Although there is still no signature on the line, we believe that Casey Stoner, the much beloved two-time MotoGP World Champion from Australia, will become an official test rider for Ducati. This is big news for Ducati and all fans of the Bologna bike. “Casey Stoner has a contract with Honda as test rider until the end of 2015,” said Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse Sporting Director. “There is the possibility that he will be back with Ducati as a test rider, but we need to wait until the end of the year. Casey is a hero for Ducati; he won so many races and the world championship in 2007.” Davide Tardozzi, Ducati MotoGP Team Manager, said: “Casey is very important for Ducati and all its supporters. After he had some issues with Honda, we started talking and it would be great to have him back as test rider. A return as a full time racer is excluded. It’s clear that he put the quality of his life on top of the list, and in fact now he is fishing somewhere. But he represents a lot for Ducati.” Friction between Stoner and Honda started after the Qatar GP when the Aussie (test rider for the Japanese giant) offered to replace Dani Pedrosa, who was unable to race in Austin or Argentina due to the surgery on his forearms. Honda gently replied: “No thank you.” Honda evidently didn’t want to put more pressure on Marc Marquez by interfering with the existing balance inside the garage. “Casey would have liked it,” said HRC boss Livio Suppo at Austin. “But it’s better to remain focused.” Stoner didn’t take it well and his feedback was clear in this tweet he sent on April 3:
Sorry to everyone but I am not racing @circuitamericas next weekend, it would have been an honour to ride for @26_DaniPedrosa #NotMeantToBe
— Casey Stoner (@Official_CS27) April 2, 2015
Tension increased with Stoner’s big crash at the Suzuka 8 Hours, with the Aussie sending another tweet from the medical center of Suzuka, which caught Honda by surprise and revealed to the world the reason for the incident—a stuck throttle, before Honda was even able to release its own official press release.
Well my #Suzuka8H ended spectacularly!Stuck Throttle = Broken Scapula + Fractured Tibia and a few more tweaks. Sucks! pic.twitter.com/aNtgwDGIzG
— Casey Stoner (@Official_CS27) July 26, 2015
Ducati top management couldn’t confirm that Stoner will be used as a possible wild card in some MotoGPs, but they let it be known that it’s a possibility. Stoner’s Crash at Suzuka
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