HRC boss Livio Suppo has confirmed that Casey Stoner was considered to replace Dani Pedrosa but it was too short notice for the Auston MotoGP round, so test rider Hiro Aoyama was given the job.
In an email to Bikesport News columnist and motomatters.com editor David Emmett, Suppo said that fans would have expected the two-time champion to be battling straight at the front, which was a huge and unrealistic expectation.
“We spoke about the possibility for Casey to replace Dani. Overall, we believe that a comeback of Casey in MotoGP would be something to properly prepare for, as the expectation would be huge. We are sorry for the fans, who would have loved to see Casey back, but overall, we think this is the right choice,” said Suppo.
