Ducati presents its MotoGP and Superbike teams in style and the two world champions will wear the number 1 on their bikes
After a historic season in which Ducati won the two most important motorcycle championships in the world, MotoGP with Pecco Bagnaia and Superbike with Álvaro Bautista, the Italian factory welcomed 2023 with a first-class presentation. On the one hand, because of its location, as it gathered the press in the winter resort of Madonna di Campiglio, in the heart of the Dolomites; on the other hand, because the Italians have been able to gain muscle mass thanks to their successes on the track. And it is that Ducati destroyed last year, taking the triple crown (champion of drivers, constructors and teams) both in the world championship of prototypes and that of series motorcycles. And when you’ve won it all, the only goal is to repeat.
Bagnaia and Bautista were the protagonists of an event more than ever painted in red; and both appeared on stage with their 2023 bikes still covered by a tarpaulin. The world champion always has the privilege of wearing the number 1 on the fairing, but he can also do it with his own number: 63 in the case of Bagnaia and 19 in the case of Bautista. A dilemma that was only solved when both riders removed their respective tarpaulins and discovered two Ducatis with the number identifying the champions, although in both cases with a nod to their own number.
“The number 1 represents who you are, it represents your identity as a world champion. So it is important for me to pay tribute to other world champions. The 63 will always be my number, I will remember it and I will always wear it on my bike, but I hope that together with the 1,” explains the Italian rider. While Bautista justified it by the “great challenge to make this number 1 to wear. It will be a personal challenge, because the only result that works is winning.” In both cases, Ducati wins, who will be able to boast (and market) motorcycles with the plates certifying the reigning king.
Historically, wearing the number 1 has been a source of pride and an unwritten law in motorcycling. In the past there were some exceptions like Barry Sheene, who always competed with his number 7, but it was Valentino Rossi who changed the perspective and made his 46 an extra sign of identity. From then on merchandising forced itself into tradition and in the 21st century only three champions before Bagnaia wore the 1 in MotoGP: Nicky Hayden, Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo (in the case of the Balearic Islands, only the first of the three times that he ruled). Ten years later, and thanks to Bagnaia’s decision, the number that represents excellence in motorcycling returns to the grid.
Ducati will be the reference for another year in a MotoGP world championship that will start in Portugal on March 26. It will be down to his bike’s potential and also quantity as he will have eight bikes on a grid of 22. Bagnaia will be the rider to beat and an uncomfortable Enea Bastianini lands on his side of the box, third in 2022 and who will steal a victory from his compatriot.
A factory as ‘made in Italy’ as Ducati also gets Spanish representation, and twice. Madrid’s Jorge Martín continues in the Pramac Racing satellite team and Álex Márquez makes his debut in the Gresini Racing team, which debuted last Saturday. New colors for Catalan and renewed illusions. “The goal is to have a great start to the season because that will set the pace for the rest of 2023. Now we have the tools and the will to do it right.” After three years of struggling in the premier class with an uncompetitive Honda, the youngest of the Márquez family will finally have a winning bike, and 2023 will be the big chance of a lifetime in MotoGP for him.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
