Casey Stoner criticises tech: “Put it back in the riders’ hands, let them slide”
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The 2007 and 2011 world champion, famous for his throttle control, added: “Put it back in the riders’ hands. Let them move a bit. Let them make mistakes. Let them slide.“At the moment, the engineers control everything they do.“Get rid of it all! It’s pretty simple. We’re letting engineers create their own dreams but it’s not about the engineers.”Stoner warned that the ‘rise of the machines’ means the only area where riders can make a difference is the braking point, leading to accidents.“The only thing they can make a difference with is the braking point on entry, everything else is regulated,” Stoner told TNT Sports.“It’s harder to modulate now with the winglets [putting pressure on] the front tyre. You’ve got load on [the front tyre] constantly, so you’re not able to make as much of a difference.“There are so many aspects that people aren’t understanding. It’s a big reason for why I got out. The way it was going took the enjoyment out of it for me.“Riding a motorbike is an art. Now these guys don’t control [as many elements as in the past]. Out of a corner you’ve got 280 horsepower, you can twist the throttle full, and it won’t throw you off or wheelie.Related Morbidelli: How Fabio did an ‘awesome job’ in second half of season Marquez tells Honda: You cannot fight for title without top speed“Now there’s another device which drops the ride height and reduces wheelie again.“Now the major factor is braking and entry. The accidents we see now, they’re having to take so much more risk on one element [braking], rather than riding around problems, finding more grip than others.”The Australian’s solution would be to take an axe to the rider aids.“They’re all stuck, dictated to by the electronics [now]. Then ride height device? Get rid of it. The starting device? Get rid of it. Don’t need it. The winglets on the bike are too wide.“Put it back in the riders’ hands. Let them sway around, move a bit. Let them make mistakes. I’d love to see that. Let them slide.”Asked if the modern MotoGP bikes are easier to ride but harder to race, Stoner replied:“Completely right. The last real men of the generation of GPs, I supposed, were the 500s [until 2001]. There’s nothing like them.“These guys [now] will never understand the power that they had. At any moment you could be spun off. I raced 250s and understand to a degree, but 500s were a different animal.“There’s now only one element where they can make a difference, the braking point. It has forced a trend. Everyone pushes in the same area so making overtakes is massively risky. They’re riding faster, so the margin for error is huge. It has made it exponentially harder to race.”The 38-year-old, who conducted MotoGP testing work for Honda and then Ducati after his retirement at the end of 2012, then made a comparison with Formula 1:“Formula 1 had active suspension, which is basically a ride height device, they banned it. F1 doesn’t have traction control. We have far more electronics than F1 has. Why the heck do we need that on a bike?“We don’t need champion engineers. We need champion riders. Let them show what they’re capable of doing. At the moment, the engineers’ control everything they do.“Get rid of it all! It’s pretty simple. We’re letting engineers create their own dreams but it’s not about the engineers.””4MotoGP manufacturers are currently negotiating technical rules for the next five-year contract with Dorna, which starts in 2027.A reduction in engine capacity to 850cc has been mooted, to try and reduce performance, along with the possible removal of ride-height devices and further restrictions on aerodynamics.
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