Bezzecchi on his future: “I would like to be a factory rider for Ducati”
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The VR46 academy rider was brilliant in 2023 until a shoulder injury derailed his MotoGP title hopes.Although the Italian was always an outside bet for the title, Bezzecchi was clinging on to the heels of Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin thanks to some of the most dominant performances of any rider. Alex Marquez: No doubts about Marc’s level, ‘for sure he’ll be fast’ Zarco: Ducati versatility ‘incredible’, but others ‘a few changes’ from topIn 2024, Bezzecchi will again be expected to kick on and mount another strong challenge, to the point where he could come into consideration for a factory Ducati seat.Bezzecchi was offered a Pramac Ducati rider midway through last season but decided to stay put at Valentino Rossi’s Mooney VR46 outfit.As to why he made that decision, Bezzecchi told Speedweek: “It was a difficult decision because Ducati offered me a factory package. “I don’t know whether it would have been completely factory or an intermediate step, but for me it was about the fact that in MotoGP these days you have to get the performance up to speed very quickly. Gardner, for example, won the [Moto2] World Championship and after that…“I knew that for me the human side was very important and I had built that relationship with my team and my team. Related Marc Marquez ‘won’t increase tension’ with Ducati arrival Suppo: ‘Ducati will try and sign Bagnaia first, there will be a big fight’“When you know that you have to perform very quickly – then having this pressure when you change teams: not knowing whether you would feel the same, whether you would build the same relationship and the same way of working as with my current crew chief because I probably wouldn’t have been able to take Matteo [Flamigni] with me… You just need that feeling. It’s hard to describe, but I’m sure you understand what I mean.“In the end I said to myself: “Why should I move from one customer team to another customer team?” My goal – like every MotoGP rider – is to get into a factory team. “The VR46 Riders Academy has been working on building me up for a factory team since my Moto3 debut. They have done so much for me, why should I leave them to join another satellite team?”Keen to become a factory rider as soon as possible, Bezzecchi wants to achieve that ‘dream’ with Ducati.“I would like to be a factory rider for Ducati,” added the Italian. “This is a dream of mine because I really like the way they work. I like the project, I like everything. “I have to say that the other manufacturers are getting closer and closer in terms of level, there is no longer superior speed or anything else. What makes the difference: We are eight really strong riders.“Of course all riders are strong and don’t get me wrong, but eight strong riders on the same motorcycle is an advantage compared to the two strong Yamaha riders, for example. That is normal. I would like to stay with Ducati, but we’ll see.”
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