Is there anyone with a chance against the formidable Ducatis this year?
According to Simon Crafar, the performance displayed by Ducati’s riders serves as a clear warning to their competitors.
Francesco Bagnaia topped the timesheets on both days of the Qatar preseason test, setting new lap records in Sepang and Qatar earlier this year.
Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin followed closely as the second-fastest on each day, a foreboding sign as the season approaches.
“I would say it’s gone pretty much perfect, from their point of view,” ex-racer Crafar said about Ducati.
“I had a catch-up with Davide Tardozzi and it wasn’t necessary because, you could see, they are right on target.
“Everything they have tested has worked well.
“It might have taken a little bit of working out. The electronics settings, the new engine…
“The new engine, the new aero, the new exhaust are all on there. Pecco did [his lap record] and the whole paddock went ‘wow!’
“A lot of people got their head down to try to close that gap.
“Both the GP23 have had really good feedback from the riders on them.
“They’ve made good headway. They are comfortable.
“The GP24s are all happy. They’re saying ‘a little bit more rear grip’ when everyone else says the opposite.”
“This year, factory riders Bagnaia and Bastianini, alongside Pramac’s Martin and the injured Franco Morbidelli, will be piloting the GP24s.
Gresini’s Marc and Alex Marquez, along with VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi, will take on the year-old bike.”
“Ducati look really dangerous,” Crafar added.
“Tardozzi said ‘everything is going well but we are keeping our feet on the floor because we go away, car racing is going on here, we come back and track conditions will be different so we start from scratch again’.
“He’s a very experienced man. He has won multiple world championships as a team manager. And he is right.
“They are in an awesome position.”
“Bagnaia’s championship victory in 2022 marked the end of a 15-year drought for the Italian manufacturer in winning titles.
Last year, he repeated this achievement in a season largely dominated by Ducati, with three of their riders contending for the championship.
The inclusion of Marquez in their ranks presents an added challenge for Aprilia, KTM, Honda, and Yamaha to overcome.”
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