CASEY STONER
TRUE KARTER

The 2-time MotoGP world champion tried the BirelART KZ. And got down to business

Things have changed quite a bit since the last time we saw him. It was 2011, back then Casey Stoner was in full swing towards his second MotoGP world title with Honda and he arrived on track on a rapper-style pick-up truck with his wife Adriana. He was there for a fun kart "duel" against his mechanics and technical staff. He had provided everyone with a non-shifter Birel/BMB Kart Grand Prix chassis. This time Stoner's tribe is bigger. He shows up in Castelletto di Branduzzo (Pavia) with Adriana, their daughter Alessandra and his best friend and now business partner Chris Hillard. Casey is in Italy on vacation and also to slip in meetings with some of his sponsors (Nolan, Alpinestars, Gas...). He is officially a retired rider and, while he still collaborates with Honda HRC as a tester, racing, at least on two-wheels, seems to belong to the past. This is not the only change, though. Things are different on the four-wheel side of things, too: instead of a pick-up he is driving a Lamborghini Huracan and instead of a non-shifter Birel, there is a Birel ART CRY30-S7 shifter chassis with Parilla Screamer Black engine waiting for him. Alright, the Huracan is "just" a sweet complementary gift from the Sant'Agata Bolognese factory for his stay in Italy; but, as far as karts go, Casey seems to be on a whole new wavelength.