Sete Gibernau to make Ducati comeback

Sete Gibernau will step out of retirement to test Ducati’s 2009 prototype machine in Mugello next week.

The Spaniard quit at the end of 2006 after winning nine MotoGP races and twice finishing runner-up behind bitter rival Valentino Rossi in 2003 and 2004.

Gibernau’s last season in MotoGP was with Ducati, but it was an injury-ravaged campaign and he quit despite being in talks with Kawasaki’s factory team.

Gibernau struck the deal after he made an appearance at last weekend’s Catalunya MotoGP.

He will test for three days between June 17-19, 2008 with Vittoriano Gaureschi after Ducati scrapped early plans to get Troy Bayliss and Max Biaggi to give their experience and input into this year’s bike.

“I’m honoured by this possibility that Ducati has given me,” said Gibernau.

“I’m very excited and I’m in perfect shape, even if it has been a while since I have been on a GP bike. It is just a test but I’ll give my absolute maximum.

“I can’t wait to enjoy once again the feeling of bringing a MotoGP machine to its limit.”

Ducati technical boss Filippo Preziosi said: “We were happy to see Sete so excited at the possibility of riding a MotoGP bike again, and it was this enthusiasm that led to the possibility of organising this test together.”

Gibernau will ride the current Ducati GP8 machine being campaigned by Casey Stoner and he will also give comments on Ducati’s new carbon fibre chassis GP9 that broke cover in public earlier this week.