Sport, much like life itself, if full of “What if…?” moments. MotoGP™ is no different. It’s easy to skim through history and ponder hypothetical outcomes. What if Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) stayed injury-free in recent seasons? What if Valentino Rossi hadn’t crashed out of the 2006 Valencia Grand Prix? What if Casey Stoner remained with Honda for 2007?
The last hypothetical, as it turns out, proved closer to reality than it may have seemed, and was only denied by a napkin signed by Carlos Checa. Oscar Haro, former Sporting Director at LCR Honda, discussed the finer details of the 2006 agreement.
"Livio Suppo (then Ducati Team Manager) wanted to sign Stoner, but Casey had a two-year contract with HRC. There was a meeting in Portugal and Lucio Cecchinello came up with his proposal. 'I know Casey’s dream is to become an official rider. I have no intention of ruining his life, even though he has a contract with us for another year," Haro claimed on NicoAbadTV.
Sorting out a replacement for Stoner would also prove problematic for LCR, and a straight swap between the Australian and Sete Gibernau looked to be on the table, but broke down after a disagreement in numbers.
"We explained to him that we were a satellite team and we didn't have an infinite budget, but he could have raced on a Honda with Michelin tyres. He insisted and we let it go. So, at the suggestion of track engineer Ramon Forcada, the choice fell on Carlos Checa: "He was at the hotel bar. I asked him if he wanted to ride our bike, he asked me if it was Honda-Michelin, the best at that moment. When I nodded, he said: 'Give me a napkin and let's sign!
And there we have it. A real sliding doors moment in the history of MotoGP™, with Checa’s eagerness to sign allowing Ducati to sign Stoner, who would go on to claim the 2007 Riders’ Championship.