Gresini Racing presents the team, the riders, the sponsors and the brand-new Ducati MotoE for the 2023 season. Matteo Ferrari and Alessio Finello have unveiled the colours of the MotoE of Ducati, with which they will participate in the MotoE World Championship 2023.
Last weekend, at the Darsena del Sale in Cervia, the presentation of the Gresini Racing teams for the 2023 season engaged in MotoGP, Moto2 and MotoE. In addition to the riders and team members, the first Ducati was unveiled to the public MotoE in an official livery for the MotoE World Championship 2023.
The presentation ceremony took place following a beautiful choreography to underline the experience and professionalism of Gresini Racing in managing events, one of the services that the Faenza team makes available to its customers.
The MotoE, with Matteo Ferrari and Alessio Finello, was the first to be unveiled and saw the intervention on stage by Gigi Dall'Igna, General Manager of Ducati Corse, who presented the first Ducati MotoE in official livery for the 2023 World Championship. Afterwards, it was the turn of the Moto2 team, with Filip Salac and Jeremy Alcoba, and the team involved in MotoGP, with Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Returning to MotoE, in 2023, Gresini Racing will have the same title sponsor (FELO, a Chinese manufacturer of electric motorcycles), the same riders, but a brand new electric Ducati with a spectacular pearly blue (Pantone 2022C) and fluorescent yellow fairing. In addition, the Gresini team Ducati V21L is the first ever to be unveiled in 2023, a season that will undoubtedly be exciting: 16 races in eight different countries, which is why the MotoE officially wins World Championship status.
On the strength of the reconfirmation and the experience gained in four years in this category, Matteo Ferrari will go to the chase for the 2023 title after winning the 2019 edition, the second position in 2020 and the third position both in 2021 and 2022. The number 11 has always proved to be among the best riders in the electric category, closing all the seasons so far disputed in the final Top 3. In addition to the title of MotoE Champion, Matteo Ferrari has obtained seven victories and thirteen podiums in the four years of participation in the MotoGP electric class.
Renewal also for Alessio Finello, now a former rookie of the MotoE, after a season of apprenticeship in the electrical category. Finello's performance was on the rise throughout 2022, up to the injury in Austria, which negatively affected him in the final round at Misano. Now the Italian rider is ready for the new challenge on a motorcycle, the Ducati bike, which will be new for everyone.
We asked the two MotoE riders of the Gresini team to tell us their expectations for 2023.
Matteo Ferrari (FELO Gresini Racing MotoE)
“The 2023 MotoE World Championship will be very interesting because everything will be new, like starting from scratch. The races are increasing, and we will be able to do them all for the first time! I expect media interest will also be different. For all the riders, even for us veterans, everything will be completely new, having a bike that no one has ever tried before and with many more electronic controls than in the past. In the beginning, I think we will be able to work on a limited number of adjustments to concentrate well on those; then, later in the season, maybe more new ones will be unlocked. There will be plenty of things to try but track time during the race weekends will still be limited, so that a lot will depend on the pre-season tests we'll do in just over a month.
The line-up, like every year, is made up of very competitive riders; the reference riders are all still there, apart from Aegerter, who won last year and moved to WSBK this year. Despite the many innovations, I expect the riders who have always been in front are still there to fight for the first place. Perhaps with a little more uncertainty because, by changing the bike, there will be those who will adapt more quickly to the changes and be able to go fast before the others."
“However, I expect the leading riders always to be the same, even if we can't exclude some outsiders who may find the right place right away. I think the rookies will have a little difficulty at the beginning because they don't yet know the category and the type of bike well, which is still heavier than the bikes racing in other championships; requires a particular driving style. Right away, the riders of Cecchinello's team, Granado and Pons, will be up front. I expect Torres to be competitive even if he has changed teams, and Casadei will also be competitive. I'm curious to see how Spinelli will go, a young rider who has already won an Italian title. Who also knows how people like Rabat and Krummenacher will go? Both are riders with a lot of experience.
In my opinion, we will return a bit to a situation like in the first seasons of MotoE when you didn't have many references and had to adapt very quickly to the conditions you found race by race. Last year, on the other hand, everyone knew the bike well, and all the teams had the right setup; therefore, the gap between the riders had narrowed a lot, and the gaps were minimal. This year, however, we could go back and see a greater gap between the riders.”
“All this, however, does not change our goal: to win the championship. Whoever goes fast, we have to be able to beat him. Our goal for 2023 is clear: we want to win the title and aim for victory every time we start, perhaps even winning a few races, not necessarily in Italy as has happened so far. Every time I've won, it's been at Misano or Mugello, but I don't think there's a particular reason linked to these tracks; it's just that they fell in good times, and that's how it went. So I will concentrate on each race, aiming to conquer the podium at least, risking the right amount without thinking about the championship. That was a mistake I made early last year and one I don't want to repeat. We have the potential to win at every track, and we can't aim for anything less than victory.
It's not about being presumptuous but about being aware of your potential and that of the team."
“What I achieve this year will be essential for my racing career. I want to use the 2023 MotoE World Championship to show that I am a fast rider and that the 2019 win was not an accident. To prove it, I have the MotoE World Championship at my disposal, although I would have liked to have had a chance also in another championship, maybe the Supersport world championship. But unfortunately, there wasn't the right opportunity with the right team, so I preferred to leave it alone. This year I want to win and convince and then decide in which direction to grow.
Let's see, in just over a month, we start! Meanwhile, I train with the track days organized by Garage 51 with Michele Pirro and the other riders who join from time to time. A few days ago, we went to Binetto, while in February, we will go to Vallelunga.”
Alessio Finello (FELO Gresini Racing MotoE)
“I am delighted with the renewed trust on both sides; we have met again. We needed 2022 to gain experience, learn, and prepare for the new season. With the arrival of Ducati, all the riders will have to start from scratch, so I won't be at a disadvantage like last year when many opponents had years of experience with electric motorcycles. Now I also have a year's experience in the World Championship, where I had the opportunity to get to know the different tracks and to adapt to riding an electric motorbike, even if next year it will be from a different manufacturer. I can't wait to get started; it's a source of pride for me to have been renewed by the team, and I thank my family, sponsors, and all the people who believe in me and this project. Next year I will certainly be mentally stronger, and more convinced of myself also, thanks to the team and the support they are giving me!
Getting off to a good start from the tests (scheduled for March and April) and finding confidence in the Ducati will be very important. By now, the injury at the Red Bull Ring is behind us, with the foot and shoulder recovered almost 100%. Compared to last year, this year, I'm starting with an advantage because I already know the whole team; we have a consolidated working method during 2022 and a solid foundation from which to start. I expect a really good season in XNUMX!”
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