After a spectacular 2023 season finale in Valencia, which saw Pecco Bagnaia and Ducati reconfirmed as World Champions, the Ducati Lenovo Team was back in action at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Cheste (Spain) to tackle their first day of official testing in preparation for the 2024 MotoGP season.
Despite less than ideal weather conditions, with strong winds and low temperatures, Francesco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini were able to make the most of their day. After a few laps on their Desmosedici GP 23s, the riders of the Bologna-based team were finally able to test the bike in the 2024 configuration. With a total of 56 laps and a best time of 1:29.796, Bastianini ended the day in eighth position, while Bagnaia finished eleventh in 1:29.970 after completing 51 laps.
Enea Bastianini (#23 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 8th (1:29.796 – 56 laps)
“I’m happy with the work we were able to do today. We’ve never had the chance to do a test this year, so we took the opportunity to try two different setups, and I really liked one of them. The feeling with the new engine was also positive: it definitely still needs some tweaking, but overall the impact was positive. We would also have liked to try a time attack, but the conditions today were not ideal. It was very windy and I preferred not to risk it. Now we start the holidays, where I will try to dedicate myself above all to training to try to get back to 100% fitness after the two injuries I suffered this year.”
Francesco Bagnaia (# Ducati Lenovo Team) – 11th (1:29.970 – 51 laps)
“I’m satisfied with today: the engine is good. It will be crucial to work on certain aspects, but compared to last year we already have a good starting point, and above all, there is still a lot of room for growth. We have been consistent and fast with both new and used tyres, so I am very happy. Now we can say that the season is really over and we can go home and rest. See you at Sepang in February!”
With the Valencia test over, the Ducati Lenovo Team riders will be back on track for the next official test in 2024, from 6-8 February at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
- From Ducati Media House
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