A three-day testing outing with Ducati alongside Vittoriano Guareschi at Mugello in Italy has prompted speculation that retired
MotoGP star Sete Gibernau could make a shock racing return.
The Spaniard competed in 173 grands prix over a 15-year period spanning from 1992 to 2006, claiming nine victories, 13 pole positions, eight fastest laps and a total of 1,334 points for Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and Ducati.
The 35-year-old was
Valentino Rossi's chief rival for honours for a number of years, but hung up his helmet at the end of the 2006 season following a campaign punctuated by emotional, technical and injury-related setbacks.
Despite not having ridden since then, Gibernau clocked up 20 laps with the Desmosedici GP9 around the Tuscan circuit on Tuesday, recording a best time of 1min 53.7secs before the session was interrupted by rain. Despite a long absence from the sport and the opportunity to complete only a handful of laps, he acknowledged that his first contact with the GP9 had been a positive one.
“It has been a really exciting day,” commented the man many believe to have been the best MotoGP rider never to have clinched the crown. “It's like jumping back in time almost two years – as if the months that have gone by since the last time I was on-track never even existed!
“Racing motorcycles was my whole life for so many years, and now I've rediscovered that feeling I feel really good, like I'm home again. The instinct for riding came back straightaway, even though I obviously need to get back into the habit of going fast.”
“I've realised how tiring it is to grab the brakes and move the bike around where I want it, but I'm sure that's just the rust from not riding for so long. I managed 20 laps on the GP9 before it started to rain, and the feeling was good.
“It is a Ducati in every way, precise but demanding – it requires a physical riding style and it instantly reminded me of the GP7 I tested at Motegi towards the end of 2006.
