Gibernau rejects GP return

Sete Gibernau has turned down the chance to make an instant return to the MotoGP world championship in 2007.

The former factory Honda rider was offered a job working as an expert pundit on Spanish TV channel TVE in the paddock, having retired at the end of a disastrous rookie season with Ducati.

But the nine-times premier class winner rejected the chance and 1999 world champion Alex Criville – Spain’s first and only premier class champion – has now taken up his place.

Gibernau’s career will be remembered largely for his famous scraps with Valentino Rossi between 2003 and ’05, where he was the only consistently capable of taking the fight to the Italian.

Once good friends, their relationship soured in Qatar at the end of 2004 following the grid cleaning controversy that got Rossi bumped to the back of the grid. Rossi always blamed the Spaniard and a source close to Gibernau said: “He was interested but maybe for the future.

Can you imagine Sete having to comment and give analysis on Valentino winning?”