Elias confirmed at Gresini for '09

The 25-year-old, who scored his only MotoGP victory with Honda and Gresini at Estoril in 2006, during his previous two-year stint with the team, replaces Japanese rider Shinya Nakano in the squad.

Elias has been a revelation in the second half of this season, twice placing his unfancied privateer Alice Ducati on the podium and regularly outperforming all but Casey Stoner on the Italian machinery.

Elias joins Alex de Angelis in Gresini's '09 line-up - the San Marino rider has been retained despite a patchy first season but will once again ride a satellite-spec RC212V next year.

Team owner Fausto Gresini said of his 2009 plans: "A new adventure that is going to be very challenging and has great premise. The possibility to line up a factory spec Honda represents for us a sign of esteem from HRC and it will offer to us all the potential to make a great season."

Nakano has used a factory-spec Honda during the second half of 2008 to help the Japanese manufacturer learn the characteristics of Bridgestone's tyres more quickly.