Update: Despite an Australian newspaper saying it "can finally confirm the worst-kept secret in the V8 Supercar paddock" (link below) and running quotes attributed to Casey Stoner that include "it's the new chapter in my career" - the man himself insists a decision has not yet been made.
Stoner wrote on Twitter: "Don't believe everything you read! Haven't decided what I'm doing yet, of course V8 Supercars is on the cards. Will let you know when I do!"
Two-time
MotoGP champion
Casey Stoner looks set to make the switch from two to four-wheel motorsport competition in 2013 after reportedly inking a deal to drive in the Australian V8 Supercar Dunlop series.
Stoner bid farewell to motorcycle racing at the end of the 2012 season having accumulated 38
MotoGP race wins and two titles over 115 races and seven seasons, but while the man himself has vociferously stated that he would never return to MotoGP, he refused to dismiss a move into four-wheel racing.
Having closely followed and previously driven a V8 Supercar, rumours of a switch were fuelled further when Stoner again tested with the leading Triple Eight Racing outfit late last year, but only now has a deal to race in the second-tier V8 Supercar Dunlop series – often seen as a breeding ground for today's current V8 stars – apparently been confirmed, according to Australia's
Sunday Mail.
Expected to drive a Red Bull-backed Holden Commodore, as previously campaigned by Triple Eight's four-time champion Jamie Whincup, Stoner is tipped to make his debut in the upcoming Clipsal 500, held around the streets of Adelaide, on February 28th (when his former
MotoGP rivals will be testing at Sepang).
Set to retain his iconic 'No.27' plate, Stoner is said to be looking forward to embarking on a new chapter in his sporting career, even if he is aware that the transition to the highly competitive series will be difficult.
"Since I was 12, I've always been interested in it," Stoner reportedly said of the V8 category, during an interview with the official program for the Clipsal 500 to be released next month.
"It was always my plan during my whole career to drive a V8. It's now the new chapter in my career but I have to be realistic and see if we're capable of doing anything.