Ferrari star has a spin on a Ducati MotoGP machine (ANSA) - Scarperia, October 24 - Formula 1 star Michael Schumacher swapped four wheels for two on Monday, trying his hand at steering a MotoGP motorcycle round Ferrari's test track near Florence .

The seven-times world champion, fresh from his worst Formula 1 season since joining Ferrari, completed 40 laps on Ducati's Desmosedici bike in an unannounced test apparently aimed merely at satisfying a whim .


Schumacher arrived by helicopter and during his ride journalists and photographers were kept well away. But a few details of the 36-year-old German's performance leaked out .

His average lap time - reportedly around 2'15'' - was about 25 seconds slower than that recently recorded by Ducati's MotoGP star Loris Capirossi .

He also misjudged one of the bends but controlled the speeding bike well enough to steer it into the safety lane by the side of the track .

Ducati, which is Italian like Ferrari and also has similar bright red colours, sent along a team of technicians to aid the Formula 1 driver in his two-wheeled endeavours .

It was believed to be Schumacher's first time ever on a racing motorbike. The surprise foray into the world of MotoGP came eight days after the end of a Formula 1 season during which his Ferrari car consistently failed to live up to expectations .

In the end he finished third, winning only one race in the whole championship, and that when only three teams where on the track .

Monday's exploit also followed similar forays in the opposite direction by Yamaha's MotoGP star Valentino Rossi. Rossi has been to Ferrari's track several times to test drive one of its Formula 1 cars, fueling speculation that he is considering a switch from two wheels to four .

In Schumacher's case there is no suggestion he might be considering a new career. He has one more year of his contract with Ferrari to run, after which some pundits expect him to retire .