electronics. Should make for some exciting races... especially if Stoner comes back next year.

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Eleven 99 said:

Lol, supposedly Stoner is "busy" this year according to an interview with Bayliss on crash.net. Depending on how far you read into what Bayliss means by "busy", could hint that Stoner prepping for a return?! If Pedrosa doesn't do well this season, how surprised would anyone be to see him replaced with Stoner?

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mark419ny said:

dont even start teasing about a stoner comback. what will i do MM or stoner

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Casey Stoner: I Miss Racing, But Not Enough To Return

Casey Stoner will not be returning to MotoGP any time soon. In an interview with the Italian magazine Vogue, Stoner said that he wanted to spend more time with his family, and experience life outside the paddock.

There have been a constant stream of rumors that Stoner could return to MotoGP almost since the day the Australian hung up his helmet. They have grown in intensity at several points in time, most notably when Honda announced that Stoner would be working for HRC as a test rider in 2013. HRC Vice President Shuhei Nakamoto has made no secret that Honda would welcome the prodigal Australian back with open arms, and credible sources in Spain have reported that much work has been done to make a comeback possible, and to try to persuade Stoner to make a return.

News that Stoner was to attend the Austin round of MotoGP reignited a firestorm of further speculation that he could stage a comeback at some point in the future. That speculation was tempered by the fact that Stoner spent most of the weekend in Seattle, where he watched his friend Ryan Villopoto try to wrap up the 2014 Supercross title. Stoner made it to Austin on Sunday, where he paid a very low-key visit to MotoGP*, catching up with his former teammates.

If Stoner's brief trip to MotoGP was not enough to quash speculation on his return, an interview with the Italian edition of Vogue puts it beyond any doubt. Stoner made it very clear his priorities lay elsewhere. He wanted to spend more time with his family and experience life outside the paddock, he told the magazine. 'I miss some things, some sensations I felt when I was racing, but they're not enough to make me want to come back,' he said to Vogue. Among the things he missed were his team of mechanics, who followed him from Ducati to Honda. They were like his family to him, Stoner told Vogue.

If Stoner were to return, it might be in some form of managerial capacity, or helping young riders. Stoner has always pointed to the difficulties young Australian riders face when trying to break through internationally. The bodies governing Australian motorcycle racing were more of an obstacle than a help, Stoner said. He himself had been forced to leave Australia to pursue his career, moving to the UK to race where the legal age to start roadracing was 14. Stoner's point is borne out by Jack Miller: the current leader in the Moto3 standings also left Australia at a young age, and spent most of his youth racing in Spain and Germany, before entering Moto3.

* One thing Casey Stoner did while visiting Austin was sign some of Scott Jones' fabulous prints of the Australian riding. For more details on how to obtain signed prints, see Scott's website.

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