Originally posted by Rascal:
Casey talking off the track? Nah. When? He never said much. He was one of those timid guys. All I know is this, the Ducati at least back then was a dog of a bike to ride. Many have tried and some may have even come close to conquering it such as Max Biaggi, Loris Caprirossi and Troy Bayliss, but noone quite managed it apart from Casey.
As for Nick Hayden, he is OK, but he is not on that level. If he wasn't riding for Honda at the time, he wouldn't have become world champion. The RC211V was just a beast of a bike, nothing in the world could beat it.
Actually Yamahas bike at the time could beat the Honda and did. While it was a good bike it wasn't far and ahead better than anything else. It was great. Nicky did what he was supposed to do. He was always a podium guy and could steal a victory or two. He won two races that year he won the championship I think. He usually finished 3rd or fourth. He did very well to win that championship despite his teammate Pedroza taking him out on the second or third to last race.
Stoner talked plenty of trash. It's well documented. Not as much as Rossi but he definitely didn't just take public criticism. He always responded for the most part with a dart or two. He's not a saint. Racers in general are egotistical.
Ducati wasn't that bad it definitely wasn't as precise as the Japanese bikes though.