Ducati confirms Gibernau test.

Looks like they're looking for Marco's replacement already and if he performs well I reckon Gibernau will get the ride for next year.

Ducati needs an old head to help with development. Marco's not up to the job and Casey's still so young and probably not able to develop a bike the way Rossi and Capirossi can.

This could be a good move by Ducati getting a proven winner on the bike but will Gibernau be able to tame the beast.

Can't wait to see an update on this one...

Why?????

It was clear from his interview on the BBC that Gibernau wasn't just at Catalunya to watch the racing!

Great news ! Only too bad for Melandri but if Ducati needs the advice of a rider who hasn't ridden for 15 months it means something about the thrust they put in his feedback and actual form.I think I'd be very worried.

By the way what about the rumours concerning Biaggi and Bayliss' tests?

Could be good news for Marco, get him off the Ducati and give him something he can ride..the guys got talent but it seems nobody but casey can ride it. Be amusing to have Sete back and hopefully more rivalry for Vale...which he loves

If Sete showed promise - would Ducati put him on Melandri's bike this year ?

If he does show well in the tests...i doubt melandri will get the boot
this season...he's contracted so i doubt they would chuck him off..
but who knows with the way ducati work..

might see gibers towards the end of the season, doing a couple of races
on the GP9 to get some racing miles underneath it..

I reckon if it all goes well, he's a safe bet to be on either marco's or
a 3rd ducati at Valencia..

Lets see how quick his times are first..

From the tone of his latest statements about the GP8 and GP9, it's pretty obvious Marco wants to find a deal so he doesn't have to ride the Ducati no more this year.
I reckon Canepa will take his seat, or maybe Gibernau, as soon as Marco and Ducati find a way out acceptable for all parties.

I personally would prefer Simoncelli or Canepa to be on it next year.
Why add another old dog to the grid. Rossi is an exception to the rule and can continues to win but I doubt sete will. I think Ducati would be better to have to great young riders if we stick with 800cc. I fail to see why they need someone to help out 3 riders which are lagging behind instead of focusing on getting one bike to fight and win. Rossi and Danny don't give to hoots about there team mates so why should stoner. Factories must have a preference for 1 rider. It better to win then to have 2 bikes come second and third.

Please stay dry for Donnington. Hate watching it with my helmet on.

Hayden will be at Ducati next year and Melandri will probably take Doviziozo's vacant seat.
Sete is doing this for fun, he'd have to be mad to come back to Motogp after the way he was treated.
Enjoy your playboy lifestyle Sete and don't even look back.

Playing devils advocate - what if Sete goes well enough for him to be drafted in ASAP, they then Try Marco out on a 1098 with a view to him replacing Troy Bayliss and if that goes well put him in WSB. That way they get 2 good MGP runners, Marco gets to play understudy for the rest of the season and used to the way WSB riders go at it from the off and they have a new star front runner.

What about another Ducati rider - Ruben Xuas.

He would give it his all - but I doubt is Ducati could afford the carbon fibre bill!!

Gibbers has just got divorced so he probably needs the money. As I said before, he was fast on the original Ducati 800 and if he hadn't been knocked off by some crash prone kid he might have won on it last year (although he was asking too much money apparently)

sete s ex wife is way wealthier than him, it s not a money thing. he s now free to do what he wants. plus, he s loaded too

melandri=quitter shame on him

baybe my memory is not as strong as it use to be but when did Gibernau ride the 800cc Ducati???
and i don't remember him doing so well on the 990cc Ducati. he finished 13Th in the championship,not even once on the podium so not the greatest.
i think Gibernau wont go well on the Ducati his riding style is a aggressive Honda style like Hayden,Melandri style.
i just hope for Ducati he doesn't fall too much like he did last time on a Duke

ALL my resect for Ducati as a race team will go straight out of the window if they do this Sete thing, its totally nuts, he could'nt stay on the Duc last time they employed him, Wake-up Ducati.

We have an expression:

A cat in head makes strange jumps

I really cant see Sete doing anything on this bike. He might be in good shape, but he was only ever second best, even at his best.

As for Marco, get rid, replace with Troy Bayliss. Even if Troy only completed in 50% of the remaining Super's races, he would win!

troy doesnt need to miss any more events, he has already had 3 non scores in a row and needs a result this weekend.

RR75: Sete road the bike when it was in development the season before the 800's and as far as im aware was the quickest of the 800s at that time.

id love to see him back, very smooth(rare find these days), fast, talented rider

I really don't know what Sete is going to do on this bike.

For sure I feel nice about his "comeback" even if only at testing, because this guy brings me memories of the epic duels between him and Rossi in 2004-2005 which we enjoyed in an abundant normality.