Factory Ducati team-mates Francesco Bagnaia and Jack Miller had assistance from a very special trackside coach at Portimao on Friday in the form of double MotoGP champion Caꦫsey Stoner.

After retiring at the end of 2012, with 38 MotoGP wins and a world title for both Du💖cati and Honda, Stoner signed-up as test rider 𝔉for HRC and then Ducati.

The Ducati partnership came to an end in 2018 and, due to hea🐼lth issues and Covid restrictions, the Australian hasn’t been at a MotoGP event for three 🎐and a half years.

"I met Casey for the first time yesterday here," said Bagn🐼aia, who like Miller joined the factory Ducati team this season and is on course to claim second in the world championship behind Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo.

"Today💖 he was like our coach. He was on the track to see us. It’s nice to hear another point of view. I appreciat🦩e it. He’s not a normal coach - he’s Casey Stoner. For sure it was great. Maybe tomorrow it will help us even more."

Helped by Stoner's trackside tips, Bagna𓄧ia and Miller finished a strong second and third on the timesheets behind Quartararo.

"I had an on-track spotter today, which was nice. And you can’t ask for a ♏better one than him," said 🐽Miller. "He was out on track, saw a few different things. Gave me a tip after FP1, and I worked on it in FP2.

♓"He had a few suggestions as any other rider coach would do, but I think you pay extra attention when someone like [Stoner] is telling you what he’s seeing on track, that’s for sure.

"We’ll have to talk to Ducati next y🍸ear and see if we can get him in the budget to come to a🍸 few more races!"

Countryman Miller ⛦is now riding for the same team as Stoner, but said the similaritiesꦐ end there.

"I don’t want to even put myself in the same boat. Casey is a legend. Whatꦬ he did in the sport is fantastic," Miller said. "I'm not in the same field ❀as him. Double world champion, [38] MotoGP wins. I’m a completely kettle of fish. But also the times are different now.

"He was incredibly strong throughout his career. I hope to one day be on the same [world champion's] trophy as him, that would be 🌱lovely. But it was nice to catch up. I hasn’t seen him for a loღng time."