First outing with the Ducati factory for Enea Bastianini. In the Valencia test he entered the garage alongside Pecco Bagnaia.
Enea Bastianini closed the MotoGP World Championship 2022 in third place, with a pass in the standings on Aleix Espargarò in the last race in Valencia. Four wins and two podiums, one pole position in Austria, promotion to the factory team. Having collected the infamous and well-deserved economic bonuses, he embarked on a new adventure in the Ducati factory on the Irta test day in Valencia. From next year the first rival to beat will be the new world champion Pecco Bagnaia.
At his side he will no longer have his trusty crew chief Alberto Giribuola who, as announced for weeks, will move to KTM to work closely with Fabiano Sterlacchini in the evolution of the RC16. In his adventure in the Ducati factory, Enea Bastianini will collaborate with Marco Rigamonti, former track engineer of Johann Zarco. He doesn’t hide a hint of emotion when he first entered the official garage. “I couldn’t wait to see how it worked with so many people around“.
Bastianini wears “factory” red
It will not be easy to adapt to a new way of working, it will not be able to focus only on its performance, as has been the case so far Gresini Racing. He will have to sacrifice some of his work in testing the updates, but he will also be among the first to receive the benefits. To be world champion he needs the maximum support of a factory team, even more so now that the distances are close. “A lot will be asked of me from today. The new bike? Bella, I found it very precise, it allows you to do the same trajectories on every lap“, Enea Bastianini explained to ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’.
He finished the Valencia test with a tenth place and a half second gap from Luca Marini’s best lap. The attention of fans and the media will also be focused on the relationship in the pits with Pecco Bagnaiaafter the many duels that have punctuated their 2022 season. Enea is certainly not the pilot to make discounts, he will not be as forgiving as Jack Miller was, but he will aim for victory at any cost.
It cannot be otherwise in an individualistic sport like MotoGP, but maintaining a serene atmosphere in the pits will be crucial for the development of the Ducati Desmosedici. “With Pecco we started talking immediately, it is important that there is a good relationship between us – he concluded Enea Bastianini -. The climate in the garage is fantastic, being his partner is a great stimulus. I am happy that Pecco is the world champion and I will be happy if I beat him “.
