Roberts Matthew - Casey Stoner : pushing the limits

I would like to dedicate this book to James Strong, A0 (31 July 1944 3 March 2013). James was a massive support to me and my family throughout my career and I am going to miss being able to talk to him .

And to Adriana and Alessandra, always .

C asey Stoners story is an incredible journey in both life and racing from Mike Hatchers dirt-track in Queensland to MotoGP World Champion conquering the best racetracks in the world. His now famous beaming smile has been seen many times since the first day he raced as a four-year-old, particularly after a successful ride.

But there have been lots of tough times, setbacks, injuries, pain and frustration and disappointments along the way, as with most people who become world champions. Out of the considerable number of people with a lot of ability in any sphere of life, only a select few reach the peak of their sport for reasons more related to the mind and psychology than physical ability. I was lucky enough to get to know Casey and his family through my husband Jamess and my own love of motor racing and we became good friends. I have seen first-hand the highs and lows of this champions life. His is a gutsy and inspiring story and I only wish my husband was here to see this finished book. I know he would have loved it!

Jeanne-Claude Strong

CONTENTS

Your time is limited, so dont waste it living someone elses life Dont let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition .

STEVE JOBS

L ooking back on your own life is a very strange thing, especially for someone pretty young like me. And, to be honest, it is something Ive resisted for a long time. Over the years Ive had lots of people ask me to tell my story and I have never wanted to; it seemed an odd thing to do because I was so young. It also made me feel uncomfortable, and perhaps a little arrogant, presuming that people would want to know about my life. I like keeping my private life private. Recently, though, my thinking has changed, for a lot of reasons. As I get older I can appreciate that the stories of people who have put in the hard work to follow a dream can inspire others to do the same. That cant be a bad thing.

Ive stepped away from MotoGP racing and am now exploring new adventures and challenges. Many people thought I was crazy when I retired at just twenty-seven. However, for me and my family, it has been a long trip with many ups and downs. This is my chance to tell the story of how I achieved my dream of becoming World Champion, and to pay respect to those who helped me or, I should say, us. People sometimes ask me why I refer to myself in the plural sense when Im interviewed. Its because even though motorbike racing is often seen from the outside as an individual sport, it is actually quite the opposite. No racer can be successful without a good team around them. When I won the MotoGP World Championship with Ducati in 2007 and then with Honda in 2011, I not only had the support of a top team but of an entire factory. I havent been able to do any of this on my own, it has been a team effort from the beginning, with my parents support helping us to chase our dream. We wouldnt have been able to reach this goal had it not been for the kindness shown by certain people, people who helped us overcome the obstacles and contend with some of the unfriendly people we encountered along the way. This book is my chance to say thank you and acknowledge the goodwill and encouragement that got me here.

Writing a book is definitely a new challenge for me. I dont consider myself special; I am someone who knows how to ride a bike fast and push the limits of speed. Becoming good at anything takes focus, practice, dedication and persistence and because I was doing something I love, it was easier to stick with it and develop my skills. However, the drive to pick yourself back up when something goes wrong, to get back on the bike, is just as important as all those hours learning how to accelerate out of a corner. A combination of all these things, along with the support I received, enabled me to become MotoGP World Champion and has taken me to amazing places and allowed me to meet some astonishing people and create a life I only dreamed of.

Some may say Ive been lucky, but I believe you make your own luck. It took an incredible amount of effort to get to this point, a lot of sacrifices and support from my family in the early years and from my wife more recently. I want to acknowledge that support and let people know that if they have a loved one, a child, a partner who is dreaming big, they can go a long way with encouragement.

Family is hugely important to me and recording the experiences I had in the early years of my career for my daughter is another reason I thought the time was right to put pen to paper. I want to tell the real story, not some tabloid concoction. I am not going to sugarcoat anything; I will tell it how it was and is. That is what we do in my family it seems pointless to do it any other way. Sometimes it may seem harsh or critical to expose some of the bad times. However, I have to be honest about what has happened and the toll it can take to compete at an elite level. This is real life, not a Hollywood movie, and every life has highs and lows no matter who you are.

This is my story. I hope you enjoy the ride. I have. Just for the record, it isnt over yet.

CASEY STONER

2013

A clean, dark strip of tarmac lies ahead, stretching out towards the horizon before seemingly disappearing into the bright blue waters of Bass Strait. Behind me the worlds best motorcycle racers sit impatiently on board the fastest two-wheeled machines ever built. Taking a deep breath of that crisp ocean air, I close my eyes and try to think of nothing at all .

The grid is packed with dignitaries, celebrities and reporters. But behind my sunnies my eyes are firmly closed. There are 53,100 people here to watch from trackside, millions more at home in front of their televisions. There is pressure but, thankfully, pressure is what I thrive on .

Its time .

Turn one, Doohan Corner, at Phillip Island is fast and open. I feel my way through where I can, finding my line as we peel around the long right and then sit up to brake into the long left-hander at turn two .

Turn three is a fast downhill left-hander, almost flat out in fifth gear, and it is probably my favourite corner in the world. Its what I call a balls out corner, the kind of corner that has always seemed to suit me. You get a strong wind coming at you from the inside and it makes you want to lose the front. Some people chicken out when the bike gets light and most riders put weight on the front to carry as much speed as they can. The real key, though, is to get the rear sliding way before you even hit the apex. This takes all the guesswork out of trusting the front through that corner and not knowing whether it will stick or not because of the wind. You have to take the weight off the front and turn with the rear and thats when it really takes guts

Twenty-seven laps the perfect number I come out of turn twelve for the final time and see the chequered flag being prepared. I am about to win the 2012 Australian MotoGP, my home race. I experience a familiar moment of relief and elation but this time that flag holds extra significance

W hen they first noticed my ability and my love for bikes, my parents talked about this crazy dream that one day they would watch me stand on the podium as world champion. I was only a toddler when they made a conscious decision to give me every opportunity to achieve that dream, even though others thought it impossible.