Well, no thread so far. But Casey Stoner has announced that he'll retire at the end of 2012.

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Bahrain Grand Prix review

Wow! A case of quitting while you're ahead maybe? He'll surely want to win the 2012 title even more now.

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Wut? But why? Injury? Motivation?

He always said he'd quit before the age of 30

http://www.f1zone.net/news/casey-stoner ... ent/14006/

- Valentino Rossi confirmed he will ride in 2013 and 2014.

But the sport is in serious problems. CRT bikes are unpopular among fans, races are boring, death of Super Sic robbed us of a true great being moulded in the legacy of Rossi. Who do we have left? Jorge Lorenzo will win next year easily. Pedrosa is too weak. Marquez?

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Bahrain Grand Prix review

Races are boring? I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with you on this one. Did we watch the same Spanish GP? The beginning of the race was breathtaking in terms of racing and overtaking, with ambitious moves, riders absolutely on the edge (and even beyond it, with collisions that, thankfully, did not end in tears) and fights throughout the field. Once the race inevitably settled down into a rhythm, it was still far from boring, with Lorenzo keeping the battle for the lead very much alive until the closing laps.

Even when the actual racing isn't that interesting, as turned out to be the case in Estoril, just watching these guys ride those bikes at those speeds, sliding around, sometimes within mere inches of each other, absolutely on the ragged edge, is massively impressive. The races are relatively short and feel like a lights-to-flag sprint which I have rarely found to be as sleep-inducing as Formula 1 can sometimes be outside the pitstops windows.

As for CRT, it's good for the sport to have a field of 20 but if the lower half doesn't even have half a chance of making the top 10 on merit, then the point of it all eludes me. As for the future, though, I have faith that the up and coming generation will produce some true talents who, in due time, will give the current frontrunners something to think about. Hopefully Ducati will eventually get back up to speed and make it a three-way affair at the front.

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Yes, but we're racing nuts. 2011 was a dreadfully boring season and although this season has been better, it's not massively exciting.

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Bahrain Grand Prix review

You're hurting the series saying that: and this isn't coming from me, but Casey Stoner himself.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99662

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http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99658

Personally i find him a lazy, annoying, excuse finding arse and I wont miss him at all. If its not arm pump its lsome other rubbish. That and he hates physical training.

Either way, De puniet to replace him? Hes good enough!

Unsurprising decision, given the fact he now has a child and the impact of Simoncelli's accident on him, however surprising timing, this early in the season.

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What. He moans, yes. But he is undoubtedly the fastest rider in MotoGP history. Greatest? No. But he's so, so good.

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Bahrain Grand Prix review

Rossi back on the podium! P2 just ahead of Stoner.

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That was a fantastic battle. In the rain rider makes a diffrences.

yes stoner moans and no I don't like him. but I must admit that he is a top rider.
alot of the spanish press think he is afraid of racing against marc marquez, but that is bull.

who do you think will get the repsol ride? rossi, randy de puniet, bautista, moto 2 star marquez?
will be interesting to see who gets the ride

Wow Stoner went off at the last corner on the last lap chasing Pedrosa for the win

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what do you think of marc marquez replacing casey at honda?