MotoGP 800cc Round 1 – Ducati draws first blood

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Casey Stoner

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March 10, 2007 Ducati drew first blood in the 2007 version of MotoGP with 800cc engines at the first round of the 18-race series in Qatar today. Australian 21 year-old rising star Casey Stoner made a perfect start with the Ducati Marlboro Team, riding to a magnificent victory aboard his Desmosedici GP7. Stoner rode a perfectly judged race, leading the first lap and then battling with former World Champion Valentino Rossi throughout. The pair swapped positions several times, separated by just a few tenths for most of the 22 laps, Stoner crossing the finish line 2.8 seconds ahead after setting a new track record on the final lap. One of the highlights of the race was the speed of the four Ducati-engined machines in the field, sometimes with a margin of 20 km/h over the fastest of the others at the end of the kilometre-long Qatar front straight. Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha M1 was a clear second and Dani Pedrosa’s Repsol Honda RC212V was a narrow third ahead of the Rizla Suzuki of John Hopkins, indicating at least four different makes of machinery will be capable of winning a race this season.

Ducati’s President and CEO, Federico Minoli was understandably ecstatic. "This is an extraordinary day,’ he said. “We've won the first 800 race, just like we won the last 990 race. Ducati is enjoying a great start to the year, both in racing and commercially, because our new 1098 is going so well. The win is a testimony to Ducati, it shows the strength of our brand and technology. We have created something that's good for us, for motorcycling and for Italy.

“Our technology is second to none, it's entirely developed in Bologna by a group of dedicated engineers and shows the world that when Italians focus on something they can do it very well. Stoner was amazing, he's so young and he won so well, he didn't dare too much, he knew he had more speed on the straight and he rode a very intelligent race.

“We are extremely satisfied with today, the engine was beyond our expectations, the desmodromic system works so well. The tyres were also very good, so our thanks to Bridgestone, to our other technical partner Shell Advance and all our sponsors."

For the newly married 21 year-old first time Ducati works rider, race winner, and World Championship leader Casey Stoner, the outlook is obviously incredibly bright. After winning countless Australian titles as a youngster, Stoner’s parents “bet the farm” on their son by selling up and moving to the United Kingdom when he was 14 years of age. Though Stoner had won all his titles on dirt bikes, he was not legally old enough to race a roadracing bike in Australia and Casey always wanted to race on the tarmac. Given that Casey had been competitive in everything he’d attempted and usually won the title’s he sought, the family backed his remarkable abilities to ride a motorcycle. In doing so, they gave up a lot so their boy could chase his ambition - from an early age Casey’s focus had been solely on winning the World motoGP Championship - the title he now has a realistic chance of winning.

His first races on a roadracer were encouraging – we won close to every race he contested in the British 125 championships in 2001 between trips to Spain for the Spanish Championships where he was fast-tracked through the Movistar Alberto Puig school, and by the end of that year he did selected events in the 125 class on the World 125 championships.

His initial years in 125 and 250 saw him crash a lot – when he was upright he was as fast as anyone, but even though he crashed too much, experienced eyes knew he had the outright speed and talent that could be honed into a championship contender.

Even last year, his first in MotoGP, he crashed too frequently but his often blinding speed was recognised by Ducati and his first ride as a full factory rider began in Qatar.

Stoner must now be regarded as a genuine contender for the title, if not for his speed, then for the weight of money that has followed his win on world betting markets. Bookmakers still favour Rossi to regain his title, but Stoner’s odds for the title tumbled from 20/1 before the race to 5/1 in several books afterwards. Dani Pedrosa is seen as the only other viable winner at 4/1 – all others including 2006 World Champ Nicky Hayden are at long odds.

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