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While there are riders like Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi who are experiencing their last WDW, there are those like Franco Morbidelli who hope that this will be the first of many. Although the Pramac rider is making his debut in the big Ducati party, he still hasn't defined his future, which is that of wearing the colors of the VR46 team starting next season. In fact, continuing his adventure with the Borgo Panigale manufacturer seems to be a rather concrete possibility, as is following up on the progress made riding the Desmosedici. We talked about all this with Morbidelli before the Race of Champions.
Franco, how do you feel here at the WDW. Do you like it?
"I feel very good. There's a good atmopshere, festive. Lots of passion, lots of gas, nice bikes. It's full of bikes, so that's great!"
This may be your first chance to win a race.
"We'll have a 'little race' that will be super competitive. It's going to be as tough as a real race, because the best riders come right from there."
You've taken a big step forward with the bike this season. Can we say that your 2024 starts now?
"Yes. I've recovered really well from the injury in January, thanks to the whole team. We started without testing, without having ridden for a month, and without having been able to train before the World Championship started. So we showed up in Qatar in absolutely no condition to face the World Championship races, but we all managed to recuperate very quickly. Mostly thanks to the team and all the people supporting me, we were able to make this exponential improvement from race to race. At one point,I was fast, but I was starting badly. Then, as I improved my starts as well, I was able to stay in front in a more stable manner."
It seems that your experience in Ducati could have continuity with a move to the VR46 team. When do you think there's going to be something concrete from this point of view?
"We still have to wait. Definitely doing another year with the same bike will give me a better chance to do well because, by knowing everything better and being more comfortable, the possibility of doing well is definitely higher. Everything is still to be defined, though, so we'll see."
Have you been impressed by all the affection shown by the Ducati fans?
"There's a great passion for bikes, vehicles, riders, and everything that revolves around Ducati. It's really great, and I'm really fortunate to be part of something like that."
