Casey Stoner has hit out at fellow MotoGP Champion Valentino Rossi, claiming he was not prepared to ‘push limits’ in order to take Ducati back to the top. After two years with the team, the Italian has decided to return to Yamaha alongside Jorge Lorenzo.
Rossi, who had switched from Honda, delivered the world title for Yamaha in 2004 and 2005. He was joined by Lorenzo for 2008, with Rossi winning the crown again both that season and in 2009. He left in 2011 as he did not feel a number one status was being maintained. Since the start of last year, he has been unable to win a race for Ducati.
“They ate their words from day one,” reigning Champion Stoner, who is retiring at the end of this year, told the Australian Associated Press of Rossi and his crew chief Jeremy Burgess. “Jerry said that it would take him 80 seconds to fix that bike, and that it was a simple issue, and now they have had almost two years and have not made any inroads.
“Valentino obviously doesn't want to push limits and ride a bike that is not perfect - he has admitted that. Obviously he doesn't want to put the effort in with Ducati. I just feel completely sorry for Ducati that Valentino has gone there and done nothing but complain about the bike for almost two years. The amount of times that guy has had to eat his words is not funny, but people still forgive him for it.”
MotoGP is now heading into back-to-back races at Indianapolis and Brno.
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