Australian rider and MotoGP legend Casey Stoner, two-time MotoGP champion with Ducati and Honda, has quit racing in 2015 after a crash at the Suzuka 8 Hours race. But Stoner didn’t stop ridding race bikes, and after his contract with Honda Racing Corporation expired, he returned to Ducati taking the role of test rider and brand ambassador.
That return to Ducati was valid for three years, until the end of the 2018 season, and at the last World Ducati Week, in Misano, a few weeks ago, Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati sporting director, met with Casey Stoner and the two talked about his future, including the possibility that he retires for good from riding race bikes.
Accordind to Ciabatti, Stoner’s future will be decided in September, but at the moment the situation isn’t easy for the Australian, who is still recovering from a shoulder operation back in February, and that injury might force Casey Stoner to hang-up his leathers for good.
At World Ducati Week, fans saw Casey Stoner in Misano promoting the Ducati brand, but the former MotoGP rider didn’t enter the Race of Champions. Paolo Ciabatti gave some insights about that, saying that “He is still recovering from the shoulder injury and can’t move the shoulder in a 90º angle”.
Whatever happens regarding his decision to continue his role as a test rider for Ducati’s MotoGP project, Casey Stoner will always stay connected to the Italian manufacturer, and Ciabatti confirms Stoner will be an ambassador for Ducati in the future.