If there is any consensus about the new 800cc prototypes being tested for next year’s MotoGP championship, it is that they handle somewhat like 250cc GP bikes. Corner speeds are very high, and some similarities in riding technique (despite the obvious differences between a four-stroke and a two-stroke) have emerged.
With Loris Capirossi and the recently signed Casey Stoner aboard factory Ducatis in MotoGP next year, Ducati has a good combination of experience and youth. It also has two riders with proven abilities on 250cc GP machinery. Capirossi, of course, has a World championship to his credit in the 250cc class (along with 12 race wins in that class — and 8 race wins in the MotoGP 500 class).
While young Casey Stoner has no World championships to his credit, he has 5 GP wins in the 250cc class along with a podium in his rookie year in the MotoGP class. Like Capirossi, Stoner knows how to carry lots of corner speed, and the 800cc machines next year may suit his style better than the 990cc machines currently in use.