Fabio di Giannantonio at “85%”, Superbike at Mandalika next

Fabio di Giannantonio estimates he is back at 85% fitness after missing the final MotoGP rounds of last season to undergo surgery on the left shoulder he dislocated in Austria.

The VR46 rider took his best results of last season with fourth places in Phillip Island and Buriram just before withdrawing, a decision made to ensure he was fit for pre-season testing on a factory-spec Ducati in 2025.

Speaking in a Zoom call ahead of today’s Pertamina VR46 team launch, di Giannantonio said:

“I'm good. The recovery is going well. I'm around 85% of the [full] physical form and I hope to improve a little bit more in the next weeks before the first test and first race of the season.

“It has been a long winter. I did a lot a lot of work in every area. I can't wait to join the track in the next week.

“The plan is to ride a few days with a Panigale at Mandalika, so we will test my physical form before the first MotoGP test of this year.”

That debut outing on the Desmosedici GP25 takes place from February 5-7 at Sepang in Malaysia, followed by a final test in Buriram, the venue for the Thai season opener on March 1-2.

“I'm fully motivated,” di Giannantonio added. “The winter has been long, but was also good to recover, especially mentally, and recharge the batteries.

“So after the team launch, I can't wait to jump on track.”