Casey Stoner proud of corner naming honour

Casey Stoner has spoken of his joy and pride at having the super-fast Turn 3 at Phillip Island named in his honour earlier today.

The reigning MotoGP world champion took part in a special ceremony at Phillip Island this morning, with his beloved Turn 3 now known as Stoner Corner.

The 27-year-old, who is bidding for an unprecedented sixth successive victory in what will be his farewell performance in front of his crowd on Sunday, said: “It is not time on the track that has got my success because everybody I race against has had as many laps, if not more, than me at the island: The only thing I can explain is that because the track is quite slippery and with such high corner speeds, being fast there has a lot to do with balls and how much you want to hang it out.

It’s a place that really gets the adrenaline flowing and I think most riders will say they love this track. Turn three is probably my favourite one in the world. I am almost flat out in fifth gear through there and that is pretty damn fast and it really gets your blood flowing that’s for sure. It always gives me a great rush going through there so to have a corner named after me at Phillip Island is something quite special. It is a great privilege.

The Island was designed 60 years ago before computers. It follows the flow of the countryside. It is a classic track and beyond anything else we race on. The high speed corners get your heart racing and there are a lot of corners you can slide through.”

Stoner might have completed thousands of laps around the Phillip Island track in his career, but one in particular stands out more than most was his stunning qualifying lap last season.

The Repsol Honda rider, who wrapped up his second world title at Phillip Island last season on his 26th birthday, added: “With new tyres and load of grip I went into turn three and shut off for the least amount of time I ever have and then got straight back on the throttle. The data on my Repsol Honda RC213V showed I was at 262km/h and the slowest point of the corner was 258km/h. It was bloody quick. I was completely sideways and I had my front wheel halfway across the kerb. I got it as good as I ever have, and that was my most memorable moment through there.”