'It's Stoner's choice to race or not'
Ducati MotoGP boss Paolo Ciabatti says that it’s not impossible that retired two-time MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner could consider racing again if he feels competitive and not exhausted after testing at the Red Bull Ring.
Stoner has been at the racing track in Spielberg, Austria, doing a two-day test starting on Tuesday, where he was fourth fastest on day one.
The 30-year-old Australian is a test rider for the Italian manufacturer and has been riding the Desmosedici GP.
However, despite testing, he also wants to see just how competitive he is and whether or not he is still able to stand up to the physical and mental demands of racing.
In an interview with the Motorsport.com site at Sachsenring, Ciabatti said they have never intended for Stoner to come out of retirement and race again but added that if he wants to they would not stand in his way.
"We didn't go after Casey to make him return to racing, because he has always said that he doesn't want to, that he's not interested in that life because of the pressure and so on," Ciabatti said.
"But he also hasn't said that he is not going to think about taking part in a grand prix, and we have left that door open. It if happens, it will be just once and that's it, because he has nothing to prove.
"If he tells us that he wants to race, we'll do all we can to please him. If he doesn't, we'll never put pressure on him. This test is just another test, on a new track, also for him.
"He will share the track with other riders and after two days and many laps, and as long as he's not exhausted, he might consider taking part in a race."
In 2012, Stoner retired after winning two world championships, one with Ducati in 2007 and the other in 2011 with Honda. Since his retirement, Stoner has been a test rider for both Ducati and Honda around the world.
