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MOTO: Winners And Losers Of 2011
2011 was a good year to some riders, teams, and manufacturers -- and not so much for others. Who were 2011's winners and losers?
Chris Martin  |  Posted December 28, 2011   Iowa City, IA
Repsol Honda teammates Andrea Dovizioso, Casey Stoner, and Dani Pedrosa (Photo: Dorna Communications)
Winner: Casey Stoner/HRC

This one should be obvious -- Casey Stoner established himself as the elite power in MotoGP as soon as he climbed aboard a works Honda this season. His career numbers are already staggering and he's only getting started. Meanwhile, HRC did their part by developing the unstoppable '11 RC212V to finally claim a 800cc championship.

Loser: Ducati/Valentino Rossi

Stoner's rise balanced by Ducati's fall provided solid evidence as to who was the true driving force behind their former collaboration. Even in their worst nightmare, Ducati and Marlboro suits couldn't have imagined '11 going so wrong after their signing of the one and only Valentino Rossi. While the vast majority of the blame will be directed at Ducati, Rossi's reputation as a superhuman racer who can overcome any odds has been tarnished as well.

Winner: Ducati/Carlos Checa

Ducati decides to turn all of their attention to MotoGP and away from their long-time primary battleground of World Superbike and what happens? Amazing. Carlos Checa enjoyed one of the all-time great WSBK seasons on a satellite Ducati, arguably helped along by the absence of a factory Ducati team, which likely would have stolen points away from Checa had it existed, and instead allowed him to shine pretty much unchallenged at the more twin-friendly venues.

Loser: James Stewart

Untimely crashes and an embarrassing, highly-publicized arrest. James Stewart is still the fastest man on two wheels in the dirt but he took a sizable beating -- both on and off the track -- in 2011.

Winner: Ryan Villopoto

Ryan Villopoto is the man who delivered most of that beatin'. Villopoto finally fulfilled his promise on a 450, sweeping the year's SX/MX/MXON honors. '11 couldn't have gone much better for the Kawasaki ace.
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