At the moment there is no color. Well yes, the color Ducati redthe number 1 of the Italian ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia. The domain of two-time MotoGP champion. The solvency of one who knows himself to be superior, on the back of a ‘Desmosedici’ which, on top of that, has improved (a lot) its two strong points in recent years: the engine, more powerful and with greater use, and the aerodynamics.
Bagnaia closed yesterday, in the Losail night routein Doha, the capital of Qatar, the last rehearsals for the first grand prize of the season, Qatar, yes, next March 10not only with the best weather, as I did a couple of weeks ago in Sepang (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) but breaking, as already happened there, the track record. Bagnaia has improved by almost a second the 1.51.762 minutes he set Luca Marinilast year, until it left it at 1,50,952.
The perfect motorcycle
Furthermore, Bagnaia dared to say what all his rivals are afraid to hear: “The Ducati 2024 is the perfect motorcycle, our competition department has been able to make an even better motorcycle than last year,” commented Bagnaia. “What’s more, 2024 has everything good that 2022 had and everything good about 2023. We are ready to face the first race,” said the two-time MotoGP world champion (2022 and 2023).
The other three official drivers of the Borgo Panigale firm are also ready for the World Cup baptism, despite the fact that yesterday Jorge Martin It did not shine excessively. Yes he did, as already happened in Sepang and in the debut in Losail, the Italian Enea Bastianini. ‘The beast’ He was second in the summary of the two days, very close to Bagnaia.
‘Pecco’ Bagnaia and his Ducati No. 1 continued to dominate the last test of the preseason yesterday. / JESUS ROBLEDO
The one who is happy, happy and recognizes it without hesitation is the veteran Catalan pilot Aleix Espargaró, who, at 34 years old, seems to dream again of being one of the protagonists of the World Cup that starts shortly. “The Aprilia RS-GP24 is a spectacular motorcycle. Although it is heavier, it is bulkier, much more physical, but it has been a long, long time since I had so much fun driving. “We are ready for the fight,” said the Granollers driver, the only Espargaró still active, although his brother ‘Polyccio’ He will continue as a KTM tester and, in addition, a DAZN MotoGP commentator.
While Honda y Yamaha They continue to suffer to be able to rub shoulders with the best, Pedro Acostathe MotoGP ‘rookie’, the rider of rubbingthat is, of KTM, he turned more laps than a clock and continued to show that he will be a leading driver in the middle of the season, if he does not surprise much sooner. His training has been impressive, both in Malaysia and Qatar, almost like those in Raul Fernandezwith the private Aprilia.
“We have already reached the most difficult moment, subtracting the last three tenths of a second that the fastest ones take from us. But we are working on it”
Special mention, as always, deserves Marc Márquez. The new driver of the team Gresini Racing Team Ducati Its progression continues, showing that we are facing a new MM93, perhaps version 2.0. No rush, control and wait for the moment when he is fully adapted, not only to his new motorcycle but also to his new technician and equipment.
Meeting deadlines
“The first thing was to get to know the bike and the team. After adapting to it as soon as possible and getting the hang of it when it comes to driving, in that sense I’m still fighting with it,” commented Márquez before returning to Spain. “Another step, the one we took on this last day in Losail, was to know the limit of the bike and to do so I had to push hard. The next lesson, now in the first grand prix weekend, is to start fighting with the best.”
Márquez pointed out that “we have already reached the most difficult moment of all, the one in which you must reduce the last three tenths that separate you from the fastest, in this case ‘Pecco’ (Bagnaia). And, yes, that is the most difficult subject to pass.” However, Márquez considers himself (almost) ready for the first battle. “If the race were today, I think he could fight for the top five or the top six. Bagnaia, Martín and Bastianini know this bike much better than I do and they know how to get the most out of it. He analyzed them on the track and in his telemetry, but he is still far from them. Everything will go. Wait”.
2024-02-20 23:09:38
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