Stoner Stuns Paddock at Valencia Test
Two days after finishing on the podium aboard his Ducati, Casey Stoner set the fastest lap on the final day of testing at Valencia aboard his new Honda MotoGP bike. The paddock was stunned, not because observers do not already know how talented Stoner is, but because the bike was entirely new to him. Indeed, to do what Stoner did within 48-hours after leaving Ducati is probably unprecedented. Keep in mind that Jorge Lorenzo was again aboard his Yamaha, storming to the quickest time on day one of the post-race test (which was the fastest time overall during the test, but only a tiny fraction of a second faster than Stoner’s lap on day two). To put Stoner’s speed on his new Honda into perspective, note that his quickest lap on the new bike was superior to the quickest lap of any of his competitors during qualifying for the Valencia race two days earlier, including that of Jorge Lorenzo on his factory Yamaha.
Valentino Rossi, on the other hand, seemed to be cruising around on his new Ducati while setting the 15th quickest lap on day two. All signs point to the fact that the Honda factory bike is well dialed-in, and one has to wonder just how much faster Stoner can get as he gains more seat time.
During the second half of the 2010 series, all of the Honda riders seemed to step it up. Pedrosa won races when he was not on the ground or injured, and even rookie Marco Simoncelli started to run near the front. The Honda is good…very good. It is also, apparently, easy to ride.
A few years ago, Casey Stoner was an alien among aliens, taking a world title and routinely taking pole positions and race wins.. on a bike no one else could ride. One has to wonder what he might do in 2011 aboard a Honda.
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