Casey Stoner: “I was hurt by” British fans, “I didn’t know why they hated me”

Casey Stoner has spoken out about the difficult receptions he was given by British fans during his MotoGP heyday.

Fans at Donington Park booed Stoner when he won the British MotoGP in 2007 and 2008.

Stoner was the reigning MotoGP champion on the second occasion, when he lashed out by questioning why the fans were ‘abusing' riders.

Stoner had raced in the UK before his big break, and was based near Liverpool as he chased his dream.

Now he has opened up about his strange relationship with fans in the UK.

“The British fans, I was really hurt by,” Stoner told the Ducati Diaries podcast.

“I didn’t know why they hated me so much.

“Even before I was up against Valentino Rossi, it wasn’t great.

“As soon as I challenged Valentino, then it just went downhill from there.

“It’s strange. Several other Aussie racers cut their teeth in the UK.

“If it wasn’t for the UK, I wouldn’t have got to where I was. Several of my best friends are from the UK, from when I was there. I have such fond memories of the place.

“When I returned, I got slaughtered. I couldn’t understand what I’d done.

“In the UK they wanted more of a show, or a showman. I’d just tell it like it was, good or bad. Obviously a load of people didn’t like it.”

'MotoGP turned me into an introvert'

Stoner won the championship on a Ducati in 2007, his second year in the premier class.

He was just 23 years old, and insisted that the pressures of MotoGP changed his personality. He notoriously retired young, aged 28 in 2012.

“I have become introverted,” Stoner said. “I used to be outside all the time, happy to make friends.

“I still struggled a bit, especially in larger groups I was never comfortable.

“But MotoGP, in particular, turned me into an introvert.

“When you get called all sorts of crap, and have all sorts of pressure, you just want to wrap up in your cocoon.

“It took its toll pretty early. I went from someone who was always happy to be out, to someone who wanted to be closed off and away from it.”

Stoner insisted that media coverage of him was unfavourable.

“It wasn’t that I wasn’t friendly. It was a tough time,” he said. “The media, everybody, was against me.

“I didn’t have this big outward character that everybody was looking for, at the time.

“Also, people truly didn’t understand me. I’m not there just to enjoy the racing. The results were all-important, not the enjoyment of it.

“Then you cop flak for everything you do. I’m also very self-punishing. It was lose, lose, lose. It was very heavy on me.

“It took until my later years to realise I could take the pressure off myself. I’d done all the work, be proud of what you’ve done.

“I don’t believe you should go out - in a sport where you’re paid as much as we are, and are expected to get results - and just go and have fun.

“If you’re just having fun, you’re not putting in the work. That’s where we see inconsistencies.

“I was harsh on myself. Even when I won races, if I made mistakes or wasn’t happy with how I rode? There was work to do, more to get out of myself.

“That’s where I copped bad press.

“They attack you more because you didn’t celebrate these wins like they wanted you to. “They expect you to celebrate each win like it was the championship.

“Maybe I didn’t celebrate them as much as other people do.”

'I have learned over the years'

Stoner’s personality was the polar opposite to the extravagant Rossi.

They exchanged championship wins in 2007 then 2008.

Stoner would later win the 2011 title for Honda and, after one more season, would call it quits.

“I certainly wouldn’t change anything,” he said.

“I have learned over the years about how to articulate things better.

“I’d be more open to how I could shape certain questions, or explain things differently.

“I challenged myself, after the first few years of challenging for MotoGP championships, on how to approach certain people. I started to read each person individually, whether it was my competitors or the press.

“I knew how to deal with each of them as an individual.

“I won’t change who I am. I still tell it like it is. I am maybe less harsh than I used to be.

“But that got me to where I was. I didn’t put any fluff on anything. They were all my opinions.

“I was punished for that. The media were tough on me. Whatever they write, the fans believe, so everyone starts hating on you.”