World champions Pecco Bagnaia and Álvaro Bautista will run #1 plates on their 2023 Ducatis. Bagnaia clinched the 2023 MotoGP title at the final round last year on his GP22, with Bautista grabbing his World Superbike crown on his Panigale V4 R at the penultimate round.
“For the first time in the Company’s history, we are launching together both MotoGP and WorldSBK official teams, the Ducati Lenovo Team and Aruba.it – Racing Ducati team,” Ducati Motor Holding CEO Claudio Domenicali said at the unveiling of the two motorcycles. “Resuming all together is a beautiful way to celebrate the value and skills of the best Ducati Corse squad ever, whose everyday work has taken us to the top of the world. After the incredible successes of the past racing season, the challenge of reconfirming ourselves fascinates us.”
“My winter break was shorter than usual because of all the commitments after winning the World Championship,” Bagnaia tells us. “But now I am charged up and eager to start the season. I have missed the Desmosedici GP and my team, and I can’t wait to get back on track. I could not decide whether to continue using the number 63 or switch to the number 1 and, in the end, I decided on the latter. Seeing it on the bike is beautiful, and now my goal will be to do everything to keep it. It won’t be easy because I expect even tougher competition than last year, with many rivals ready to fight for the title. However, I am aware that I have the best bike and team to aim high again in 2023.”
“We have a new challenge ahead of us,” Bautista explains. “After a fantastic season in which we won with Ducati in both Superbike and MotoGP, 2023 will inevitably be a difficult year. Racing with the number 1, in fact, means that our objective can only be one—to win. We’ll have a lot of pressure, but at the same time, we’ll have to keep calm, try to work with high concentration, but also with serenity. We’ll have a new bike and, even if it won’t be extremely different from the 2022 one, the work that we’ll be able to do before the first race is crucial. We have to fix all the details that will allow us to get the best performance. I am a Ducatista, and I feel lucky to be able to defend the colors of the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team.”
The 2023 MotoGP World Championship Series begins on March 26 at Algarve International Circuit in Portugal, with the World Superbike Championship Series starting on February 26 at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Australia.
Ducati GP23 Specs
ENGINE
- Type: 90-degree V4
- Displacement: 1000cc
- Maximum power: 250+ horsepower
- Maximum speed: 218 mph
- Fueling: Indirect electronic injection; 4 throttle bodies w/ injectors above and
- below the butterfly valves
- Engine management: Marelli ECU w/ Dorna Unified Software
- Fuel: Shell Racing V-Power
- Valvetrain: Desmodromic DOHC; 4 vpc
- Transmission: Ducati Seamless
- Lubricant: Shell Advance Ultra 4
- Exhaust: Akrapovič
- Final drive: D.I.D chain
CHASSIS
- Frame: Twin-spar aluminum
- Front suspension: Fully adjustable Öhlins inverted fork w/ carbon outer tubes
- Rear suspension: Fully adjustable Öhlins shock
- Wheels: Magnesium alloy Marchesini
- Tires: 17-inch Michelin
- Front brakes: Brembo carbon front discs w/ Brembo 4-piston calipers
- Rear brake: Brembo stainless steel disc w/ Brembo 2-piston caliper
- Dry weight: 346 pounds
2023 #1 Ducatis Photo Gallery
