The official Repsol Honda Team Twitter account @HRC_MotoGP posted these statistics (pictured) comparing the MotoGP achievements of Casey Stoner with Valentino Rossi since 2006.

The image was posted with the words "The stats say it all."

Stoner, who made his MotoGP debut in 2006, won his first MotoGP title with Ducati in 2007 and his second for Repsol Honda last season.

Rossi, now at Ducati, made his premier-class debut in 2000 and won two of his seven MotoGP titles in Repsol Honda colours.

Follow-up Tweets from @HRC_MotoGP, after the inevitable backlash from some fans, added:

"Don't take it so seriously! Only a bit of fun..."

"Uhhhh, not belittling... just pointing out Casey's achievements... after all this IS HRC's twitter and not Ducati's?!"

Rossi, recovering from minor surgery on Monday, then responded via his own official Twitter account @ValeYellow46:

"Eh eh, very easy compare the numbers between me and Stoner from 2006, when I won already 5 champs and 53 races mgp. More real [to] compare the first 5 season of me with the first 5 of Stoner."

Rossi won the 500cc/MotoGP title from 2001-2005, then again in 2008 and 2009.

UPDATE: HRC_MotoGP has now removed the stats from its Twitter feed, saying "Ok ok... will remove... wasn't belittling @ValeYellow46 achievements... just comparing! #dugdeepenoughnow"