Casey Stoner has given a brutally honest assessment of what he thinks is wrong with modern-day MotoGP.
The Australian attended the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where he rode the Ducati with which he won his first premier class title, in 2007.
There, he spoke about what he thinks is wrong with MotoGP in 2023, highlighting an excess of rider aids – either how much they interfere or their very existence – high costs, and an environment which encourages manufacturers to imitate each other.
“I’d like to make some changes,” said Stoner.
“Winglets, gone; ride height devices, gone; anti-wheelie, gone; traction control, cut to a safety level and nothing more. Half this shit needs to go, needs to come down.
“There needs to be a cap on the rules that’s there for 10 years, so that manufacturers can reasonably catch up to each other and not keep moving this imaginary rule system that doesn’t really seem to be there.
“Even when I was there, I remember people saying ‘Oh we can change the rules to fit that?’ What’s the point of a rulebook if you can change it?
“All of this stuff, it’s pushing the price up so far, and you’ve got half the bikes on the grid dictating who’s allowed to beat who.
“It’s not fair and it’s not the way a world championship should be.”
The two-time world champion was asked if he thinks MotoGP can actually go ‘backwards’ in its technical specifications.
His response was blunt.
“F***ing right you can,” declared Stoner.
“F1 did it and took everything away from them. Adaptable [active] suspension, gone; traction control, gone.
“You can go backwards, but it needs to set rules that no one can go outside of; rules that don’t change for 10 years so that people know that if they put a plan together and they put their budget together, they can all be within the range.
“Yamaha had a great chassis and a smooth engine, but it had a fault in that they never had a particularly powerful engine.
“Then you had your bikes with powerful engines that couldn’t put it on the ground. Everyone had pros and cons.
“Now, you have clone wars. Everyone just has to copy the same f***ing thing and go in the same direction. You don’t see pros and cons any more.
“We’ve got this incredible slow-motion photography that’s an incredible waste of time, because you’re just watching a bike go through a corner.
“There’s no wheelieing, no shaking, no someone showing incredible control. You just come out, twist the throttle, and nothing is going to happen.
“Come on! It’s frustrating me, because as much as I love the sport and love the racing side of the sport, it disappoints me to see how far it has gone.
“Not only does all of this stuff cost a lot to develop, it costs a lot when they crash it, and it’s just blowing budgets out of proportion.
“Look at the ride height device. If everyone’s got it, and everyone does the exact same thing, get rid of it.
“Let people make mistakes coming out of corners. We don’t want a single-bike championship, we want differences.
“The only thing they can do these days is brake later, take more risk on the front end trying, and then you see big crashes because everyone is pushing so much in the corners.”
Stoner is generally regarded as having incredible instincts, to the point where, according to former team-mate Marco Melandri, he did not even realise what tricks he was using to ride his bike.
He called for electronic aids to be wound back such that they are merely a ‘safety net’ for riders.
“It’s stupid,” was Stoner’s assessment of rider aids.
“Get rid of it, or, if you’re going to have it, at least have it as a safety net, not at a competitive level. That’s all it needs to be, a safety buffer not something that absolutely dominates.
“We had way too many electronics when I was there and I didn’t enjoy it. I like the artistry of simple things: short-shifting, finding traction in what you’ve got. I like finding mechanical grip, finding the pitch, getting the balance right.
“Throw in a heap of electronics and all of a sudden the bike becomes easier, but in the past there was always that pro and con thing.
“Power is one thing, but rideability is another, and you get those two things fighting against each other on track.
“Now, everyone’s just in that same kind of field.
“I think 2006 or maybe 2007 was the last limit of traction control we should have. Maybe [it should be] more refined so that it doesn’t just shut off and launch you to the moon, but it should always be worse than just staying inside of it.
“It was the same with wheelieing. It would always cut in at a certain height, so it was always better to stay under that height because there was no flow or momentum to it.
“It should be there as that safety buffer but without giving you a competitive advantage.”
The 37-year-old is open to the prospect of consulting to MotoGP owner Dorna Sports, although he suspects he might prefer to be an agitator.
“On certain aspects, yes, but I’m very cautious to get into a position where all of a sudden they’re using me as a voice that they’re able to manipulate, to take me out of the way,” explained Stoner.
“I’d rather cause more problems being on the outside with an outside perspective.
“That’s something I feel I can bring to the table, because I’m not locked into something seeing slow progression – I’m on the outside seeing these big chunks of change over the years.
“If it was the right situation with the right contract, where I had enough power, then I’d love to make some changes.
“It is hard – I’ve been there – but I’d like to be there for the right amount of time, to make the changes taking in everyone’s perspective.
“You’ve got to take the manufacturers’ perspective, but what they’re not doing right now is taking in the riders’ perspective.
“For me the show, the danger, the more accidents we’re seeing these days, it’s ridiculous.”
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