AMA Pro Racing made an announcement today that, while slightly overshadowed by the big news about Valentino Rossi’s official return, also involves a multi-time champion’s rebirth in racing. And this is none other than Miguel Duhamel. The eight-time AMA champ, and all-time AMA Pro Road Racing win record holder with 86 victories, will race aboard at Ducati 1198 in the National Guard SuperBike class during the upcoming Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca round of the series for the Moto Forza NovaTac Racing Ducati squad.

According to an AMA release issued today, this deal was put together after AMA Pro Racing COO David Atlas and Duhamel spent a good deal of time together at the recent Road America round of the series. The trip was enough to convince the Canadian to return to the championship, from which he has been absent since the 2009 Daytona 200.

"We spent quite a bit of time with Miguel at Road America," said AMA Pro Chief Operating Officer Atlas in the release. "Miguel was very impressed and invigorated by the atmosphere in the AMA Pro Paddock, enough in fact to bring him back into the sport. And we couldn't be happier to have him back!"

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is the site of five previous wins for Duhamel. His victories around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course include three in 600cc Supersport competition, one in the 750cc Supersport ranks, and one in Superbike, that victory coming in 1998, the year he won his lone Superbike title.

This also continues a recent trend that has seen other past champions return to AMA Pro Racing, as Doug Polen rejoins the sport in the Daytona SportBike class at Mid-Ohio this weekend on another privateer Ducati, his being an 848.

But with both riders absent from the sport for extended periods of time, Polen especially, and neither being spring chickens, the question remains: Can they still produce results aboard the privateer machines on which they will race? We shall see…