The three-day test session at the Tuscan track of Mugello has concluded in a positive fashion for Sete Gibernau. The Spanish rider has clocked up a great deal of kilometres on track (around 800kms in total) first with the GP9, then with the GP8, finishing with a final exit on the GP9 for a back to back comparison. In this, only his second test session after nearly two years away from the tracks, Gibernau has proved that he still has the speed and is also more than competent in providing the Ducati Corse engineers with useful feedback for the development of the Desmosedici.
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.
The day following the Grand Prix of Catalunya gave the MotoGP riders the chance to start a two-day test, with the Ducati Marlboro Team bringing forward a first outing for the Desmosedici GP9 - which was originally scheduled for Casey Stoner tomorrow. With uncertain weather forecasts for tomorrow, Stoner and test riders Vittoriano Guareschi and Niccolò Canepa put the machine through its paces, whilst Marco Melandri spent the day focusing on his GP8 and will test it tomorrow. It was a positive debut for the machine in the hands of the World Champion, so much so that the Australian set the best time of the day with a 1'41.533 on qualifying tyres.