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Casey Stoner to Decide on a MotoGP Race After the First Tests

Good news arrives from Casey Stoner, so both his and Ducati's fans can rejoice. No, he's not announcing his return to the premier class as a contracted rider, but at least he is not excluding the possibility of taking a MotoGP start this year altogether.
Casey Stoner on a Ducati 1 photo
Photo: morethanjustwine.blogspot.com
The MotoGP legend says that the first tests with Ducati could be a good way to weigh the odds of a presence on the grid as a wildcard for Borgo Panigale. Late in 2015, Stoner and Honda reached an agreement to end the Aussie's contract with HRC as a test rider. The move was speculated for a long time by the media, but none of those involved made any comments on the rumors.

However, in late November, Ducati and Stoner announced their new relationship, some 30 minutes after Honda confirmed that they and the Australian were no longer bound by a contract.

Ducati officials and Stoner made official declarations that stated that the MotoGP Legend would be actively involved with Ducati Corse as a development rider and brand ambassador. That meant that the house of Bologna intended to use Stoner to his full potential as a test rider, and not only have him stride a bike several times a year, as it was the case for Honda.

Stoner himself stated recently that Honda were never interested in using all of Stoner's expertise as a MotoGP rider, hence the small number of tests they did with him.

Ducati wants to benefit from Stoner’s capabilities, and if the tests play out right, we might see him in a race this year

Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali said earlier that there were no appearances provisioned for Stoner on the premier class grid. Yet, he refrained from saying that there was no way Stoner could take the start in a race this year.

Now Stoner himself says, according to insella, that he will think about such matters after the first tests with the new Ducati bikes. "I have a task that is also a bit of a goal. I want to work well with Gigi Dall'Igna, so I want to help engineers and pilots with the development of the bike. My goal is to contribute to the cause and make the Ducati win again," he says.

He also adds that no plans have been made to date, and that he knows that Ducati would immediately give him a bike should he want to race, but until the first tests are finished, everything remains only a possibility.

Our hopes to see Stoner battling his rivals of old once more have just gotten a tad closer to reality. Any bets, already?
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