MotoGP Misano: ‘I know everything about this track’ - Bagnaia

Ducati Lenovo’s Pecco Bagnaia looks on a roll after three MotoGP wins on the bounce ahead of his home round at the San Marino GP.

Having slashed the gap to Yamaha’s leading light Fabio Quartararo to just 44 points with seven rounds left to run in 2022, Bagnaia is hoping for a successful showing at his local and well loved circuit.

“I don’t think that are ‘only 44’, are a lot for the win!” Bagnaia admitted. “But I’m very happy to race in my home Grand Prix because I was looking forward from the start to the season to see, I hope, a lot of fans in the crowd and trying to enjoy the people around here.

“I think and I’m sure that the battle there will be tough because Fabio last year was very competitive.

“I think that this year with the step in front that Aprilia have done Aleix [Espargaro] will be in front, a lot of Italian riders with the Ducati they will be strong. Franco [Morbidelli] too I think, so will be not easy. Also for that condition, the forecasts are not so great for the weekend. But in any case, I think we have a good possibility to do a good job.

“I’m happy, I didn’t want to have to decide who would be my teammate because I think it’s something that is a decision from the team not from the rider,” he said of the confirmation Enea Bastianini will replace Jack Miller alongside him in the factory team for the next two years. “In any case, I think that we can do a good job with Enea. I know him very well from where we were young so I think we can do a good job.”

“I think when you start to be on a factory team is totally different in terms of working [a race weekend] than during a test, because then you have a lot of people around you asking you things but during a race weekend… I mean with Jack we are doing a