Marc Marquez’s debut with Ducati attracted everyone’s attention. Fans, journalists and members of the paddock, who had been waiting for many things since the early hours of Tuesday morning, but all wanted to know what the #93 would do on his first day in 11 years with a machine other than Honda.
The eight-time world champion did not disappoint and concluded the day of testing at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit with the fourth fastest time, as if he had a lot of experience on the Desmosedici GP23 inherited from Johann Zarco. While many gridmates agreed that they expected the Cervera native to be fast from the start, they also commented that it was a warning to everyone.
This is the case of Dani Pedrosa. The rider from Castellar del Vallès did not get on the KTM despite being a tester for the Mattighofen manufacturer, leaving his next outing for the Sepang tests in February, but he was in Cheste to see the progress of his former boxmate at Repsol Honda.
“Like everyone, I wanted to see him on the bike and I was curious to see his performance,” the #26 told the official MotoGP website after the test. Pedrosa highlighted an image of Marquez that has already gone viral, that of him smiling after taking to the track for the first time. “What caught my attention was the smile he made after getting off the bike at the end of the first run. I don’t think it’s good news for the opponents,” he warned.
But Marquez’s level wasn’t the only thing Dani talked about. The Spaniard was also asked if he will return to being a wild card in 2024, as he did this season in Jerez and Misano, with dazzling results. It should be remembered that, with the new concession system already confirmed for next season, KTM is in band C, therefore it can count on a total of six invitations, like Aprilia, Honda and Yamaha (the latter two in band D), compared of the 0 that Ducati will have in band A.
“We haven’t planned anything yet. Furthermore, Pol Espargaró is also available,” he replied, recalling “Polyccio”, who will join him in that role after leaving GasGas Tech3. “We hope to be able to share this task, because it is difficult to prepare, even if in the last few months, when I ran, I felt good and the public appreciated it. However, first we will have to understand the objectives. Running just for the sake of running does not it makes sense,” he said bluntly.
Finally, Pedrosa commented on Pedro Acosta’s debut in the premier class. The veteran didn’t hesitate to give him some advice before the test, in which he felt at ease and finished in 18th place: “The truth is that we only exchanged a few words. I gave him a couple of tips on the tyres, which are the most important thing to take care of in the beginning,” he added.
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