Casey Stoner is an indisputable figure in the Ducati world, as well as in MotoGP in general, and is widely regarded as one of the best talents the category has ever produced. The rider, who was the first to win a world title for Noale, recalls how difficult it was to ride the 2007 Desmosedici.
The Australian appeared on another episode of the Ducati Diaries podcast, when he recalled the bike he was riding when he won the title with Ducati: ‘The bike was not, save in fourth and fifth gear, really fantastic at anything’.
He went on to illustrate some of the challenges and where it performed best: ‘It didn’t corner well. It was quite stable while braking, although it lacked substantial braking power. However, the steadiness under braking was something I greatly liked. It shone in fourth, fifth, and sixth gear; that’s when it was at its best.
However, there was a lot of suffering in lower ratios, as he recalled: “In the first three gears, the bike was a real challenge: [the others] were much faster than us in acceleration, and they ate us alive.” We struggled greatly on circuits that required forceful exits from corners.
Qualifying became even more important: ‘If we didn’t qualify well or weren’t at the front from the start, it was extremely tough to catch up with other riders. If you managed a few clean laps, it became tough to make use of the bike.