The debate over who the greatest MotoGP riders of all time are will always exist, and opinions are not always unanimous. Casey Stoner picked those who, in his opinion, stood out the most.
The two-time world champion highlighted two riders in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport: ‘For me, without a doubt, Giacomo Agostini and Mick [Doohan]. Doohan is never considered when talking about other riders because he didn’t win as many championships or races as others, but no one knows how it was for him to come back after being injured. The other riders who achieved more titles than him never had to deal with the injuries he suffered. I don’t think anyone could have achieved his success after everything that happened to him. So, Mick is at the top, in my opinion. Beyond that, I could mention names like Valentino [Rossi], Marc [Márquez]… it’s difficult to choose’.
On the other hand, Stoner believes that one of his adversaries should have more recognition: ‘I think the most underrated I’ve seen is Dani Pedrosa. When you were with him, you understood what he was capable of, being such a small guy, no one can understand that. I was too small for MotoGP; I weighed 59kg, and I think Dani weighed between 55 to 56kg. Everyone thinks that being thinner is better, but the bikes are big, heavy, and powerful. You’re not as stable when you’re small. For me, it was incredible to see what Dani did. Racing alongside him throughout my career, nobody can understand how fast he was’.