Stoner challenges Marquez: "I've got a few aces up my sleeve

Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez together at the WDW in Misano. Two legends on the same asphalt, two MotoGP monuments that will remain eternal in history and for fans of every generation. It’s a pity we never witnessed a head-to-head between them in the World Championship, with the Catalan rider inheriting the Australian’s Honda in 2013 at the end of his career.

Stoner can boast six consecutive victories at Phillip Island; no one knows the Australian track better than he does. Yet at the beginning of his career his dominance wasn’t so overwhelming, with just one podium and two retirements in five attempts. Then everything changed with his move to MotoGP. After a sixth place in his first race in the Top Class, Stoner embarked on an unprecedented six-year winning streak at the Australian Grand Prix, turning Phillip Island into his hunting ground.

To grasp the scale of this feat, consider that only the greatest riders of all time have managed to string together a long run of wins on the same circuit. Marc Marquez (Aragon, Austin, Sachsenring), Valentino Rossi (Mugello, Jerez, Barcelona, Assen) and Giacomo Agostini (Spa, Imatra) have all achieved more than six consecutive victories on the same track. Stoner’s legacy at Phillip Island is further cemented by the fact that he clinched his second MotoGP world title there in 2011 and ended his career with one last triumph in 2012.

Marc Marquez has also found fertile ground on the Australian track. He has taken four victories here in MotoGP—five if you include his 125cc win in 2010. Legendary was the 2024 feat, when the Cervera phenomenon pulled off an extraordinary comeback from 13th on the grid aboard a Ducati he had known for only a few months.

During WDW, a journalist asked Stoner if he could beat Marquez at Phillip Island. With his customary confidence, the 38-year-old Casey replied: "I think I still have a few aces up my sleeve that would make the difference." In another separate interview, Marc Marquez stated that if he had the chance to choose a former world champion to race with for a day, he would opt for another Australian legend, Mick Doohan. "Well, maybe Stoner, but I had the opportunity to compare data because when I moved up to MotoGP in 2013, he raced in 2012, and I was able to compare and understand the data a bit. But if we’re talking about a different era, I’d choose Mick Doohan."

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