Casey Stoner

	27
	Place of birth: Southport
	Date of birth: 16/Oct/1985
	Weight: 58Kg.
	Height: 171cm.

Casey Stoner has been without a doubt one of the standout riders of the past two seasons in MotoGP, one of three former premier class World Champions currently competing in the series. The 22 year-old made the transition from a spectacular -albeit inconsistent- rookie to a mature World Champion unfazed by any challenge in 2007, and pushed hard in his attempt to retain the crown the following season.

Having made an impact in both the British and Spanish national championships, Stoner was tipped for success upon making his World Championship debut as a wildcard at Donington Park in 2001. Raised by the same academy system that has seen the likes of Dani Pedrosa and Toni Elias ascend to the heights of MotoGP, Stoner took full advantage of his family’s bold move to Europe to build on a promising national dirttrack career.

Beginning a permanent Grand Prix career in the 250cc class under the guidance of Lucio Cecchinello in 2002, it was when he dropped down to 125cc the following season that the motorcycling world began to take notice of the Australian, with four podiums and a win at the final round showing the his quality. In 2004 he battled for the 125cc title with KTM, taking their first ever Grand Prix victory and finishing fifth overall.

A return to the LCR team and the 250cc class in 2005 saw him battle his old stablemate Pedrosa for the quarter litre title, winning five races on an Aprilia, before making the move up to MotoGP with the Italian outfit onboard a Honda RC211V.

His rookie premier class year in 2006 saw flashes of brilliance mixed with a few disappointing crashes, but standout moments included pole position in just his second race at Qatar followed by a battle to the line with Marco Melandri in Turkey, where he was just pipped into second place. His performances saw Ducati come knocking at the door, in the team switch that would lead him to glory just one year later.

A maiden MotoGP victory the first race of 2007 at Qatar was a self-confessed surprise for both rider and team, but further victories at Turkey and China banished any speculation of a fluke. His standout performance at Catalunya, where he battled toe-to-toe with five-time champion Valentino Rossi, will go down as one of the great races in MotoGP history, whilst he dominated the mid-season stage with pole-to-flag victories at three consecutive races at Laguna Seca, Brno and Misano.

Title glory was confirmed for Stoner with a sixth place finish at Motegi, ironically his worst result of the 2007 season. The culmination of a dream that had taken in all four corners of the globe, Stoner took to the podium after the rostrum finishers had exited the scene to be officially crowned 2007 MotoGP World Champion.

2008 appeared to be business as usual for the reigning titlist, as he took victory in the night race opener in Qatar. However, the form of rival Valentino Rossi and some rare mistakes left Stoner out of the running for the championship just under a year to the day after he first took the title. The runner-up spot in the standings, six victories (including three in succession) and an astonishing nine pole positions proved that Stoner cannot be written off for a 2009 challenge.