P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Casey Stoner has revealed that MotoGP negotiations with Yamaha collapsed on two occasions leaving him “lost” with “no ride whatsoever”.
According to the Australian rider, Casey Stoner, he had two opportunities to join Yamaha for the MotoGP debut in 2006, but both times the deal fell through. Stoner mentioned that Yamaha used him as a scapegoat to pressure another rider into signing for less money. After his rookie season at LCR Honda, where he achieved a pole position and podium finish, Stoner was again in talks with Yamaha for the 2007 season. However, once again, the negotiations went quiet and he was left without a ride. It was then that Ducati approached him, and he ended up joining the Italian team and winning the world title in his debut season in 2007. Stoner believed that he was initially signed as a temporary rider until Marco Melandri became available in 2008, but he surprised everyone by winning the championship. Melandri did join Ducati in 2008 but had a disappointing season and left the team at the end of the year.
