Ducati Corse, the racing division of Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati, announced the return of Casey Stoner, a former two-time MotoGP world champion, under its banner.
Stoner won his first MotoGP championship with Ducati Corse back in 2007. He then proceeded to take another in 2011 with Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), the racing technology development arm of the Honda Motor Company. Stoner retired a year after, in 2012, but decide once again to take the track this year.
However, during the Suzuka 8 Hours, which is an annual endurance race held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan, the 30-year-old Australian racer crashed his bike due to a throttle mechanical issue. HRC issued an official apology to Stoner.
"A malfunction was discovered related to the throttle cable," writes HRC. "HRC would like to apologise to Casey Stoner and thank him for the effort he made in attending the Suzuka 8 Hour event."
After noting of his great journey with the HRC, Stoner confirmed that he will once again be on a Ducati motorbike for 2016.
"For 2016 I am very excited to announce that I will again be joining the Ducati team," Stoner comments on his return. "I have so many great memories working with the people and the brand of Ducati and the opportunity to work with them again is something very special."
Note that Ducati has not won any championships after Stoner's win on a Ducati Desmosedici GP almost nine years ago. In total, Casey Stoner won 23 races for Ducati from 2007 until 2010. Given the racer's achievements, Ducati's CEO Claudio Domenicali spoke of his delight with Casey Stoner's return.
"Stoner has always remained in the hearts of all the Ducatisti and I am really pleased that he has decided to come back to our family," Domenicali comments. "Casey has an extraordinary talent and with his experience he will be able to make an important contribution for Gigi and the two Andreas in the development of the Desmosedici MotoGP bike."
Aside from becoming Ducati's brand ambassador, Casey Stoner is also scheduled to star on World Ducati Week's 2016 edition which will run from July 1 to July 3 next year. Moreover, Stoner will be part of several of the Ducati team's MotoGP tests also scheduled for 2016.
