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Crash ... Rossi crash at Jerez in 2010 is just one of several outspoken Stoner moments. Source: Francisco Seco / AFP
To say Casey Stoner speaks his mind is like saying he's good at riding a motorcycle. The words themselves just don't carry enough weight to convey the full magnitude of their meaning.
In this modern era of the PR-polished sportsman who spits out perfect sponsor-friendly comments whenever a microphone is thrust in their general direction, Stoner has remained very much his own man.
As his little Twitter spat with Mark Winterbottom illustrated on Monday, Stoner has plenty of opinions and has never been afraid to share them.
As he wraps up his MotoGP career at Valencia on Sunday, here are just a few of the other instances where Stoner has hit the headlines.
Stoner was stopped from riding this bike so he headed overseas. Source: Supplied
Stoner versus the establishment
The bike you see in the photo alongside this text is what set Casey Stoner on the road to international stardom. However, unlike most road-to-glory stories, Stoner's legend doesn't actually involve him riding this bike.
A 14-year-old Casey and his family faced strong opposition from racing authorities in Australia, prompting he and his family to pack up and head overseas where the minimum racing age was lower.
Stoner still holds bitterness over it, illustrated by this comment in the run-up to Phillip Island this year.
"Unfortunately motorsport inside Australia doesn't have support. There's nobody out there that's stepping up with sponsorship, or helping to find places for people to ride or start learning, or running Australian championships.
"It's very disappointing. I think everybody wants to be wrapped up in cotton wool too much. There's too many court cases pulled out because [there's] some young rider something happened to."
Great or grating? Have Stoner's outspoken opinions put you off? Leave your comments below.
An example of the CRT bikes which Stoner hates. Source: Supplied
Stoner versus MotoGP
It's no secret that Casey Stoner is retiring because he's unhappy with the direction the sport is taking.
MotoGP finds itself in a bind with manufacturers deserting the all-prototype class as automotive companies tighten their belts. With grids shrinking, MotoGP organiser Dorna Sports elected to introduce a new class - Claiming Rules Teams - which used production-based motors in specially-built frames.
Stoner lamented the change, citing it as one of the driving factors behind his early exit from the sport.
"This isn't a two-standard series, this is the MotoGP championship, this is a prototype championship," he said after dropping his retirement bombshell at Le Mans.
"People can say all they want about the past, that it started out as very standard machines and basically progressed to prototype machines, and now we're just taking the opposite step and going backwards. It's not starting again from the beginning, it's going backwards.
"It's not the championship I fell in love with."
Stoner hasn't always had the best relationship with the press. Source: AP
Stoner versus the press
Our Casey has never had a good time of things from the press. Initially labelled as a crasher, his 2007 title was lauded as a triumph of machine rather than man, the press and fans claiming the championship was won because Stoner was on comfortably the best bike.
What tipped the balance for Stoner was 2009. Beset by an undiagnosed illness that sapped him of strength, he struggled through race after race until he decided to step away for a few rounds to work out what was wrong.
Cue bulk criticism from the press, the fans, and even past champions. Stoner says it prompted his first thoughts of retirement.
"2009 to be honest was a big eye-opener for me. Everybody still thinks to this day says it's a mystery illness, the fact that nobody understands that I have a lactose intolerance, that it's really critical to me if I do have any.
"It takes my energy, it stops me from absorbing nutrients. And so the fact that nobody has listened to me about that. There have been many, many things that have over time just taken its toll."
De Puniet gets a punch for inadvertently blocking Stoner. Source: Supplied
Stoner versus De Puniet
It's hard to comprehend the frame of mind a rider needs to hop aboard a snarling, 150-horsepower, two-wheel rocket and go and take it by the scruff of the neck and put in a laptime faster than anyone else.
Interrupting that frame of mind incurs a rider's wrath. Stoner is no different, as Randy de Puniet found when he inadvertently blocked the Australian during the warm-up session at Le Mans last year.
Stoner retaliated with punch in the shoulder, gesturing at the Frenchman, asking 'what are you thinking?'
The net result was a €5,000 fine for Stoner and no penalty for de Puniet.
Learning there was a closing speed between the two bikes of over 160kmh makes it easier to sympathise with his actions, especially when he sums it up like this:
"When something like that happens, you feel like you're going to die for half a second."
Stoner sarcastically applauds Rossi after their Jerez clash. Source: AFP
Stoner versus Rossi
Sports fans thrive on rivalries. Home versus away. Red versus blue. Good versus evil.
With Valentino Rossi already very much established in the fans' hearts as the lead troop in the good army, the outspoken interloper Stoner was always going to be painted as the villain.
The pair have had numerous clashes on-track and off. Their titanic battle at Laguna Seca in 2008 is a highlight.
But one clash will always stick in everyone's mind: Jerez 2011.
'The Doctor', now saddled with Stoner's untameable Ducati, was racing near the front on a wet track. He tried to pass Stoner's Honda on the damp track, losing the front end and wiping both of them out.
Vale went to the Repsol garage afterwards to apologise, where the nine-time world champion was met with this absolute gem of a response from Stoner.
"Obviously your ambition outweighs your talent."
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