It was a preview of the 2022 season for Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi on the Jerez de la Frontera track, for the first day of official MotoGP testing. Only fifty laps per rider for the debut of the VR46 Racing Team on the Ducati Desmosedici GP21.
Enthusiastic about the atmosphere in the garage and the feeling with the bike, Luca marini finished 11th in the combined ranking with a best time of 1'38.149 and a gap of only eight tenths on the first, Takaaki Nakagami (1'37.313).
A day full of emotions also for Marco Bezzecchi, making his MotoGP debut after finishing the Moto2 championship in third place. For him, 53 laps and a best time of 1'40.732.
On Friday, both drivers will be back on track for the second and final day of the official IRTA test.
Luca marini : " It was a great day: The Ducati GP21 is fantastic! It is pleasant to drive, offering a lot of feeling and positive feedback. It's a pleasure to be able to race for this team: A great group, the atmosphere is special, the vibes positive and we are all motivated to do our best. I'm also happy because I pushed a lot to have each of them on the team. It will be a challenge for everyone, I already know some people from Moto2, others are new. We haven't worked too much on the bike today, we are just starting to understand what the bike is like and what the differences are compared to the one we used in 2020. Tomorrow, however, the goal is to improve lap time and pace. »
Marco Bezzecchi : " What a day ! The Ducati Desmosedici GP21 is really fast! I started step by step, to better understand the bike. It was exciting, it’s impressive and very special. This is the first test session, we don't have any particular objectives, just find the best position and start to familiarize ourselves with the power, engine braking and the chassis. A big thank you to the whole team: They did a great job to be ready here and they supported me in the best way possible. »
Results from the first day of MotoGP testing at the Jerez circuit:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
Paul Grandson : " An exciting day for everyone: A sort of first day of school for Luca and Marco and all the guys in the team who debuted today in the Top class. Luca was on track with the Ducati Desmosedici GP21, the bike used by Pecco in Valencia last week. A very different bike than the one we had in 2020 and we need time to adapt to it. An equally important day for Marco who took his first steps in MotoGP. They are not new to each other, they have a good relationship and they have already shared the garage in Moto2. There are a lot of things to do, a lot of aspects to work on like the electronics, the position on the bike and the Michelin tires, completely new for Marco, but we have to take our time. A new adventure, a new Team where many young technicians come from Moto2 and we must not be in such a hurry to get there. »
