Ducati’s Desmosedicis have entirely dominated the 2023 season. The Italian Manufacturer has struck gold this year; 10 of the 13 Grands Prix this year have been won by a Ducati rider. Current Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli explains why the Italian monsters are far ahead of the rest.

The Italian mentioned how Ducati is the best in extracting the most out of the current regulations. Franco’s comments reflect on-track as the Ducatis seem to have an advantage in every aspect of the race – They’ve got the highest straight-line speed, The least amount of tire degradation, and the brilliant ‘Hole-shot’ launch device for their famous starts. The Ducatis always seem to have an upper edge over the rest of the grid.

Morbidelli said, as reported by Crash.net, “The bike suits very well the tires, the aerodynamics, everything that is required right now. Everything that is on the rulebook right now, Ducati is extracting and getting the maximum from. That’s their strength. They’re just close to the maximum in every area: On using the tires, on the electronic side, on the aerodynamic side, on the chassis side, they are close to the maximum”. 

The former Moto 2 World Champion is slated to join Jorge Martin at the Pramac Racing garage in 2024. The 28-year-old will ride the latest spec GP24 (identical to Francesco Bagnaia’s factory Ducati). It will be interesting to see how Franco adapts to the Ducati following his torrid term at Yamaha.

Do not miss: WATCH: When MotoGP rider escaped tragedy by jumping off of his bike after it went up in flames on a high-speed corner at the Indonesian GP

2023 has witnessed European manufacturers’ uprising in MotoGP

The European factories seem to be taking over the mantle of ‘quickest motorcycle manufacturers’ from their Japanese rivals. The Japanese duo of Yamaha and Honda have dominated the sport since the 1980s. Another Japanese manufacturer, Suzuki, was a close third behind the two giants.

Here’s a stat to understand the Japanese dominance over our sport – Ducati is the only other manufacturer to win a title (they have won two – 2007, 2022) than the Japanese factories since 1975. That means the Japanese manufacturers have been on top for half a century.

However, In the past few years, the European factories have returned. Ducati has proven to be the best manufacturer in recent years, and Aprilia and KTM seem to be taking notes. Only four races have been won by a Japanese bike in the last two years.

Ducati won the 2022 World Title and is easily on course to repeat this feat in 2023. The Italian manufacturer has claimed 11 wins this season. It seems the original contenders for the ‘Fastest bikes on Earth’ are keen on asserting their long-lost spot.

In case you missed it:

• Jorge Martin urges his team to ‘keep dreaming’ as he wins back-to-back GP’s

• Ducati drops massive hints on poaching Marc Marquez from Honda

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