Yamaha had almost signed Casey Stoner for MotoGP, but decided to terminate the deal at the last minute, leaving the rider with no clear future options. It was precisely this occurrence that sparked an Australian desire.
In another episode of the Ducati Diaries podcast, Stoner recounted his same experience with the Japanese manufacturer: “I had practically signed with Yamaha, but for two years in a row they pulled the plug on us at the last minute.” “Basically, I didn’t have a team for the following season,” he said.
And that’s exactly why the #27 felt ‘particularly motivated’ to prove to the manufacturer that it had been a mistake, after Ducati had “come forward” to rely on his services: ‘I felt really privileged to have the opportunity to race with a factory team. But I had another motivation: to demonstrate Yamaha that they had made a mistake by withdrawing the contract.
In the end, Stoner won the world championship with the Borgo Panigale manufacturer in 2007, followed by another Japanese team, Honda.