Casey Stoner will ride a MotoGP bike in anger for the first time since retiring from two-wheeled racing in a test for HRC at Motegi in the coming months. The two time world champion continues to deny any rumours of a full time return to the Grand Prix scene but is looking forward to four upcoming tests where he will assist with the development of Honda’s RC213V, as well as on the new production racer bike that Honda Racing will sell to selected teams next year to race in MotoGP.
“It’s been almost 7 months now since Valencia and I’m still happy and comfortable with the decision I made to stop racing. Sometimes I miss riding my RCV, so I am happy that HRC asked me to do some tests in Motegi this year. This will allow me to enjoy what I miss: riding a MotoGP bike! I’m looking forward to getting on the bike and see how it has changed from last year and I’d like to thank Honda for this opportunity”.
HRC Executive Vice-President Shuhei Nakamoto is delighted to gain Stoner’s input and believes it will benefit both parties.
“We are very pleased to have Casey back on a Honda! He knows this machine very well and I’m sure he can help our engineers and technicians with the development of the RC213V. We will also ask him to test the new production racer and give us his initial feedback to assist us in producing the best machine possible”.
