Current MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia aims to ‘continuously elevate the bar’ as he strives to defend his title not just against seven fellow Ducati riders but also against the increasing competition from rival manufacturers.
Bagnaia, with the opportunity to join only Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez in securing three consecutive ‘MotoGP’ titles, set a strong groundwork for his 2024 campaign. In November at Valencia, he expressed approval for the new Desmosedici engine.
“In Valencia, sometimes you cannot make the difference regarding the engine, under many points of view, but we managed to do a great job, so I left Valencia very happy,” Bagnaia said at Monday’s team launch.
“Two days before I had won the world title, so I was generally happy. But the test was extremely positive.”
Bagnaia, clinching his second premier-class crown in a decisive final round against Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin, will once more be among the four riders equipped with the latest factory spec machine. In contrast, VR46 and Gresini, including new signing Marc Marquez, will utilize the established GP23.
“We are going to raise the bar more and more,” Bagnaia declared. “The fact that you have eight Ducati bikes on track is something that can favour me, but also the other way around.
“And I think that all the teams [manufacturers] have made a step forward. The KTM last year had improved a lot. Aprilia as well. And Honda and Yamaha will make a step forward too. They will improve their performance as well.
“I’m eager to hit the track and pick up where we left off. It’s bound to be a challenging season, but we’re ready to face it with our usual determination.”
Facing significant pressure from Martin in the latter part of the previous season, Bagnaia momentarily surrendered the title lead in Indonesia but rebounded successfully.
“Last year I learned that you need to be quiet. You need to stay calm because if you work well, the results will arrive,” he said.
Bagnaia and teammate Enea Bastianini are set to join their MotoGP counterparts on the track during the Sepang test scheduled from February 6-8.
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