BEZZECCHI CONFIRMED AS VR46 MOTOGP RIDER
On his 23rd birthday Italian Marco Bezzecchi has finally been confirmed as a VR46 team rider in MotoGP next year.
The young Italian has been racing for Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team in Moto2 the last two years and in 2022 will make the step up to the premier class.
The news was announced live on TV last night and post-session the Italian was understandably elated to finally be announced.
“What can I say? I’m very happy it’s a dream come true,” he expressed. “In the end, every guy that rides motorcycles dream one day to be MotoGP rider, so for me something incredible.
“Also to receive this news on my birthday makes this even more incredible, but can’t wait to try the bike.
“I’m very excited also to make my debut on an Italian bike. All very good, all very positive can’t be more happy.”
Bezzecchi currently sits third in the Moto2 standings behind runaway Ajo KTM riders, Aussie Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez.
Last year Bezzecchi took two wins on his way to fourth in the title fight, however a more consistent year yielding another victory sees him sit third.
Bezzecchi will ride in the MotoGP post-season test at Circuit Ricardo Tormo which takes place on Thursday and Friday in which he will ride his 2021 spec Ducati which he will race throughout the ’22 season.
Next year Bezzecchi will share the VR46 garage with his former Moto2 teammate Luca Marini, who is the half brother of Valentino Rossi.
“My teammate is going to be Luca like last year,” he said. “I have a very good relationship with him, will be strange because at the end, I think that MotoGP to learn to go fast on MotoGP (machinery) will be very, very difficult.
“But at the end with Luca it can work well, also last year I made an incredible step with him.”
Bezzecchi believes he needed that push from Marini earlier this year.
“Maybe it’s something that I missed this year, to have such a good teammate to work with since the beginning.
“Celestino (Vietti) is fast, really fast now, but in the beginning (of the season) he struggled, it’s normal he’s a rookie.”
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