RiderTua.com – Since the pre-season test, the Pertamina Enduro VR46 team strengthened by Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio has lagged behind the other Ducati teams. This season riders from the Lenovo, Pramac and Gresini teams managed to achieve victory and podiums in a short time. Meanwhile, the best result for the VR46 rider was Bezzecchi’s 6th place finish at the Portuguese GP.
This is where the great complexity of MotoGP becomes apparent. Last season Bezzecchi was consistently competitive and only fell out of contention for the world title at his home race. As a race winner and 3rd in the World Championship, it is surprising that the VR46 Academy student had difficulty understanding the intricacies of the GP23. Like the previous year, the VR46 team is technically 1 year behind the latest manufacturer specifications. Apart from the Ducati Lenovo riders, the GP24 is only available for the Pramac team.
Marco Bezzecchi : Difficult to Control Tire Wear
In 2023, Marco Bezecchi especially proved that a fully developed bike doesn’t have to be detrimental. In fact, 2024 will be no different. Except for Marc Marquez who is the only rider who has had success with the Desmosedici GP23.
A gloomy atmosphere enveloped the VR46 Racing garage led by Pablo Nieto and Uccio Salucci. Instead of being able to overshadow the factory Ducati team in the worst case scenario, it is hoped that both riders will return to the midfield.
The upward trend ahead of the Portuguese GP proves that the team’s situation is not really bad. Bezzecchi occupied 6th position on the grid, which then did not change until the finish line in Sunday’s race.
But his brief press statement reflected dissatisfaction. The Valentino Rossi pupil said that the start of the long distance race was good, but unfortunately he lost several positions in the first two corners. Bez was behind Miguel Oliveira for a very long time. He should be behind him in at least 70 percent of the race. “When I finished, I was able to go a little faster and with lots of crashes in the end I finished in 6th position,” said the rider from Rimini, Italy.
How Bezzecchi assesses the difficulty of adapting optimally to the Ducati GP23. “In general, we are clearly making progress. Compared to the Sepang and Qatar tests, I feel better. I am very strong when braking. But entering the corner, let alone the apex, turning right is not right. A number of riders are even stronger here. But we will concentrate about that,” said Bez.
“The strange thing is that the faster the tires wear in the long race (Sunday), the less problems there are when entering and when turning. Apart from that, the bike feels a little different when I ride alone. Overall it’s better, but we have to keep working, ” concluded Bezzecchi.
Marco Bezzecchi is currently ranked 13th in the standings. Next on the calendar is the American GP in Austin. Last year, the 26 year old rider finished the race in 6th position, just behind Miguel Oliveira. In this year’s race, deja vu could happen.
