Retired former MotoGP front-runner Sete Gibernau returns to testing action with Ducati at Mugello, and after expressing that he felt 'home again' back on the bike, could the Spaniard be set to make a sensational return to competitive action too..?

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, recording a best time of 1m53.7s 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.

"As well as getting my confidence to ride back, we did a little bit of work on the electronics, in particular the engine braking, because I prefer a different calibration to Vittoriano."

by George Holland