CASEY STONER RETIRING

Published on May 18, 2012 under Born To Ride

Stoner to Retire at End of MotoGP Season

SARTHE, France — Two-time and reigning MotoGP champion Casey Stoner says this will be his final season racing in MotoGP and he will retire at the end of the season.

Stoner confirmed his retirement Thursday at Le Mans for this weekend’s round of the World Championship.

“After a long time thinking, 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,” said the 26-year-old Australian.

“After so many years of doing this sport which 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.”

Stoner, who denied retirement rumors earlier this year, said there are a lot of reasons for his decision.

“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,” Stoner said. “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 MotoGP with Ducati and earned his second championship last year, riding for Honda. He leads the 2012 standings by a single point heading into this weekend’s fourth race of the season.

He’s won a MotoGP best 35 grands prix during his career.

Retrieved May 18, 2012; from http://www.nationalspeedsportnews.com/motorcycle-racing/motogp/stoner-to-retire-at-end-of-motogp-season/