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MotoGP, Bezzecchi: "The title between Bagnaia and Martin? It's wrong to exclude Enea and Marc."

"Bastianini and Marquez can still have their say, although it's more difficult now. My season? I'm happy to have come close, but I hoped to do it sooner. The good results have given me a boost."

MotoGP: Bezzecchi:

Marco Bezzecchi arrived boosted at the Japanese round on the strength of an Indonesian weekend that saw him battle for the top positions and conclude in fourth place in the Sprint Race and fifth in the GP. Aware that there is always something left to improve on, however, the Romagna rider showed that he has his feet firmly planted on the ground on the eve of the race.

"Races are like tests, useful to check if what was done before was correct, if something can be revised or to recover from a complicated weekend. So this is a weekend like any other, but the results are actually improving. The goal is to continue like this. At Mandalika I would have liked to be on the podium, so I will try again here and at the other circuits," he said with clear intentions.

For the VR46 Racing rider Motegi is synonymous with good memories. "Here I got my first top three finish in Moto3 and also won. I love the track and also the people and the beautiful energy it conveys. As a layout it suits me, especially because of the strong braking. So, I am looking forward to riding and having fun. Hopefully the weather will be well defined, so either dry or wet, but I know it will be difficult."

On such circuits, the performance gap between the updated Ducati and the 2023 Ducati becomes even more apparent. "Marquez, who proved to be the fastest with the GP23, was close to the GP24s until the first weekend in Misano, then he started to struggle," he explained, "As for me, I know I can fight with the stronger riders and that's my goal, but they are showing they have a lot of speed. Irrespective of the quality of the bike Martin and Bagnaia are in an incredible moment of form. Bastianini is also doing very well and Morbidelli is improving. I think they have something more, however, we can fight. Our package is good in spite of some problems that we have been dragging around since the beginning of the season. So far we have been able to ride well, so hopefully the difference will be the usual or even less."

Indonesia's narrative certainly gives motivation. "Until you start to lap you are calm, however, you don't have your finger on the situation. What matters is the first three laps on Friday, that's where you know if it will be a good weekend or if you will struggle. However, I am happy with Mandalika, we were finally consistently competitive and now I feel even more like getting on the bike. Will the GP24 have more margin in the Japanese round? The Stop&go favor them, but tyres, grip and temperatures can influence, so I would wait before drawing any conclusions," he declared.

From a World Championship perspective, it now seems to be a two-way battle between Jorge and Pecco. "The sport is always unpredictable, so I would not completely rule out Enea and Marc, however we must also be realistic and realize that the chances have diminished compared to before Misano or after the two Italian rounds, in which they both won and the Spaniard was coming from two victories if we count Aragon. At that time the situation seemed to be improving for them. You have to see if you make mistakes if you can keep the positive bubble. Marquez didn't make a mistake, but he broke the bike, however he wasn't going super strong, unlike the Beast who, instead, made a mistake. After this weekend the picture will be clearer," was his opinion.

KTM will be one manufacturer to keep an eye on. "They are very strong at the start and a little bit everywhere, plus they have a very good lineup. Binder and Acosta are at the top and Miller won here in 2022 and Fernandez is having a good run as well," he underlined.

Finally, a review of his 2024 season so far. "I was convinced I could make it to fight with the best, in fact I'm not really very happy because I hoped to get there sooner, but I never gave up. I don't feel I have arrived yet, I still have to win. The results are a breath of fresh air for me and morale for the team as well. As I said before, when I do well and I know that maybe I could have done more it gives you an extra boost. Hopefully it will help."

 

Translated by Julian Thomas

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