Sete Gibernau

Sete Gibernau unsure of 2009 prospects
By Matthew Birt

MotoGP

06 November 2008 09:42


Returning Spaniard Sete Gibernau says he has no idea where he will finish in next year’s MotoGP world championship.

Gibernau started plotting his shock return to premier class racing last month in Valencia when he made his debut for the Onde 2000 Ducati squad.

The nine-times MotoGP winner, who pushed Valentino Rossi close in the title fight in 2003 and ’04, is stepping out of retirement next season having quit in 2006.

He told MCN: “When I retired I knew my level and I thought I could win races and fight for the world championship. Now I’m coming back I don’ know where my level is. I don’t know where I can finish or where my position is.

"I don’t know my level and I know the other guys have increased their level, so where am I now? It’s part of the intrigue and challenge to know what I can do now.”

Mamola: `Gibernau could be key to Ducati-Hayden success´
Thursday, 20 November 2008

Former World Championship star Randy Mamola thinks Nicky Hayden´s fellow new arrival at Ducati, Sete Gibernau, could hold the key to the American´s success with the Italian factory.


Randy Mamola believes Nicky Hayden has a tough winter of adaptation ahead of him as the Kentucky Kid prepares for his first season with Ducati, even though it is widely expected that Hayden should make a smooth transition to riding the new Desmosedici 09.

In the short post-season Valencia test Hayden showed good initial signs with some decent lap times, in both the wet and dry onboard his new bike, but Mamola is sure that there is a long road ahead as his compatriot get used to the new machinery.

`A lot of people said his riding style would suit the Ducati because he likes a bike to be loose underneath him,´ stated Mamola is his regular Alpinestars column. `It seems people thought he could jump on the bike and go fast but personally I think he is going to have to change a few things. In fact, Nicky´s first comment when he got off the bike was: `Whatever they pay Casey (Stoner), it´s not enough.´ He knows it´s not easy and he has a lot of work to do.´

A paddock regular, Mamola knows a thing or two about the Italian factory himself, being the man who takes VIP guests around Grand Prix circuits across the globe on the (two-seater) Ducati MotoGP2, which laps within seconds of the pace of the regular 800cc MotoGP race prototypes.

`Basically the Desmosedici works by getting it to full throttle as soon as possible and letting the electronics do the rest,´ Mamola commented. `That´s easier said than done and so far only Casey has been able to do it consistently. The final turn at Valencia was the clearest example. Over the course of the weekend everybody had enjoyed seeing Nicky light the Honda up around that long left-hander but you only had to see him through there on the Monday to see that the Ducati doesn´t allow him to do it, because it has a much more narrow power band.´

The former World Championship rider, who finished runner-up in the 500cc category on four occasions, believes teamwork will be the key for Ducati in 2009 as they attempt to get four new riders lapping at similar speeds to 2007 World Champion Stoner.

49 year-old Mamola reckons the experience of returning hero Sete Gibernau may be crucial to the factory in striving for competitiveness across the board, adding, `Ducati do have a responsibility to make all their bikes easier to ride otherwise they´ll have four riders struggling next season instead of three. Niccolo Canepa is new to almost every circuit and Mika Kallio is also a MotoGP rookie, so I think Sete Gibernau´s feedback in particular will be crucial in getting the bike to fit different styles.´

Ending on a positive note, Mamola thinks harmony in Hayden´s new pit-box could also be a springboard to success, concluding, `The good thing for Nicky is that he seems to be getting on very well with his new team-mate. Casey and Nicky are both good guys with similar backgrounds and, crucially, they speak the same language. Literally and in their approach to racing.´

Sete Gibernau to step up training regime
By Matthew Birt

MotoGP

20 November 2008 15:31


Spaniard Sete Gibernau will step up an intensive training regime in a bid to regain the fitness levels needed to compete in MotoGP next season.

Gibernau, who will return to action for the first time since 2006 with the new Onde 2000 Ducati squad, admitted to being short of the fitness levels required when he tested in Valencia recently.

Gibernau retired in 2006 but decided to return when he was called up to test Ducati’s GP8 machine in the summer.

He said: “In Valencia I was sore all over. I am still in good shape but you can do whatever you want at home, but being bike fit is completely different. You use muscles you haven’t used for two years. I got tired quite tired but mentally I think I’m good.

"It is a huge challenge for me to comeback, but I want to prove to myself and maybe to other guys around my age that we can still do it at this level. It is a big challenge but it is also very interesting for me to see if I can push myself to the limit. But I’ll be working hard in training over the next few weeks that’s for sure.”

How old is Sete?

Nieto: `Gibernau knows what needs to be done´
Monday, 24 November 2008

MotoGP Legend speaks about returning Ducati rider after one-off car race appearance.




MotoGP Legend Angel Nieto will be a keen observer of the progress made by Sete Gibernau in the latter´s World Championship return, as part of the Onde 2000 team run by his sons Gelete and Pablo. The paddock veteran is talking up the work done in preparation for Gibernau´s comeback season, not least by the rider himself.

`I saw Sete this weekend, and he is very excited. Gelete and Pablo are working extremely hard in the team, and Francisco Hernando (the backer of the project) is happy; now we just have to turn the effort into results,´ says Nieto.

Gibernau will be back onboard the Ducati Desmosedici on Wednesday and Thursday of this week at the MotoGP Official Test in Jerez –the chance to undertake further laps cited as crucial for his 2009 campaign by the former `12+1´ lower cylinder category World Champion.

`The most important thing now for Sete is that he rides as many laps as possible. He has a lot of experience and a strong will to ride,´ Nieto continues.

