Former double
MotoGP World Championship runner-up Sete Gibernau, who retired from racing at the end of the 2006 season, will test for former employer Ducati at Mugello from June 17-19.
The ride was arranged during Gibernau's return to the MotoGP paddock during last weekend's Catalan Grand Prix.
The Spaniard was
Valentino Rossi's nearest title rival during 2003 and 2004, when he rode for Gresini Honda, and raced the 990cc version of Ducati's Desmosedici for the factory team during 2006 - when he took one pole position and a best finish of fourth during an injury-interrupted season.
During that year, Gibernau also contributed to the early development of the 800cc GP7, which his replacement
Casey Stoner took to world championship victory the following season.
"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."
"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," said Filippo Preziosi, general director of Ducati Corse. "The tests we carried out with the GP9 in Catalunya earlier this week gave good feedback and, by having Sete and Vito testing alongside each other, we will be able to carry out a wide range of more intensive tests with our GP8 and GP9 machines."
Next week, meanwhile, Niccolo Canepa will spend two days at the Brno circuit testing with
Bridgestone.
The Czech Republic Grand Prix track has been completely resurfaced since last year's race and the new tyre regulations for 2008 allow the possibility of pre-race testing where such a surface change has taken place.
