MADRID, 27 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Spanish MotoGP rider Marc Márquez (Ducati) said he was “very happy and very grateful” to have signed for the Italian brand’s official team for next season, currently “the best” on the World Motorcycle Championship grid and which will give him “the best tools” to make the most of this opportunity.
“Of course, I feel very happy and very grateful to Ducati Corse for choosing me as an official rider and teammate of ‘Pecco’, especially because a year ago here I was very close to saying that this was going to be the end of my career, but luckily I had the summer break, I was able to recharge my batteries and recharge my body as well, and from that moment on I decided to choose another path,” said Márquez in a press conference prior to the Dutch Grand Prix.
The Cervera native made “this decision also thanks to Honda, who understood perfectly” his decision to sign for Ducati and Gresini Racing, where he “immediately” felt that “the bike was ready to regain confidence” and that “the atmosphere in the team was perfect” to renew a rider who “in a certain sense had been lost.”
“From that moment on I tried to give my all and I was one of the contenders for the official Ducati bike and for me that was already a huge pleasure. I gave 100% on the track and after Sunday’s race at Mugello I was informed that I would be the chosen one and in two days we closed the contract. I’m very happy, but there’s still this whole season ahead to give my all in this Gresini team that is very professional and very good,” said the eight-time world champion.
Márquez was “very clear and honest” with his team and that what he wanted was to have “the new bike at Gresini or in the official team.” “They chose me for the official team, so I am even happier because the objective of a rider is to be in an official team and I will try to defend its colours to the maximum,” he said.
Regarding his team in 2024, he made it clear that “it will be Ducati’s decision.” “I’ve been coming to the best team and the best bike on the grid for the last two years, so I think they’re going to give me the best possible staff to get the most out of this opportunity. They’ve made a very important decision by moving me to the official team and I’m sure they’re going to give me the best tools,” he said.
As for the weekend in Assen, the rider from Lleida has the objective of “trying to be close” to the Ducatis of Jorge Martín and Francesco Bagnaia, who he sees as the “fastest throughout the weekend”. “This break here in the middle of the season has been very good to recharge the batteries and now we have this double of Assen and Sachsenring and we will try to start in the best way on Friday, try not to suffer too much and then during the rest of the weekend get closer to them,” he detailed.
The Gresini Racing rider will try to “give it his all” on a bike that has “a good package”. “We are working very well with the team and we feel the support of Ducati. The man to beat this weekend seems to be ‘Pecco’ because he has won here in the last two years and he has been super fast and Jorge was the fastest during the race last year, so we will see if we can be there, but I have enough tools, now I have to improve my abilities,” he concluded.
2024-06-27 14:45:31
#joining #team #bike #grid
