MotoGP test, the balance: Ducati unleashed. Aprilia is there. Marquez grows with every session

Best time, new track record, great race pace. Pecco Bagnaia (1’50″952) comes out with a smile from the last MotoGP test in Losail where the new Ducati GP24s, a mix with the best of the Red 23s and 22s, fly, as also demonstrated by the second place (1’51.072) of the found” Enea Bastianini, 120 thousandths behind his teammate. Compared to the previous model, the new Rossa GP24 is not only faster in pace, but it seems to consume less rubber, which is essential for keeping lap times constant and competitive in the race. In addition to the special record lap, Bagnaia went really fast on the pace of the few consecutive laps, for example from lap 32 to 38: 1’52.450 (32nd lap), 1’51.850 (33rd), 1’52.069 (34th) , 1’52.528 (35th), 1’52.381 (36th), 1’52.468 (37th), 1’53.262 (38th). “I set the record time – commented Pecco, keeping his feet on the ground – but like in Malaysia it’s a test. It was another positive day and I think that in the end we defined the package from all points of view. We are ready to get started.” Already. And all that is missing from the renewal of the contract with Ducati is the signature, expected on the eve of the Qatar GP on 8-10 March.

the Aprilia is good

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They’re just tests. But a few days before the start of the 2024 World Championship, times in hand, this is the mood where in the virtual front row, in addition to the two “official” Ducatis, there is Aleix Espargaro (1’51.260), always super fast on the lap dry, and where Marc Marquez opens the second row (1’51.335 +0.383 from Bagnaia and 609 thousandths less than his brother and teammate Alex), first Ducati among the unofficial ones, a position and a time that they speak for themselves. The more Marquez rides with his new bike, the more his times drop: 16th (1’52.959) at 0″919 from the top at the end of the first day of testing and at the end 4th (1’51.335) at 0″383 from Bagnaia. Evidently, the difficulties that Marquez had on the first day in the fast corners were overcome by improving his time by over a second and a half! For the record, it should also be noted that Marquez’s first (real) crash on the Ducati (loss of the front at turn 6) in the time attack, without consequences: “distraction” error, yes.

lots of slips

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Test with many pilots on the ground. Many falls, which also occurred at the time when the main race will take place on Sunday. Returning to the final times, four Italians in the top ten: in addition to Bagnaia and Bastianini there are Di Giannantonio (eighth: 1’51.489) and Bezzecchi (tenth: 1’51.678). Thirteen riders within a second: 13th Alex Marquez (1’51.944). The dominant European bikes: in the top 12 there are 6 Ducatis (2 official, 1 Gresini, 1 Pramac, 2 VR46), the 4 Aprilias, the 2 official KTMs. And Martin? There is. Convinced on the field of the validity of the new fairing, Jorge seemed little interested in the fastest lap (in any case the 1’51.466 is not bad) mostly focused on entering the corners of his official Ducati. Yamaha and Honda in strong development but still in difficulty, at least in the time-attack, with the significant examples, certainly not positive, of Fabio Quartararo’s 14th time (+1.013) – the fastest on the straight at 347.2 km/h ahead of teammate Rins: 345.0 km/h and Alex Rins’ 16th for the House of the Three Tuning Forks, with the House of the Golden Wing even further behind: Zarco and Nakagami ahead of Mir and Marini, all towards the bottom, from 17th to 20th place with Luca Marini at +1.725.

honda, yamaha and ktm

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Therefore, the official Ducati GP24s are impregnable, a big step forward compared to the GP23s of February last season. Competitive unofficial Ducatis, with Marc Marquez already putting his own spin on it. Aprilia good, especially in terms of pace. Ktm difficult to interpret. The new bike seems to respond well and the riders all expressed themselves positively, especially regarding stability and power, appreciating the great work done on aerodynamics and electronics. But the gap to the Reds remains and KTM needs a further step forward. The Yamaha, as already mentioned, has improved further in top speed, but the deficit remains – this also applies to the Honda – in corner exit speed due to traction difficulties. What to say? Having taken note of the confirmation of Ducati’s superiority, at least on the fastest lap, it must be said that the 2024 MotoGP “flies” with lap times and speeds of the cars never reached before. The question imposes itself. Where do you want to go? The new “limiting” technical regulations in force from 2027 are far away, too far away.