There are eight Ducatis in MotoGP at present, with these making up a third of the bikes in the 2022 championship. Alongside the Borgo Panigale manufacturer are Aprilia, Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda and KTM. The Venetian brand fields two riders, as does Suzuki, while the others have four riders apiece.

And anyone not riding a Desmosedici would be happy to do so. There are those who are open about this and others who deny it, while some hope to be on the bike soon. Because, whether you like it or not, the red bike is the red bike, a real Ferrari on two wheels. Love it or hate it, no one is indifferent.

Ducati, the primadonna of MotoGP

Ducati is the quintessential ‘femme fatale’. Beautiful, charming, high-profile and sought after. Envied. Challenging, yes, but worth the effort. Who knows how great it must be to go out with her, or even just share a photo together. Imagine completing an actual lap of the track with her, to better understand her character? Competing with her for an entire season? If only, but you have to give a lot in return for something so valable.

Pecco and the (factory) Desmosedici: the perfect MotoGP couple

The eight Desmosedici riders are Fabio Di Giannantonio, Enea Bastianini, Luca Marini, Marco Bezzecchi, Jorge Martin, Johann Zarco, Jack Miller and Pecco Bagnaia. And these eight compete for Gresini, VR46, Pramac and the factory Lenovo team.

But only one has truly won over the most desired ‘girl’ in the paddock. And that’s the number 63 rider, the winner of last Sunday’s race, and four more besides. And we feel there will be more victories, with GoFree and the Desmosedici making for the perfect MotoGP pairing.

Aside from a few mistakes, when the Italian is focused, he’s hard to beat. We might go as far as to say that Pecco is the strongest on the grid as, while he lacks something in terms of consistency, his sheer speed means he has nothing to envy to Fabio Quartararo. The Frenchman, on the other hand, envies the Italian’s Ducati, whether he acknowledges this or not. 

Bastianini, the independent rider worthy of promotion

So Bagnaia is the strongest, and perhaps has the best bike. But what of the other seven Desmosedicis? Jack Miller did well in Austria, achieving his fifth podium of the season. Joahnn Zarco and Jorge Martin defended themselves well, playing a starring role, albeit to a differing degree.

A solid Luca Marini finished fourth, his best result to date, while Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio again scored points. Who else? Enea Bastianini, that’s who. The Italian sustained ‘damage’ at the Red Bull Ring, missing out on another victory after scoring his first pole position in the reigning class.

Enea has won three races to date, victories that count for a lot when only Bagnaia has managed to do the same aboard a factory Desmosedici. Bestia’s Gresini bike is independent, not even satellite but a step below. The number 23 GP21 has beaten the competition on three occasions, with the other ducatisti left as bystanders. If we think about it, the Italian deserves a promotion that reflects this.

Traslated by Heather Watson

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