A rumor that we are almost certain isn’t true, yet too good not to muse about: Casey Stoner is said to be making a return to motorcycle racing, competing in the prestigious Suzuka 8hr endurance race for Honda.
The rumor comes from the Sportmediaset blog of Max Temporali — usually one of Italy’s more reputable sporting publications. Given Stoner’s contentious relationship with the media, especially the Italian media, one can guess as to the motivations involved though.
Still, the story is one of particular fancy for Casey Stoner fans, who believe the two-time World Champion left Grand Prix racing far too soon.
The recent return of Troy Bayliss to the World Superbike limelight surely helps fuel the fires, and even Kevin Schwantz made a return to racing just two years ago at the Suzuka 8hr endurance racer.
A highly prestigious event, it was not long ago the Japanese OEMs stacked GP and SBK stars onto their factory Suzuka 8-hour teams, in the hopes of besting each other (Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi were one such team, for example), though that tradition has now largely gone-away.
Another factor to consider too is the battle that Stoner gave HRC in regards to racing in Japan after the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster…we don’t imagine him stepping foot on Japanese soil anytime soon, let alone in racing leathers.
We would love to be proven wrong though.
Source: Piega & Spiega; Photo: HRC
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