Stoner back on track at Valencia

Ten years after his maiden world championship with Ducati, Australia’s two-time MotoGP world champ Casey Stoner has completed two days of testing at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia.

The test, held between Monday and Wednesday this week, saw Stoner ride the Ducati Team’s GP17 test mule on Monday, before the firm’s regular test rider Michelle Pirro took over on Tuesday. The Australian then resumed testing duties on Wednesday.

With the team’s Andrea Dovizioso currently tied on points at the top of the championship ladder with Spanish sensation Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), it’ll will be interesting if the three-day test can give the Italian an edge over the next five races.

If nothing else, if the title does go right down to the wire at the final race in Valencia, Marquez might have the home track advantage, but Dovizioso and teammate Jorge Lorenzo will have some all-important data to springboard them into what could very well be the title deciding weekend.

The factory April duo of Aleix Espargaro and Sam Lowes were also on track during the test, and some reports have the Marc VDS Honda squad there, too. However, as the three days aren’t classified as one of the series’ official tests, there was no formal times recorded or released.