In a new autobiography published by Hachette Australia, former MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner described his bitter fallout with motorcycle racing giant Ducati.
In Pushing The Limits, Stoner claims Ducati pulled a number of dubious moves while the star racer dealt with serious illness.
Stoner suffered from what was initially diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome over a number of years, affecting his ability to race.
During the 2009 season, his condition forced the then 24-year-old out of races in Brno, Indianapolis and Misano while he visited doctors in an attempt to mend his ailing health. It was during this period that the relationship between Stoner and Ducati began to crumble.
“Ducati weren’t happy and I could feel that but when they started making announcements about my condition without my consent, that really disappointed me,” Stoner wrote.
“They started talking to me about my training, telling me what I needed to do to get my fitness levels back up, but none of them had any idea what I was going through.”
When Stoner missed rounds 11-13 to head home and receive further tests, he received an email from Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Corse, saying ‘I hope you don’t expect to get paid for this’.
While Stoner was be torn apart in the media from just about every angle, Ducati attempted to lure Jorge Lorenzo in to replace Stoner for double what the offered him during contract negotiations ahead of the 2009 season.
“While I was away they offered Jorge Lorenzo a contract for double the money I was on to come in and replace me.”
“They’d told me when we signed a contract for 2009 and 2010 that they didn’t have any more money for me, didn’t have money for development but now suddenly they could afford to shell out like that for another rider?
“Considering what we had achieved together, I couldn’t believe it. I felt I had been stabbed in the back by the people I trusted and who were supposed to trust me.”
Further testing proved Stoner had a lactose problem and Ducati eventually let his contract run out, resulting in a move to Honda and a second World Championship.
Stoner recently announced a return to MotoGP, but not in the same capacity as fans are accustomed to seeing him in.
Honda have secured Stoner’s services in 2014 as a test rider as the manufacturer develops both the RC213V and RCV1000R prototypes.
Stoner retired at the end of the 2012 season and was recently inducted into the MotoGP Legends Hall Of Fame.
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