The Latest Breaking News from Ducati

News roundup: Harley Q4 2023 sales down, Royal Enfield sales were up, European moto registrations were up, Davide Brivio joins Trackhouse MotoGP; Ducati coins.

After an initial try-out of the Ducati GP23 at Valencia last year, Marquez got his first proper opportunity to acclimatise to his new bike during a three-day test in Malaysia this week.

Under a cloudy sky that provided cooler conditions for the start of the track action, the two-time MotoGP world champion's 1m56.682s remained the time to beat throughout the day, with several challenges coming up short over a single lap attack.

First spotted on the Ducati of test rider Michele Pirro at last week’s shakedown, the new aerodynamic package combines the stepped layout on the side of the bike with a diffuser at the bottom of the fairing - two parts that were separately trialled last year.

Following an initial run in Valencia towards the end of last year, Marquez is getting a second chance at getting accustomed to the GP23 in this week’s official pre-season test at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.

In the morning session Martin, who headed the opening day of action at Sepang, was the first rider under the existing lap record with a 1m57.273s, fending off a challenge from KTM’s Brad Binder.

Honda heads into 2024 with the aim of arresting a period of decline that has seen it slump to the bottom of the standings in the last two seasons and lose its star rider Marc Marquez to Gresini Ducati.

Miguel Oliveira, Trackhouse Racing Team (Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images) Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images) Michele Pirro, Pramac Racing (Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images) Pedro Acosta, Tech3 GASGAS Factory Racing (Photo by: Gold and…

Morbidelli has been advised by the doctors to refrain from taking part in any sporting activity for the next three weeks after undergoing further checks in Italy.

Last year’s championship runner-up Martin set a time of 1m57.951s on the GP24 Ducati to head Tech3 rookie Pedro Acosta by 0.269s following eight hours of running on a hot and sunny day in Malaysia.

MotoGP has become increasingly reliant on aerodynamics since Ducati introduced winglets to its Desmosedici in 2015, and it has now become a key battleground in the race to build the fastest bike.