‘Only target is to win my first MotoGP race’ - Bezzecchi

Mooney VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi throws off the rookie title in 2023 as he heads into his second season in MotoGP and the most demanding one to date.

42 races, thanks to the addition of Saturday’s new sprint format, an ever-increasing calendar spanning 21 locations across 17 countries and one of the closest grids in history, Bezzecchi’s sophomore season looks a challenging prospect before the inaugural weekend even arrives.

One thing running in the young Italian’s favour is his bike of choice. The Ducati GP22 is the current title-winning machine, and while the Bologna factory is making strides with its 2023 upgrade, as Enea Bastianini proved last season, kicking off the year on the reigning hero can reap rewards.

“Well, I think the situation is similar but not the same,” Bezzecchi admitted on the comparison. “At the end of last year, when Ducati create the new bike, there were many more problems compare, I think this year. This year the new bike looks like is already very, very competitive.

“Of course, our bike is fantastic, I really like it, and I will try to fight for race victories - is my only target at the end, try to win my first race.

“Then from that moment I will see but to make a comparison in our world, I think is very difficult. But anyway, I will try to fight.”

With a year of experience in the top flight under his belt, the 24-year-old has been adapting his preparation, both for the added demands of 2023 and the weaknesses exposed last season - most notably the opening laps of Sunday’s race.

“Is something that is difficult to train [for], is difficult to replicate the MotoGP unfortunately,” he explained. “So of course I did some training but we will see when we will have our first race because with the MotoGP