Casey Stoner backs four-rider Honda assault

Casey Stoner has dismissed concerns that Honda might struggle to give equal support to its quartet of factory riders in 2011.

Stoner will ride with Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso in the factory HRC squad backed by Repsol next season with all three assured of top factory support by senior Japanese management.

San Carlo Gresini Honda rider Marco Simoncelli though is also going to ride a full factory RC212V machine in the final 800cc world championship.

HRC has pledged to treat all four equally but concerns has been expressed in some quarters that Honda might be spreading itself too thin and it will be too difficult to give all four the same technical backing. 

But Aussie Stoner, who quit Ducati at the end of last season to sign for Honda, is adamant that everybody will be treated fairly and there will be no favouritism in 2011.

The 2007 world champion said: “As far as I can see we all have the same amount of mechanics and nobody is getting less treatment than anyone else, so there is nothing wrong with this.

“In the past Honda did this and it was fantastic, so I think it can be a great thing.  Everyone always wants to think they are more important or special than others but if everybody is getting the same treatment, I don’t see any problem with this and we all have our own team, mechanics and engineers to worry about.”