While the FIM was handing out awards in their Gala Ceremony last night at the Estoril Casino in Portugal, including one to Casey Stoner, the Honda rider preferred to stay in Australia and have Honda’s Livio Suppo pick up the award while he took in the Sydney 500 race on Saturday from the Vodafone Team garage with the always present wife, Adriana.
Stoner has always been interested in V8 cars and has often mentioned that when he retires from motorcycle racing he’d like to try his luck in four wheel racing.
The 2011 MotoGP world champion said he was impressed by the friendly rivalry between the V8 Supercar drivers, pointing out the differences between the two paddocks, something he’s already commented on in the past.
“V8s in general, everyone’s a little bit more relaxed towards each other,” said Stoner.
“In our class overseas with a lot of European riders there’s a lot more jealousy, all kinds of stuff.
All the riders hate each other and they think they need to hate each other to beat each other.
Around here you can still be mates and race.
As long as you drive fair and square and give a hard race, there’s no reason you can’t be friends.
That’s something that’s pretty refreshing about this paddock.
”This was Stoner’s second visit to Team Vodafone after his previous one at Bathhurst in October.