Good testing by Sete Gibernau for Ducati at Mugello..

Gibernau, who was replaced at Ducati by Casey Stoner in 2006 and subsequently retired - turning down a place at Kawasaki - has been linked with a return to the factory outfit for the later races this season as Stoner's team-mate Marco Melandri has struggled.

He tested both the current GP8 bike and next season's prototype GP9 model in Tuscany, where he had performed a previous test in June.

On race tyres the 35-year-old Spaniard's best lap of 1:50.5 was only four-tenths outside Stoner's Mugello race record this year.

"I want to thank not only Ducati but also all the guys that have supported me here," he said afterwards.

"Some of them worked with me in 2006 and it was great to find ourselves together again. I've really enjoyed myself today and have had a completely new experience as a rider.

"The faster you go, the more obvious it becomes that this bike demands a real physical and mental effort, but when you manage to ride it well, the satisfaction is unique.

"I hope my work has been of use to [Ducati Corse technical director] Filippo [Preziosi] and helped the team understand the differences between the GP8 and GP9.

"They are two machines with characteristics typical of Ducati, and the GP9, although new, has great potential."

Preziosi was satisfied with Gibernau's performance, which was broken into runs of four to five laps.

"It is always a pleasure to work with an experienced rider like Sete and his feedback will undoubtedly help us," he said.

"We will evaluate with him whether there can be other opportunities for him to work with us on track with our bikes. He has certainly demonstrated that he's still able to ride very fast."