First test
The great protagonist of the test day in Valencia was without a doubt Marc Marquez. The eight-time world champion had all eyes on him for his debut on the bike Ducati Desmosedici GP23 of the Gresini team and expectations were not disappointed. The now former Honda star finished fourth fastest, completing 49 laps and giving the sensation of already being quite comfortable astride the bike that dominated the last MotoGP season. Due to his contract with Honda, which will only expire on December 31st, the #93 was unable to make any official statements.
However, his new entourage in Gresini, while not making any explicit statements, has suggested that the Catalan champion’s new adventure has started off on the right foot. The comment on Twitter/X by Frankie Carchedi, who will be his new technical support within the Italian team, reveals a great confidence for the year to come. Through live TV river broadcast by Sky Sports MotoGP, it was also possible to extrapolate in some way the first words expressed by Marquez himself to his new engineers after the first seven laps of the track in which he tested the GP23.
The comparison with Honda
The Sky cameras were in fact pointed at Gresini’s garage and the microphones intercepted some of the banter between the six-time top-class champion and the teamready to listen to his first feedback. Marquez underlined some aspects with which he didn’t feel comfortable, from the little feeling perceived on the front tire – “The feeling on the front is that I can’t ride aggressively. If I run aggressively, I lose the wheel. And then the bike starts to feel a little unstable” – to ergonomics yet to be reviewed (“The motorbike is small“).
The positive aspects, however, seem to far outweigh those to be worked on. The happiest notes, trying to decipher Marquez’s words, concern the changes of direction and above all the braking. An element already underlined by Enea Bastianiniwhich highlighted how much the Iberian already appears at ease in this ‘fundamental’. “The braking, I really like it. It’s very strong and it was very easy. On the Honda the locking wasn’t very strong and then it became very difficult with the system we were using. It took much longer, it arrives later. So, I don’t know, I’m just trying to be okay and tell the truth. The engine is very good, very ‘comfortable’. Not only the accelerator, but also the handling”Marquez said.
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