"It's always nice to welcome someone to our large family but it is just as difficult to say goodbye to someone who leaves," said Claudio Domenicali, managing director of Ducati Corse and Ducati's director of product development. "We are at the end of a season that has given us great satisfaction but which on the other hand has proved to have been particularly difficult for Sete. Despite his devotion and his undoubted talent, a number of factors have prevented him from obtaining the results to live up to everyone's expectations. Our heartfelt thanks go out to him for his commitment and professionalism and we wish him all the best for his future.
"I am delighted to welcome Casey to Ducati," he continued. "He is a very promising rider, with talent and determination in abundance. We are sure that with the help of our and Loris's experience, he will get to know our bike and his experience will mature in line with the development of the GP7. With his enthusiasm and aggressive riding style, Casey is sure to give our fans some extraordinary emotions, in the best spirit of Ducati."
Gibernau's 2007
MotoGP options now look limited to Kawasaki, d'Antin Ducati, Tech 3 Yamaha or Ilmor - while his seat at Valencia could be taken by Bayliss, Ducati's 2006 World Superbike champion.
