A touched Casey Stoner admits he “does not feel worthy” of being elevated to Legend status as David Sera, Chris Matheson, Chad Reed and John Sidney have all been recognised as the latest inductees of the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame.
One of Australia’s best ever on two wheels, Casey Stoner has joined illustrious company having been upgraded to Legend status.
As a result Stoner joins an exclusive club alongside the very best such as fellow world champions Sir Jack Brabham, Alan Jones, and Mick Doohan.
In the space of just six years, Stoner rode into the history books as one of the best ever to take on MotoGP.
He famously rode Ducati to its first title in 2007 before moving to Honda and also tasting the ultimate at the first time of asking in 2011.
All up took 38 Grand Prix victories from 2006-2012, highlighted by six straight wins in front of his adoring fans at Phillip Island.
Doohan was on hand to welcome Stoner to the Legend’s club and the 21st century star was shocked by the honour.
“You grow up watching these great people who paved the way and Mick was someone I looked up to immensely and I don’t feel like I achieved anything like what he did or the other racers,” Stoner said on stage with his family watching on.
“So to be inducted into the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame was something I was very proud of and cherished immensely.
“Now to get this status is something I don’t feel worthy of.”
Having retired at just 27 back in 2012, Stoner admitted there have been some health issues of late, but was thrilled to say he has recently jumped back on the bike.
“It is something that will never go away and driving into the circuit brings back memories and excitement,” he said.
“Motorsport in general and not just motor cycling is something I have loved and always will.
“Being back on the bike after some health issues was an amazing feeling so I am back enjoying what I love.”
When asked to pick the top memories from his short, but successful MotoGP career, Stoner said there was not one moment that stood out, but the simple feeling of defying odds and expectations to be the best in the world.
“There were lots of highlights but its all the difficult moments through my career when teams, sponsors or manufacturers turned their backs on us or did not believe us, so its the constant fight to keep dragging yourself back up and keep going when everything was lost,” he said.
“Then to fight my way to MotoGP and show what we could do at a factory team.”
The Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame was first introduced in 2016 by the Australian Motorsport Council (AMC) and is constituted by Australia’s motorsport governing bodies across the five main motorsport disciplines which are automobile, motorcycle, karting, drag racing and speedway.
