MADRID, 23 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Italian Ducati factory presented its official team for the MotoGP category of the Motorcycle World Championship on Monday, with the current champion Francesco Bagnaia betting on wearing the ‘1’ on his Desmosedici, something that had not happened since the Australian did it for the last time Casey Stoner in 2012.
The official team, which this 2023 celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its debut in the ‘queen’ category, will have ‘Pecco’ and his compatriot Enea Bastianini as its two official riders on the back of a mount that maintains its classic red ‘Ducati’ color ‘ with some carbon touches and a lighter shade of red.
“After the incredible successes of last season, the challenge is even more fascinating and I am happy that the starting point is a place like Madonna di Campiglio, the perfect expression of the ‘Made In Italy’ of which we are proud ambassadors”, said Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding.
For his part, Luigi Dall’Igna, General Director of Ducati Corse, recalled that “the start of a new season is always an exciting moment and this is even more so after a 2022 that will remain in history”.
“Repeating last year’s results will not be easy, but the goal is always to surpass ourselves and constantly improve. We are convinced that this year our riders will also be among the protagonists of a championship that will be even tougher since, in addition to the large number of As strong drivers, the other manufacturers have surely worked a lot during the winter. We have not been less, so I can’t wait to start this new season and defend the three titles won last year”, he added.
Francesco Bagnaia warned that “the winter break this year has been shorter than usual” due to his commitments to win the title, but that he is now “very eager and impatient to start the season”. “I’ve missed the Desmosedici GP and my team and I can’t wait to get out on the track,” he remarked.
“I was undecided about whether to continue using the ’63’ or to wear the ‘1’, but I finally decided on the latter. Wearing it on the bike is really precious and now my goal will be to give everything to keep it there. It will not be easy because I hope an even tougher World Championship compared to last year with so many rivals ready to fight for the title, but I am aware that I have the best bike and the best team with me to be able to fight for everything in 2023 as well”, stressed the Italian.
Finally, his teammate Enea Bastianini confessed his “great emotion wearing the colors of the official team.” “Now I hope I can show that I have deserved this opportunity. I am motivated for the new season and I don’t have to wait long to test my Desmosedici GP because in two weeks we will be in Sepang for the first tests and it will be a really important moment to get to know better the members of the team and above all start working with the bike. It will be a very competitive year and surely we will have easy moments and others that are difficult to face, but I am ready for anything”, he pointed out.
