MOTOGP » Gibernau to miss Qatar test

Sete Gibernau and the Guinea Ecuatorial Team will miss next weekend's Qatar test after the Spaniard suffered 'a slight ligament tear in his left shoulder' during training yesterday (Thursday).

The double MotoGP World Championship runner-up's shoulder is still recovering from surgery to remove previous metalwork and, according to his team, the 'accumulation of physical exertion at the recent MotoGP tests in Malaysia and his demanding training programme' caused the ligament tear.

Doctor Ginebreda Marti of the Institut Universitari Dexeus in Barcelona diagnosed the injury and recommended "rest, in particular from physical exertion in order to avoid further injury."

Keen to avoid any major complications before his return to premier-class racing in a little over a month's time, Gibernau and the team agreed to cancel their participation in the upcoming test (March 1-3) so Sete can focus on a full and swift recovery.

The 36-year-old, returning to MotoGP after two seasons in retirement, had been twelfth fastest at Sepang, which was the first test of 2009.

Having now opted to miss Qatar, Gibernau will have just one more test session - at Jerez from March 28-29 - before the season-opening Qatar night race on April 12.