This is directly from Moto GP on Facebook. They haven't even posted it on their website yet. There is an accompanying photo of him in the press office and this is apparently official. Hunting around, it seems that the birth of his new chil, coupled with the recent loss of Simoncelli from the sport have forced him to re-assess his priorities, with a little help from the missus.
Not quite out of the blue. He and his PR team have been ferociously batting off the rumours of rubbish for a few weeks now.
Blooming heck - i had no idea Casey was thinking of retiring. I must say as someone who just watches the racing without the commentary on this has come as a big shock. For someone so young to retire it doesn't give the rest of us any hope. However i do wish him a happy retirement.
Blimey. I remember him not so very long ago being asked whether the birth of his child would make him keep a safety margin on the track, and he replied with a straightforward "no"! Said it would have been "different in the days for Moto GP was more dangerous than it is now". So I wasn't expecting that at all.
Aren't all the bikes changing to CRT in a couple of years? If so, I'm sure that was a factor in his decision.
You have to read this in the style of a Sun headline...... "Multimillionaire 27 year old race ace, knocks it on the head for sake of wife and child after death of friend"
I have to be honest and say all credit to him. He doesn't have the passion for the sport anymore (for whatever reason) so leaving is the best thing he can do.
A good choice, he is at the top of his game. For years people will be asking "what if Casey had never retired?" Never my favourite but anyone sticking it to Jorge Lorenzo gets my support.
