Despite the 2022 MotoGP still being far from over, teams have been scrambling to finalize their rider lineup for the 2023 season. Given that Suzuki’s participation in the series will come to a close at the end of the year, Alex Rins and Joan Mir are now all set for the 2023 season alongside Honda, with LCR and Repsol respectively. This time around, our attention turns to the VR46 Ducati Racing team, with Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi.
Valentino Rossi founded VR46 Racing, which this year moved up to the top MotoGP class after the Italian decided to stop competing after seeing success in both Moto2 and Moto3. Bezzecchi was promoted from the intermediate Moto2 class and is currently paired with Valentino Rossi's brother Luca Marini, who joined the VR46 team coming from Avintia Racing in the previous season. Over the course of the 2022 season, the pair have displayed pretty impressive performance, especially considering their Ducati racing machines are already a year old at this point.
With five top-six finishes in the previous seven races, including a new career-best fourth at the Red Bull Ring and Misano, Marini, who is competing in his second MotoGP season on more competitive equipment, has overcome a slow start to the season. Bezzecchi, on the other hand, has distinguished himself among the five rookies making their MotoGP debuts this year. In only his third race in the Argentina MotoGP, Bezzecchi earned his first top ten finish. Since then, he has gone on to earn a front row start at Mugello and even a surprise podium finish at Assen, crossing the line in second place.
Expressing his excitement to be racing alongside the Mooney VR46 Racing Team for the upcoming season, Bezzecchi stated in a report by Motorcycle Sports: “I am very proud to be able to wear and represent the colors of the VR46 family, Vale and the VR46 Riders Academy who have always supported me together with all the team and personal partners. We started with a completely new work team, rookie in every sense, with many technicians from Moto2, others with new roles, and we are satisfied with what we have done so far this season. We remain focused on 2022, we close this first year in MotoGP in the best possible way before facing the new season.”
