Valentino Rossi and Marco Bezzecchi get their wish; Ducati agree to key request
There is an “agreement in sight” between Ducati and the Mooney VR46 team to equip Bezzecchi with an official Desmosedici in the 2024 MotoGP season, Gazzetta report.
Bezzecchi is “satisfied, both in terms of technical treatment and salary”, the report states.
“A long series of contacts” between Gigi Dall’Igna, the Ducati Corse general manager, and Uccio Salucci, the Mooney VR46 team boss, resulted in a deal.
Bezzecchi will therefore remain with Rossi’s team rather than seek a better bike elsewhere.
The young Italian is enjoying a breakthrough season and remains a genuine contender for this season’s MotoGP championship.
He won his first-ever grand prix in Argentina, also a first for Rossi’s team, and has since won at Le Mans too.
Bezzecchi previously led the MotoGP standings but, at the summer break, he is third behind factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia and Pramac’s Jorge Martin (both of whom profit from a 2023-spec Desmosedici).
His explosive season led to demands for better machinery, and a potential switch to Pramac.
Bezzecchi was also linked briefly to a move to Yamaha.
But he has always been keen to remain with the Mooney VR46 set-up, and now is due to receive the major boost that he hoped for.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
