Double world champion Casey Stoner will never go down as one of MotoGP’s icons, according to fellow Australian and former grand prix winner Daryl Beattie.
And Beattie says that seven-times world champion Valentino Rossi’s title-winning days are over.
Stoner, who won the world title in 2007 and 2011, retired from the sport last year at just 27 years of age, one reason why Beattie has ruled him out of a place among the greatest names in the sport.
Italian hero Giacomo Agostini collected eight elite world crowns, while Rossi won seven in the 500cc/MotoGP class and Australian Mick Doohan amassed five. Four riders have four championships and two have three while several – including current racer Jorge Lorenzo – are dual winners.
Beattie said a number of riders have a unique quality, including current world championship leader and rookie MotoGP rider Marc Marquez, who has stunned the competition with his flair this season.
“No matter what sport it is at the end of the day there’s one, maybe two (people), that are special,” triple grand prix winner Beattie said.
“The rest are great, but there’s always that special one. Valentino Rossi was pretty special and I think Casey was damned exceptional, but he just wasn’t there long enough for us to see where it was going to take him.
“Marquez is very, very good – super special.”
He said MotoGP would not miss Stoner, whose two titles do not stand out in the overall history of the sport and fans should look for more from the exciting Spaniard Marquez.
According to Beattie, Rossi, who is 34, no longer has the ability to match his younger rivals.
The Italian has won just once this year on his Yamaha, at the Dutch Grand Prix, which was only his second victory since 2010.
With five Australian Grand Prix wins to his name Rossi could match Stoner’s record of six at this month’s Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, but the odds are heavily against him.
“I think he’s got an enormous amount of experience and he’s very valuable to have on your team as long as he still wants to be there and he’s 100 per cent committed, which he is,” Beattie said.
“But these kids at the moment are just that bit above him, and that bit is those two-to-three tenths (of a second). The pace is there at times, but it just lacks that commitment.
“There’s no reason why he should retire … Valentino Rossi may win a few races, but he won’t win another championship.”
While Bryan Staring is the lone Australian in the MotoGP field following Stoner’s retirement, Beattie has predicted a bright future for up-and-coming Australian Jack Miller after the 18-year-old’s impressive second season in the entry-level Moto3 category.