How do you reward the reigning World Superbike champion and current series leader? For Ducati, it means Alvaro Bautista gets a MotoGP wild card ride in Malaysia, following two recent tests at Misano on the current Ducati Desmosedici GP bike.
The 38-year-old Spaniard spent eight years in the MotoGP championship, taking three podiums from 158 starts with four different manufacturers (factory Suzuki, Gresini Honda and Aprilia, and then Aspar Ducati). He then switched to World Superbikes for 2019.
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Pol Espargaro Returns For The British MotoGP This Weekend
There’s a welcome and long-awaited comeback to racing, as Pol Espargaro returns for the British MotoGP this weekend. The 32-year-old should have debuted for the GasGas Factory Racing team at the opening round of the 2023 season at Portimao but suffered multiple fractures in a crash during the FP2 session.
The injuries to his back and jaw required not only surgery, but also having his mouth wired shut for a time, forcing him onto a liquid diet. So he’s had to not only recover, but also build up his fitness once again to pass the medical checks and ride at Silverstone. It means he’ll tackle his first MotoGP Sprint race on the Saturday, before the normal Grand Prix race on Sunday, alongside team-mate Augusto Fernandez.
Fernandez is currently 14th in the standings, with a best result of fourth at the French Grand Prix. For the past six rounds, he’s competed alongside stand-in rider Jonas Folger on the GasGas RC16.
Pol Espargaro: “Finally! I’m really happy the day has arrived when I can get back in the paddock, see my team and get back on the bike. I’ve missed this part of my life a lot. I know it will not be easy this weekend, in fact, it will be like starting the pre-season again. I will have to listen to my body, understand the new bike and also get familiar with the format this year. I really want to thank everyone at the Pierer Mobility Group and all those who have been behind me and supporting me.”
Also returning this weekend is factory Honda rider Joan Mir, who replaced Espargaro, and has struggled with a hand injury from the second round of the season in Argentina.
The British MotoGP round was originally scheduled to be broadcast live on ITV, but this has now been changed. So if you want to watch it as it happens, you’ll either need to be subscribed to the MotoGP website, or to the TNT Sports service which has replaced BT Sports. MotoGP is €29.99 per month, or less for a season subscription, while TNT Sports is £29.99 per month.
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Dani Pedrosa Will Wildcard At The San Marino MotoGP
After already competing in one Grand Prix this year, it’s now been confirmed that Dani Pedrosa will wildcard at the San Marino MotoGP round in September for the Red Bull KTM Factory team.
The Spanish rider retired from full-time racing at the end of 2018, but will compete in his second race of the season at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli just a couple of weeks before his 38th birthday. It follows an extremely creditable seventh place finish at the Spanish MotoGP round in April, where the full-time KTM duo of Brad Binder and Jack Miller both reached the podium with second and third respectively.
Pedrosa also raced as a wildcard at the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, finishing 10th. And it’s an efficient use of his time to compete in September, as the Grand Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini is immediately followed by the second and final official mid-season IRTA test at the circuit on the Monday following the GP. So he might as well do some racing and get extra time on the bike in a competitive setting.
Michele Pirro for Ducati and Stefan Bradl for Honda.
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Ducati 2023 MotoGP and WorldSBK Teams Launched
After winning both championships in 2022, the Ducati 2023 MotoGP and WorldSBK teams launched at a joint event in the Alps this week. It was a chance to see the unveiling of the bikes, liveries and riders who will be competing in both series this year.
The Ducati Lenovo Desmosedici GP bikes will be ridden by reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia, and new team-mate Enea Bastianini, who finished third in 2022 riding for the Gresini Racing team. It’s Bagnaia’s third season riding for the team, and will also mark 20 years since the Italian factory debuted in the premier class in 2003.
Alongside the MotoGP machines, the Aruba.it Racing Ducati team were also unveiled with the Panigale V4 R of Alvaro Bautista wearing the number 1 plate. Baustista is once again partnered by Michael Ruben Rinaldi.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19)
“We have a new challenge ahead of us. After a fantastic season in which we won with Ducati in both Superbike and MotoGP, 2023 will inevitably be a difficult year. Racing with the number 1, in fact, means that our objective can only be one: to win. We’ll have a lot of pressure but at the same time we’ll have to keep calm, try to work with high concentration but also with serenity. We’ll have a new bike and even if it won’t be extremely different from the 2022 one, the work that we’ll be able to do before the first race is crucial: we have to fix all the details that will allow us to get the best performance.
I’d also like to address a thought to all the Ducatistas: I’m very proud of all our fans who followed us last season, and I hope that with the result we’ve achieved, in 2023 there will be even more of them supporting us at circuits all over the world. I am a Ducatista and I feel lucky to be able to defend the colours of the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team”.
Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #21)
“I start this new adventure with great enthusiasm. Together with my team we have always made progress in the last two years, managing to improve our results. As a team we won the three titles last season and this means that the package is very strong. During the winter, we have analyzed the points we have to focus on, in order to improve and to be competitive for the title race. I have worked a lot over the last few weeks and I will continue to do so with great dedication as I want to always be able to express my maximum potential. There will be a lot of new things, also on the bike, so I can’t wait to get started. I want to thank Aruba and Ducati for the opportunity to ride this beautiful Panigale V4 R and be part of such an ambitious team”.
With both Ducati teams fielding the reigning world champions, it’s set to be an interesting season for the Italian motorcycle firm.
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Andrea Dovizioso Tests The Aprilia RS-GP at Misano
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