Pramac Racing Team invited French rider Sylvain Guintoli and Moto2 contender Andrea Iannone to ride the Ducati GP11 at the official MotoGP test in Mugello on Monday.

After the eighth round of the MotoGP World Championship, most of the premier class riders returned to Mugello for an official test on Monday.

The Pramac Racing team was represented by Randy de Puniet and fellow countryman Guintoli, who was originally scheduled to replace Loris Capirossi for the Sachsenring and Laguna Seca.

Guintoli, who already raced on a Ducati in the 2008 season, made 87 laps and finished the day by signing the 10th fastest time with a 1:52.398.

“Today I ran into some difficulties, especially adapting to the tyres,” the Frenchman explained. “It wasn’t easy to ride a MotoGP bike after so long. I couldn’t ask for more – to ride this bike to the maximum you need to make a lot of laps.

“But I have confidence and think if I have the opportunity to ride at Sachsenring I will have more confidence with the bike.”

In the afternoon, Moto2 rider Iannone had the opportunity to ride the Ducati GP11 to become familiar with the premier class.

The test day concluded with an informal debut by Iannone. The rider from Abruzzi, Italy rode without a transponder, though his lap times were just a few tenths off those posted by Guintoli.

“I’m really happy I finally got to ride a MotoGP bike,” he explained. “I want to thank Pramac Racing for the opportunity they have given me, but mostly technicians who supported me on this test day.

“I have to say, the difference between Moto2 is big. This Ducati has a lot of horesepower and is more difficult to ride. I have a lot to learn about the MotoGP bike, but this experience has been very positive.”