Casey Stoner Announces Retirement!

Australian world champion will quit racing at the end of 2012 MotoGP season.

Casey Stoner Announces Retirement

Reigning MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner will retire from professional motorcycle roadracing at the end of this season. Stoner announced his plans at a press conference prior to this weekend's Monster Energy French Grand Prix at Le Mans.

“After a long time thinking,” began Stoner, “a lot of time talking with my family and my wife—this has been coming for a couple of years now—but at the end of this 2012 season, I will be not racing in the 2013 championship. I will be finishing my career at the end of this season in MotoGP and go forward in different things in my life.

“After so many years of doing this sport I love, and which myself and my family made so many sacrifices for, after so many years of trying to get to where we have gotten to at this point, this sport has changed a lot, and it has changed to the point where I am not enjoying it. I don’t have the passion for it, and so at this time, it’s better if I retire now.

“There are a lot of things that have disappointed me, and also a lot of things I have loved about this sport, but unfortunately, the balance has gone in the wrong direction. And so, basically, we won't be continuing any more. It would be nice if I could say I would stay one more year, but then where does it stop? So, we decided to finish everything as we are now.”

Stoner won the 2007 world title with Ducati and the 2011 championship with Honda. After three of 18 scheduled rounds, Stoner is leading the series by a single point ahead of Yamaha factory rider Jorge Lorenzo. Stoner’s Repsol Honda teammate, Dani Pedrosa, is third.

Casey Stoner