09/15/2022 |
Christina Bulpett |
MotoGP
Picture: GeeBee Images
Four from four saw Ducati Lenovo’s Pecco Bagnaia flying high on home soil, a run he hopes to continue at Aragon as he takes aim at the MotoGP title.
30 points separate Bagnaia from the reigning champion Fabio Quartararo at the top of the championship standings with six races left to play out in 2022. Motorland Aragon saw the Italian on the top step last season, so can he repeat the feat this time around?
“For sure, for me, this moment is quite great, because I feel incredible with my bike and also with the work we are doing in the box,” Bagnaia said as he reflected on his recent run of form. “Because, every time we start the weekend maybe in the not the best way possible – apart from Assen; that was incredible from the start – then Silverstone and Austria, we were struggling a bit but we found the way to prepare for the race.
“In Misano, it’s my home Grand Prix, it’s a magic place for me because I feel great there.
“We are working so well, considering that the start of the year wasn’t the best because I was struggling a lot to find a good setting, a good feeling with the new bike. We started in Jerez finding a really great pace again, but I committed too many mistakes. Le Mans and Sachsenring was a big problem for me, I lost a lot of confidence and lot of points but I think we have done a really great job. Also in the summer break, with my trainer and with my team, we found the mistakes and where the problem was, and I think we learned a big lesson and maybe also from that, we found the best consistency.”
With four victories on the bounce in 2022 and Aragon kicking off his winning spree from last season, the pressure is building on the 25-year-old for more success this weekend.
“I think also in Austria the people were saying that I had to win because I was with Ducati, in Misano, because it was my home Grand Prix so, it doesn’t mean too much to me,” he said of the expectation.
“I just want to try to work well like we have been doing in recent races, and try to be in front, because I think that a lot of riders this year can be fighting for the victory. The biggest key will be to be constant like we have been in recent races.”
Last season’s victory came after a dramatic and memorable fight with Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez.
“It was arriving after a difficult period because I was always competitive with the pace to win races, but every time something happened,” Bagnaia admitted. “So, the race here last year with Marc was, for sure, something that helped me to understand that I was able to win races. I wasn’t thinking that anything was changing after this win, that the world was always the same, but finally if we look at the results, it has given me the motivation and the power to be able to win the races. So, for sure, this race helped me to be more competitive.”