Honda is known for ignoring its riders' input. Valentino Rossi made the point during his switch to Yamaha several years ago. Stoner's experience was no different with Honda, or Aprilia before it. "I guess they think that because we're young, we don't know what we're talking about," Stoner theorized. "Why do you think these teams keep going for old, experienced riders? But they don't realize that I've been racing for 17 years. I know what I'm doing, and all it takes is for a team to get behind you and believe in you and the job [will get done]."
Nor does he feel the burden of representing an entire factory, the smallest factory in MotoGP racing with the largest percentage of employees working in the racing department.
"Everybody talks about 'putting young riders under so much pressure, all the development.' We don't do development. We go out there and ride and do what we know we need to do. We come back with the correct information-that's our job. We can suggest things when we know we have either a gut feeling, or we know what we think we need. But other than that, the rider's job is just to really give the correct information, and the team does the rest of the job. So there's no pressure of having the whole weight of the team on your shoulders."
What Ducati has done this year is remarkable. Although the Desmosedici GP7 was strong in pre-season testing, many doubted it could sustain the performance in races, especially when the new fuel capacity limitations kicked in. But electronics play a bigger role with the new-generation 800cc machines than they did with the 990s. And the Magneti Marelli system that Ducati uses has been peerless. Stoner, however, doesn't feel that it's given him any major advantage and that traction control isn't all it's been hyped up to be. "I think every manufacturer is going to have some sort of electronic system that's pretty much the same, but it's just there to help you out when you do really get into a heck of a lot of trouble," he said.
Stoner also says the team has done nothing substantial to the GP7 since the start of the year. "We haven't changed anything," he said. "Basically, all we've done is improve the systems on the bike that we have, with adjustments, through linkage, through rake and trail, slowly improve the bike. But we haven't brought in any new parts to test. It's pretty much just working with my mechanics in the garage. That's how we've come up with the package we have now."
In addition to switching to Ducati in the off-season, Stoner made another significant move, marrying his 18-year-old girlfriend, Adriana. Stoner says it's the best thing he's ever done. And the couple have "adopted" a pair of young Americans, Cameron Beaubier and J.D. Beach, both of whom are contesting the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. Though they're years younger than the Stoners, it's clear who's in charge. The kids eat meals with the couple and play video games in their motor home. But the Americans don't let Stoner's success go to his head.
"They just seemed like really good, polite kids," Stoner began, "and the more we got to know them, the more we realized that was a load of crap. And I get nothing but crap from them now. I mean, I won the race in Donington, came from miles back and everything, and the first thing they say when they came in the motor home was 'What kind of start was that?' I've been copping crap ever since. 'You want me to teach you how to do starts?' [Seriously], we really like them, we enjoy having them around and it's nice to see kids so enthusiastic about it again. To find, especially English, Australian or American kids that can have the talent to bring it through, if I can, I'll help them."
Before the Rookies Cup race in Germany, Stoner wrote inside Beaubier's leathers, "Hey, pretty boy, stop riding like a pussy! C.S." Beaubier went out and won the race-his first series win-with a thrilling last-lap pass.
The win was as improbable as Stoner's season. Suppo can't believe it. "Neither could we. Nobody can, I don't think," Stoner said. "I've always been there to put in the effort, and the team was there to put in the effort. I don't think people realize how much of a sacrifice it was to get this far in our careers, so we're not going to just stand there and lie down and take it. I still want to see if we can make this dream come true."