Casey Stoner dominated his home Phillip Island MotoGP with six consecutive victories, on Ducati and Honda machinery, from 2007 until his retirement at the end of 2012.
But despite that success, the Australian says he could never relax around the legendary seaside circuit, where Turn 3 was named in his honour.
In a YouTube interview with fellow Australian MotoGP rider Chris Vermeulen, previewing this year’s final Phillip Island event, Stoner was asked why the track suited him so well.
“In MotoGP, trying to put the power down was the hardest thing and getting your tyres to last through the race was a challenge,” Stoner said.
Casey Stoner, Phillip Island.
© Gold and Goose
“I think the high speed and [low grip] track conditions allowed the bike to move and slide around a little bit more, which played into what we grew up doing with dirt track and made it easier for me to find my feet.
“In 125s I didn’t enjoy it… I ended up quite fast there in 250, but threw it away unfortunately in ’05.
“Then on the bigger bike I got to grips with it after a couple of years. But it was always risk management.
“That place can bite you so quickly. Everything is going well, and suddenly you’re in the gravel at 200km/h spitting rocks out thinking, ‘What did I do wrong?'
“Into Miller [hairpin], the front end can drop away in a split second, and again you’re thinking, ‘What did I do different from the lap before?’
Casey Stoner, Phillip Island.
© Gold and Goose
“It always kept me on edge. I could never relax around it… My whole experience of the track was figuring out how to go fast without the risk.
"As much as it looked comfortable, sometimes it wasn’t! “Especially when the wind hit you side-on through Stoner [Turn 3], or Turn 1, Doohan.
“It’s a brutal track if you get it a little bit wrong but so rewarding when you get it right.”
Free practice for the final Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island starts on Friday morning.
The current weather forecast predicts sunshine on Friday, but showers and cooler temperatures on Saturday and Sunday.
Adelaide will take over as host of the Australian round from 2027.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.