Editor's Blog - What next for Stoner and Honda?

At just 26 years old, Casey Stoner is a little young to be taking retirement, but then again, for nearly a year he has had to constantly dodge questions of whether the arrival of his daughter would affect his riding.

Until now the two-time World Champion has insisted that old theory that having a family makes you slower and less likely to take risks is an outdated view born out of an era when racing Grand Prix motorbikes was a more dangerous past time.

However, clearly Casey feels that the time has come for him to spend some time with his family. What we’d really like to know is what it was that tipped him over the edge.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday he said: "After so many years of doing this sport which I love, and which myself and my family made so many sacrifices for, after so many years of trying to get to where we have gotten to at this point, this sport has changed a lot and it has changed to the point where I am not enjoying it. I don't have the passion for it and so at this time it's better if I retire now.

"There are a lot of things that have disappointed me, and also a lot of things I have loved about this sport, but unfortunately the balance has gone in the wrong direction. And so, basically, we won't be continuing any more. It would be nice if I could say I would stay one more year, but then where does it stop? So we decided to finish everything as we are now."

We give it three years before he’s racing again. If not on two wheels then perhaps on four as he would given more than a warm welcome if he were to turn his hand to V8 Supercars in Australia.

Time and racing moves on, and as a young 20 something with a healthy Swiss bank account and (at least) two World Championships under his belt, Casey will be just fine.

The question is, where does MotoGP go from here?

The class of the field in 2011 and 2012 has been Stoner. Lorenzo has been nipping at his heels and the ever-present ‘nearly-man’ Dani Pedrosa is right there as always - but by announcing his retirement so early in the season Casey has left a big Honda sized hole that needs filling by next year.

So who are the prime candidates?

As difficult as it may be to swallow, one can’t ignore the fact that, had he lived, Marco Simoncelli would have been one of the top contenders to become the new factory Honda rider - but sadly he’s no longer with us.

The problem that Repsol has is that there may be plenty of good riders around, but are any of them future champions? Álvaro Bautista, on the Gresini Honda, is highly experienced and a former 125cc Champion but it’s doubtful that he would be able to jump on a Repsol machine and win straight away.

Stefan Bradl may well be destined for the seat in the future but at just 22, it would be a tall ask for the Moto2 Champion to be able to step up from LCR Honda.

It’s a similar situation with Marc Márquez. There’s no doubting his pace with a 125cc Championship, runner-up in Moto2 in 2011 and possibly this year’s title under his belt but it would be a brave decision to throw him in at the deep end in MotoGP. Having said that, Pedrosa handled the pressure when he moved up in 2006. He had the cushion of three consecutive titles behind him but Márquez has had a similar career so far.

Techincally speaking, a rookie rider cannot be part of a factory team - but that's just meant that the rumour mill is working overtime to come up with theoretical loopholes.

One rider that we know, with almost certainty, will be moving up from Moto2 next year will be British rider Bradley Smith. As he settles himself into Tech3 Yamaha, Honda could call back Andrea Dovizioso or even take a gamble with Cal Crutchlow - but then what do they do with Márquez? He’s too good to let him slip through their fingers.

With Ducati going through so many troubles, it’s possible that either Hayden or Rossi will decide that it’s not worth trying to drag the Italian team out of the mess they find themselves in and make a return to a team that both have ridden for in the past - and delivered Championships with.

Rossi is raking in the money at Ducati and the team will be desperate to keep hold of him, but ever since he injured himself while still at Yamaha, Vale has struggled to flatter a mediocre bike like he used to be able to.

With only a few years before he is lost to retirement or rallying he could be tempted to go out with a bang and try for one more Championship - with a team that can undoubtedly deliver him one.