Why stoner is retiring

He added: "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. I will not be racing in the Championship. Stoner recently brushed off rumours that he was contemplating retirement, claiming that "everyone seems quite good at making up stories".

It meant his change of mind came as a big surprise to rival Valentino Rossi. The Italian, 33, dampened speculation over his own future in the sport by claiming he wanted to continue for "the next two years for sure".

And it continues today after his retirement. And Stoner has never been, and never will be, a banal man. The Australian rider has always moved in an 'obstinate and opposite direction', until his premature retirement to which no one has really been able to give a valid explanation. Until today. It's simple: I've always loved 2-stroke engines.

For me they are the real engines for racing. First the electronics, which took away a lot of the control, then the aerodynamics and the ever increasing sophistication. I love to ride, ride the bike, control it. He said: "After a long time thinking, a lot of time talking with my family and my wife, this has been coming for a couple of years now, but at the end of this season I will be not racing in the championship.

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. After a promising maiden season he moved to Ducati in and completely dominated the championship by claiming 10 wins. He finished runner-up to Valentino Rossi a year later, before a mystery illness derailed his campaign.

After another frustrating season in Stoner made the decision to move to the factory Repsol Honda team, and was once again the class of the field as he secured his second world title in Stoner, who has won 35 races in the top class, currently leads the championship by a single point from Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo after claiming victories in Spain and Portugal. But the world champion had previously stated he did not want to still be racing in his 30s, and initial suggestions that he might retire had surfaced after he became a father in February.