The Mandalika weekend was probably the best of the 2024 season for Marco Bezzecchi, because the Pertamina Enduro VR46 rider was able to consistently confirm himself at the top. After having achieved a beautiful front row, he finished fourth in the Sprint and fifth in the long race, although perhaps there is also a hint of regret for a podium that could have been within reach but instead faded away.
On Saturday there was a bump in the fastest section of the track, which moved the brake pads of his Ducati, causing him to find himself practically without leverage at turn 10. A situation that the Rimini native handled brilliantly, managing to narrowly avoid Pecco Bagnaia, but that made him slip to fourth place just when he seemed to be able to attack the Sprint leader. In the long race, however, it was a problem at the start that affected his race.
“Unfortunately, I also had a problem with the front lowering at the start today, so we’re always missing a little something to have a really good weekend, but the race was good, so I have to be happy,” Bezzecchi explained at the end of the day.
Having lost some positions at the start, the choice of the soft front tire proved to be a little more problematic than expected, although Marco underlined that for him it was a practically obligatory option, given the characteristics of the Lombok Island circuit and those of his Ducati.
“It was a very clear choice for me: when I put hard on the front, it allows me to brake hard, but on this track, especially in T2 and T4, where you have to have a lot of speed, the rear pushes a lot on the front If I had put it on hard, I would have always been understeering and I would have generated a lot of graining. I think the hard would have destroyed it more than the soft, so the choice of the soft was clear for me from the start, because I couldn’t do it on the hard. to make the bike turn and it was also visible in the times”, he explained.
“The problem was that at the start I found myself behind and with the soft, staying behind another bike for the whole race is very critical. When I tried to pass Morbidelli, I desperately needed to do it. The overtaking was a shit, because I threw the bike in, but I wasn’t able to stop it. Then I never had the chance to try again, because I was really at the limit with the front.”
Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing Team
Photo credit: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
After the race, Pecco Bagnaia explained that he had great difficulty overtaking Bezzecchi, underlining above all the fact that the GP23 has more traction than the GP24. Which was also confirmed by the rider of the Pertamina Enduro VR46, adding however that this also ends up being one of the major limitations of the bike he has available this year.
“Yes, it’s true, but traction when entering corners is a big problem for us. The GP24 stops better and is better in terms of turning, but it’s true that in terms of traction it has a little less than the GP23. When we have a new tire on the front we can try to stay with them when entering the corner and then we will probably gain a little bit on the exit. But when the grip on the front drops, we are ruined. However, their bike turns so well that they don’t need traction : they manage to carry with them the speed when entering and traveling, so they can be gentle with the opening of the throttle”, explained Bezzecchi.
“For me it’s a question of characteristics. Our bike has more grip when you’re on the lean angle, but stopping the bike and inserting it into a corner is a problem. We suffer from this aspect and all the riders who ride the GP23 complain of the same problem. There are tracks where we suffer more and others where we manage it more, but in general the characteristics of the bike are these”, he concluded.
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