Sete returns

Sete Gibernau has returned to the MotoGP fold as a test rider with Ducati.

He undertook a number of sessions - something he was able to do under current rules because he is no longer a listed rider in the championship.

Gibernau tackled a 3-day program at Mugello in an effort to assist Ducati fine-tune the new GP9 race bike, which boasts a carbon fibre frame.

Ducati is facing savage competition at the moment, with Aussie world champ Casey Stoner finding it impossible to hold off the efforts of a dominant combination of Yamaha and multi-time champ Valentino Rossi.

"It has been a really exciting day," said Gibernau after a recent test session.

"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."

Will we see him back in the championship? Unlikely - though we suspect the Spaniard could show some of the current players a thing or two...