Speaking to news agency AAP, the 26 year old Australian said: “Am I going to race V8s next year? No, I'm going to stay at home and watch my little girl grow up for a while. I want to enjoy that moment when you don't have to go testing and prepare yourself perfectly for a race season. I want to enjoy myself and be free. Number one, I will enjoy my family and not have to stress about the next race."
When quizzed over the idea of wildcard MotoGP entries next season, he replied: “I'd have to think about it and I haven't thought about it too much. I just want to finish this year and do the best I can. I've had no second thoughts. I'm retiring from full-time racing.”
The Australian will be replaced by Spain's Moto2 rider Marc Márquez at the Repsol Honda team, who will become the first rider to take advantage of the abolishment of the Rookie Rule; previously, this prevented competitors from heading to a MotoGP factory team directly from Moto2. The young Spaniard will begin next year's campaign two months after his 20th birthday.
