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Stoner continues to shrug off Ducati race return speculation

Two-time MotoGP champion Casey Stoner insists he has no desire for an imminent racing comeback, and is focusing on his testing commitments with Ducati in Qatar this week.

Casey Stoner, Ducati Team

Casey Stoner, Ducati Team

Mirco Lazzari

Casey Stoner, Ducati Team
Casey Stoner, Ducati Team
Casey Stoner, Ducati Team
Casey Stoner congratulates second place Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team
Casey Stoner, Ducati Team
Danilo Petrucci, Pramac Racing

Stoner returned to his test role at the Losail circuit, the day after the MotoGP race weekend concluded.

He had originally planned to run after the final pre-season test, but this had to abandoned as it contravened series rules.

The Australian shrugged off suggestions that he might replace Danilo Petrucci, who missed the season opener on his Pramac Ducati due to broken and dislocated bones in his right hand.

“We’re just concentrating on testing,” Stoner told BT Sport. “Honestly there’s been no talk, no plans for future races.

“I’m a test rider, you know, I’m not filling in at every jump and all those sort of things. I have the option, probably, [but] I haven’t been asked and probably won’t be. My job is test rider.

“We’ll focus on the test we were supposed to do last week. Better late than never.”

Strong chance of Ducati wins

Stoner believes that Ducati has as good a chance of winning races as any other manufacturer in the first part of the season on the new Michelin tyres.

“I think everyone has strengths in different parts of this track, no one has been a massive standout on the Michelin tyres – a few have shone a bit,” he added ahead of Sunday's race, which was won by Yamaha's Jorge Lorenzo.

“There’s as much of a chance [of winning races] in this garage as any other.”

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