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The beautiful snow-covered Alps of Madonna di Campiglio (TN, Italy) provided the backdrop for the spectacular presentation of the two teams that won everything in last year's two world motorbike championships.
On one side the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team that dominated in WorldSBK with Alvaro Bautista, on the other the Ducati Lenovo Team that triumphed in MotoGP with Francesco Bagnaia.
The 2023 season will bring exciting challenges also to the champions’ teammates, Michael Rinaldi with his Ducati Panigale V4R and Enea Bastianini with his Ducati Desmosedici GP.
During the unveiling of the four bikes held at Pala Campiglio, the packed audience of authorities, sponsors, and guests witnessed also the surprise of the number 1 on both bikes.
In fact, both the champions will ride in the next Moto GP and WorldSBK campaign with the number one on their Ducati.
Celebration time for the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team, however, is already over. Riders and staff will leave Madonna di Campiglio tomorrow morning to travel to Jerez della Frontera where the first tests of the 2023 season will get underway on Wednesday, followed by the Portimao sessions scheduled for 31 January and 1 February. The first race weekend (preceded by two more days of testing) is set for 24-26 February at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia.
Stefano Cecconi (Team Principal Aruba.it Racing - Ducati)
"We have worked hard over the last few years to achieve the result of last season. Winning the title, however, does not represent a point of arrival for us, but rather an extra stimulus to keep on developing and increasing our professionalism and commitment. Therefore, we will start again from the certainties of Alvaro, the desire of Michael, the performance of the Ducati Panigale V4 R and the inestimable human value of the entire team. It will be an unprecedented season for Aruba.it Racing - Ducati: we will probably be considered the team to beat. This means responsibility, concentration, determination but also pride, a sense of belonging and a desire to defend the position we have conquered without ever losing faith in our means, even when the results were not what we hoped for. We have represented Ducati in the Superbike World Championship since 2015 and we want to continue to do so in the best possible way in the 2023 season. That's why I wish the riders and all the team members the best of luck."
Claudio Domenicali (Amministratore Delegato Ducati Motor Holding)
"Today we live another remarkable moment for Ducati. 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. 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. I am happy that it starts from a location like Madonna di Campiglio, a perfect expression of the "Made in Italy" of which we are proud ambassadors. Ducati is a brand distinguished by style, performance and technology, where passion for racing is a central element. Working while having fun is part of our philosophy. It adds value to what we do and allows us to commit even more by managing fatigue better. The beauty and opportunities of the mountains that welcome us are the perfect opportunities to combine the commitments of the presentation event with moments of pure delight to give us the right energy for the start of the season."
Luigi Dall’Igna (Direttore Generale di Ducati Corse)
“2022 has been an incredible year for us. Alvaro and the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team have won everything that could be achieved in the World Superbike Championship bringing back to Bologna the Manufacturers’, Riders’ and Teams’ World Titles that had been missing for so many years. These successes represent a source of motivation for us this year. The goal is not just trying to repeat ourselves but also trying to surpass ourselves. Obviously, it won’t be easy. The level of the production based World Championship increases season by season, as the incredible duels and heated battles from last year demonstrated and 2023 will not be any less! We are ready for another exciting challenge, knowing that we will be able to count once again on the winning combination of reigning World Champion Alvaro Bautista and our Panigale V4 R machine, but also on Michael Ruben Rinaldi in his third season with the factory squad. We can’t wait to start the new season to defend the three World Titles”
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #19)
"We have a new challenge ahead of us. 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'd also like to address a thought to all the Ducatistas: I'm very proud of all our fans who followed us last season, and I hope that with the result we've achieved, in 2023 there will be even more of them supporting us at circuits all over the world. I am a Ducatista and I feel lucky to be able to defend the colours of the Aruba.it Racing - Ducati team".
Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati #21)
"I start this new adventure with great enthusiasm. Together with my team we have always made progress in the last two years, managing to improve our results. As a team we won the three titles last season and this means that the package is very strong. During the winter, we have analyzed the points we have to focus on, in order to improve and to be competitive for the title race. I have worked a lot over the last few weeks and I will continue to do so with great dedication as I want to always be able to express my maximum potential. There will be a lot of new things, also on the bike, so I can't wait to get started. I want to thank Aruba and Ducati for the opportunity to ride this beautiful Panigale V4 R and be part of such an ambitious team".
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