A three-day session for the Ducati Test Team began today at Mugello, where factory test rider Vittoriano Guareschi was joined for the first time by Sete Gibernau.
Gibernau clocked up twenty laps with the Desmosedici GP9, recording a best time of 1'53.7 before the session was interrupted by rain. Despite a long absence from the sport and the opportunity to complete only a handful of laps today, the Spaniard's first contact with the GP9 was a positive one.
"It has been a really exciting day," commented Gibernau. "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 straight away, 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 twenty 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. As well as getting my confidence to ride back, today we did a little bit of work on the electronics, in particular the engine braking, because I prefer a different calibration to Vittoriano. I want to say a huge 'thank you' to Ducati for this wonderful gift. For now I'm just going to enjoy the next two days of testing, hope it doesn't rain, and then we'll decide together whether there'll be another opportunity to ride their bike."
