Casey Stoner rode & won his last Australian GP at Phillip Island a couple of weeks ago. The documentary below does a great job of highlighting the progression of his career.
EDIT: Okay, I’m not going to embed anymore Youtube videos of this, because every single one is getting removed within a week. Intuitive Googling should net you results, and I do recommend seeing it.
I’m not a typical sports fan by any means, because I am not captivated by watching men in tights hit a ball with a wooden stick… but I’ll save that for another opinionated discussion. MotoGP is something I can get behind. Motorcycle racing will always be at the pinnacle of athleticism for me. The amount of risk involved and skills required are unrivaled by any other “sport”. There is also a level of intrigue behind the premier class riders and machines. Unfortunately, the past 2 seasons of MotoGP have been rather tumultuous and stale, so I didn’t follow them closely. A key trait MotoGP had was its close battles and lots of passing, hopefully this magic will be brought back in future seasons – although it will be challenging with one of the top riders (if not THE top rider) now retiring.
In my opinion, Stoner seemed to always have been an underdog in the sport. It wasn’t until he blitzed through his 2011 Championship that the masses started to really take notice and appreciate. His spotlight was never quite as glamorous, but the talent that was displayed in his career is unquestionable. In the end he left behind a grand career at the peak of his height. After watching the documentary, I can’t help but feel a bit envious. I can only wonder what it must feel like to excel at something and compete on a world stage.