Casey Stoner announced his retirement from MOTOGP at LeMans this Thursday. The 26-year-old from New South Wales had made his MotoGP debut in 2006, after finishing runner-up in the 250cc championship the previous year. He moved to Ducati in 2007, taking the title with 10 wins, before switching to Honda at the start of the 2011 season. Stoner won his second championship last year, also with 10 victories.
The statement comes at a time when there was speculation about his future in the sport. Casey had previously neither accepted nor denied any of the rumors, insisting he was still making up his mind about what he wanted to do in the near future.
But he seems to have made up his mind now. "For two years I thought about this. I have spoken at length with my family and I finally made the decision to retire at the end of 2012," the Australian said.
He's currently leading the championship having won two of the three races so far. Let's hope he ends on a high.