`However, I don´t think that he needs telling what needs to be done; he´s been here for a long time, all the way back to 500cc, so he knows perfectly well what the demands are.´

Nieto himself was back in action at the Montmelo track in Barcelona this past weekend, participating in a 24 Hour car race. The rider-turned-commentator was unable to complete the race after his team´s Seat Leon was involved in a crash, putting the mechanics to work for three hours. On the experience, Nieto said that `I haven´t done road racing in over 20 years, but I had a great time!´

valegirl46 wrote:How old is Sete?

i though he was about 45???

but i looked it up and he was born in 1972 so that make him 35 nearly 36

i think he is 35 or 38
i read that somwhere

Sete Gibernau deal not under threat insist Ducati
By Matthew Birt

MotoGP

01 October 2008 09:42


Ducati has denied Sete Gibernau’s persistent demands to be reunited with former crew chief Juan Martinez threaten to scupper his plans to return to the MotoGP world championship.

Gibernau wants Martinez, who worked with the Spanish rider when he won his nine premier class races, to be part of the new Onde 2000 squad spearheaded by Spanish legend Angel Nieto.

Ducati though has vetoed the request and wants its own factory personnel to run Gibernau.

Factory team boss Livio Suppo confirmed Onde 2000 bosses had been informed of their intention not to bow to Suppo said: “We have nothing against Juan and we believe he is a very good technician. We just believe that to give a satellite team factory support, we need the bike to be run by our engineers.

"We suggested to our teams that if they want to run a factory bike, Ducati guys, especially in terms of all the electronics, must manage it. This is nothing against Juan at all; it is simply that this is how we want to approach it. I don’t believe this will cause any problems with the deal.”

Gibernau set for collarbone plate removal
Friday, 28 November 2008

Returning Spaniard set to undergo operation on Monday.


Sete Gibernau will undergo an operation to remove a metal plate from his collarbone, following on from his final MotoGP test of 2008. The returning Spaniard has carried the implant since 2006, after a troubled time with collarbone fractures during his career.

`On Monday, December 1st I´m going to have the plate in my collarbone taken out,´ confirms the Onde 2000 rider. `The doctors believe that it is better to have it out before I begin racing again. From then I´ll start working again. The day after I will start training once more.´

Gibernau had an existing plate replaced with a stronger titanium version after his Catalunya horror crash in his most recent season in the World Championship, and underwent a series of operations between then and the end of the year. A hard fall in Portugal in the 2006 season saw further damage to his collarbone, and appeared to have brought his MotoGP career to a premature conclusion until he announced his return earlier this month.

When Gibernau returns to training he will have plenty of work ahead of him. The Spaniard tried out the latest version of the Ducati Desmosedici GP9 this week in Jerez, and continues to make no bones about the fact that his comeback will be a tough one.

`I´ve had confirmation of just how difficult riding a MotoGP bike is, with all the things that before came naturally to me having to be worked hard at. It´s very demanding, and once again I´ll say that I have a lot of respect for all the riders and it´s going to be a difficult year. But I knew this from the beginning, and it´s motivation,´ says the former World Championship runner-up.

MotoGP » Gibernau to have metalwork removed.
Friday, 28th November 2008

Sete Gibernau to have collarbone plate removed.
Sete Gibernau will join John Hopkins in having metalwork inserted to help heal past injuries removed within the next week.

Gibernau, making his MotoGP return in 2009 after two seasons in retirement, will have a plate in his collarbone taken out. The plate was inserted after Gibernau's huge turn one accident at Catalunya in 2006.

"On Monday, December 1st I'm going to have the plate in my collarbone taken out," the official MotoGP website quotes Gibernau as saying. "The doctors believe that it is better to have it out before I begin racing again. From then I'll start working again. The day after I will start training once more."
The Spaniard, who has joined the new Onde 2000 Ducati team, finished his final test of 2008 a low-key ninth out of the 14 riders present at Jerez - but gained a massive two seconds between day one and day two, an amount bettered only by rookie Mika Kallio.

Gibernau's best lap was 1.4sec from his former title rival Valentino Rossi, but less than half a second behind the fastest Desmosedici lap, set by new factory rider Nicky Hayden.

"I've had confirmation of just how difficult riding a MotoGP bike is, with all the things that before came naturally to me having to be worked hard at," declared the former double world championship runner-up. "It's very demanding, and once again I'll say that I have a lot of respect for all the riders and it's going to be a difficult year. But I knew this from the beginning, and it's motivation."

Despite the cautious words, many believe Gibernau will be competitive next season - and that his experience will be vital in guiding development of the Desmosedici.

Gibernau collarbone surgery a success
Tuesday, 02 December 2008

Operation to remove metal plate from Spanish rider undertaken without problems.



Sete Gibernau´s operation to remove a metal plate from his left collarbone was performed without a hitch on Monday, with the Spaniard expecting a return to full training in the next month. The Onde 2000 rider went under the knife at the Dexeus clinic in Barcelona, at the hands of Dr. Ignacio Ginebreda.

`The surgery was fine,´ said Gibernau after the procedure. `Along with Dr. Ginebreda I decided that we would take the plate (in place since 2006) from my collarbone in order to stop it from bothering me during the season. It appears that the bone has recovered very well.´

Gibernau has recently been testing the Ducati 800cc bike that he will use in the 2009 season, and is looking forward to getting back on the machine in the opening test of next year.

`I don´t have to do any kind of special rehabilitation for my collarbone, so I will make the most of the time to be with my family over Christmas. I am nonetheless excited about the opportunity to ride again,´ said the 35 year-old.