Australia's Casey Stoner, who won the first of his two MotoGP world titles with Ducati, is returning to the Italian team in 2016 as a test rider.

Stoner, 30, rejoins Ducati after a five-year spell with Honda, with whom he won the 2011 world championship, four years after his first.

"I have so many great memories working with the people and the brand of Ducati and the opportunity to work with them again is something very special," he said Tuesday.

Stoner retired from race riding at the end of the 2012 season, saying he had "fallen out of love" with the sport.