Stoner welcomes Silverstone switch
Added on Friday, January 16th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Stoner was an unpopular winner at Donington last season.
Casey Stoner has given the thumbs up to Silverstone ahead of the move to the circuit from Donington in 2010.
Silverstone will take over from Donington after the coming season’s British Grand Prix until 2015 in a move which has received approval from the 2007 world champion who raced at the Northamptonshire circuit during his time in the British 125 series.
Despite the decision by Dorna proving somewhat unpopular with supporters, Stoner believes that the change of venue will still provide plenty of challenges for the competitors, with the Farm Straight and Bridge Corner a particular highlight for the Aussie.
“Until we ride there it’s hard to make an opinion. Who knows until we get out there? It could be great or it could be terrible, you just can’t be sure until you get out on the track,” he said.
“But it is a big home of motorsport and when I raced British championship I really, really enjoyed that track. There were a couple of corners I don’t think will be in the GP plan, which is kind of disappointing. They were unbelievable and a heck of a lot of fun.
“The last one that comes under the bridge before the final complex where it’s left, left and then a long, long right. There’s a right that goes downhill under a bridge through there was a heck of a lot of fun. It comes over a rise, goes down under the bridge and turns right. That was a very good passing place, because people always have to bring it back and it’s always easy to get out underneath somebody there and there was some brilliant racing through there. But I think that corner is gone because they refuse to move the bridge and the bridge is not within the safety restrictions.”
Stoner also branded Donington’s plan to create a 200mph straight between Coppice and the Melbourne Hairpin as “ridiculous”.
Though he’s not sure what to expect at Silverstone, his opinion on the revised layout for Donington Park - a circuit at which he was roundly booed at the 2008 British GP - is clear. Plans for Donington include eliminating the backstraight chicane, which would create a 200 mph straightaway to a downhill hairpin turn.
“That would be ridiculous,” he said. “Can you imagine that in the wet? Not a good idea. That track is bad enough in the wet. Can you imagine going that fast? People crash into the chicane anyway, a lot of people crash there. Imagine in the wet going flat chat down that straight into a hairpin. No thank you.”
He went on to add however that the new straight would suit the Ducati and give their rivals less ammunition to fire at the Desmosedici.
“Maybe with the revised Donington, maybe they just want to put a straight in because everybody is sick of having no excuses for the Ducati at that track,” he added. “We only use five gears at that track so it doesn’t have time to get wound up so they don’t have excuses that the bike is too fast.”
