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Jack Miller

Ducati sedang berdepan dengan dilema kerana perlu memilih satu daripada beberapa calon bagi mengisi slot di pasukan factory.

Jorge Martin (Pramac) dan Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing) muncul antara nama disebut-sebut akan diangkat ke skuad factory Ducati untuk digandingkan dengan Francesco Bagnaia bagi musim 2023.

Ini sekaligus bermakna kedudukan Jack Miller di Ducati tidak lagi selamat.

Lebih malang, Pengarah Sukan Ducati, Paolo Ciabatti, turut memberitahu speedweek.com bahawa pelumba Australia itu telah dimaklumkan bahawa tiada jaminan tempatnya akan kekal menjelang musim 2023.

“Pertama sekali kita perlu tunggu dan lihat apa Jack Miller akan lakukan.

“Sudah tentu kami dengar dia sedang berbincang dengan KTM. Itu bukan satu rahsia.

“Kami telah memberitahu Jack dan pengurusnya, Aki Ajo; jika kamu mahukan tempat di pasukan factory, sila cari pilihan lain kerana buat masa ini kami tidak boleh menawarkan tempat di pasukan factory bagi musim 2023,” jelas Ciabatti.

KTM sememangnya mensasarkan Jack Miller bagi musim 2023 bagi menggantikan Miguel Oliveira yang dilaporkan akan diturunkan ke pasukan Tech 3 KTM.

Ini kerana pelumba Tech 3 sedia ada, Raul Fernandez, dikatakan kembali menjadi sasaran Razlan Razali setelah pasukan RNF Racing disahkan bergerak sebagai satelit Aprilia musim depan. – MS

Ducati expands its lifestyle collaboration, this time with eyewear marque Carrera for a series of glasses inspired by the Panigale V4.

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Enea Bastianini berjaya menempatkan dirinya dikalangan pencabar kejuaraan musim 2023 setelah merekodkan kemenangan ketiga musim ini di GP Perancis, pada Ahad.

Kemenangan itu juga menyaksikan dirinya disebut sebagai calon yang bakal menggantikan Jack Miller – selain Jorge Martin – di pasukan ‘factory’ Ducati sekaligus bergandingan dengan Francesco Bagnaia musim depan.

Bagaimanapun, Bagnaia dalam satu kenyataan menjelaskan bahawa dia lebih gemar untuk terus digandingkan dengan Jack (Miller).

Bastianni menyifatkan Bagnaia mungkin ada sebabnya tersendiri.

“Saya rasa dia pilih (Jack) Miller sebab dia adalah ketua di Ducati dan dia tahu potensi saya dan Martin. Jadi itu boleh jadi satu masalah kepadanya,” jelas Bastianini.

Namun, Bastianini menjelaskan dia tidak kisah sekiranya terus kekal bersama Gresini yang penting dia dapat beraksi dengan jentera ‘factory’ musim depan.

Sementara itu, Bagnaia ketika ini ketinggalan lebih 44 mata dibelakang pendahulu Fabio Quartararo setelah mengalami kemalangan di Le Mans meskipun mendahului sebahagian besar perlumbaan.

Kemalangan itu menyaksikan Bastianini merekodkan kemenangan ketiga musim ini dengan Miller kedua dan wakil Aprilia, Aleix Espargaro ketiga.

Enea Bastianini charts his third win of the season after conquering French GP in Le Mans ahead of Miller, Espargaro and Quartararo.

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Current factory Ducati MotoGP rider Jack Miller reportedly open to the possibility of returning to satellite Ducati squad Pramac Racing for 2023.

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Gresini Racing’s Enea Bastianini claims second win of the season in Texas and reclaims the lead in MotoGP title race. (more…)

Enea Bastianini menampilkan aksi cemerlang di GP Amerika apabila berjaya mengungguli pusingan kelima MotoGP, pada Ahad.

Pelumba Gresini Racing itu juga muncul pemenang berganda pertama musim ini selepas mendominasi GP Qatar, Mac lalu.

Keputusan itu juga menyaksikan Bastianini kembali mendahului kejuaraan dengan 61 mata, diikuti Alex Rins (56 mata) dan Aleix Espargaro (50 mata).

Bastianini berada di belakang Jack Miller di kebanyakan masa perlumbaan namun ketika aksi berbaki lima lap, Miller mula melakukan kesilapan dan terlepas beberapa apex.

Menyedari perkara itu, Bastianini berjaya memintas Miller di Turn 12 dan terus meninggalkan pelumba Ducati itu.

Miller juga terus terkesan dan pada lap akhir berjaya dipintas wakil Suzuki, Alex Rins. Rins sah tamatkan aksi di tempat kedua diikuti Miller, ketiga.

Sementara itu, enam kali juara dunia MotoGP, Marc Marquez turut mencuri tumpuan apabila berjaya bangkit dari tempat terakhir (P24) untuk menamatkan aksi di kedudukan keenam.

Meskipun terlepas dua pusingan (GP Indonesia, GP Argentina) ekoran kecederaan namun Marquez kembali menunjukan taring sebenar.

Walaupun bermula di petak ke-9, jentera Honda RC213V miliknya seakan alami masalah dan berada pada kedudukan terakhir menuju ke selekoh pertama.

Dia bagaimanapun berjaya memintas tujuh pelumba pada lap sama untuk memulakan misi memperbaiki kedudukan.

Dia kemudiannya memancung Maverick Vinales, Brad Binder, Takaaki Nakagami dan rakan sepasukan Pol Espargaro untuk tempat ke-10.

Menariknya, walaupun berada di kelompok pertengahan, Marquez beberapa kali merekodkan masa lebih pantas berbanding kelompok depan.

Pelumba Sepanyol itu terus mengasak dan memintas (Aleix Espargaro), Johann Zarco, Jorge Martin dan Fabio Quartararo untuk mengambil tempat keenam.

Ducati has decided to postpone its plan to hold its official 2022 team launch on January 28 after Jack Miller has unfortunately tested positive for Covid-19.

Miller has been home training in Australia over the break before he tested positive. The Australian, however is currently asymptomatic but will be unlikely to leave Australia to be in Europe for the official team launch

According to Ducati, Miller is currently isolated at home and will undergo a second PCR test next week to assess the situation.

Nevertheless, Ducati has moved its 2022 MotoGP team launch until February 7 2022, after the Sepang test.

“Unfortunately, I’ve been tested positive for Covid-19, which means I am unable to travel to Europe.

“I am still home in Australia and doing fine. Since I don’t have any symptoms, at least I can continue with my training. I miss you all and will see you in Sepang for the test,” said Miller in a statement.

Miller, together with Pecco Bagnaia will be in Sepang for the 2022 MotoGP official test scheduled on February 4 to 6.

Ducati is set to feature eight machines in 2022 MotoGP after securing VR46 and Gresini Racing at the end of last season.

The Italian marquee will go all out after missing out on the 2021 World Championship title as Francesco Bagnaia slipped behind eventual winner, Fabio Quartararo with just a 26 points gap.

Despite the disappointment, Ducati was one of the dominant forces last season, as five out of their six riders managed to secure a podium finish.

Nevertheless, MotoGP manager, Carlo Pernat suggest that two of the riders could be on their way out at the end of the 2022 season.

“Jack Miller and Johann Zarco will, if there are no surprises, be in the riders’ market, I would say with 99.9% certainty.

“Jack is a good bet, but he comes from a lot of ups and downs.

“Yamaha, on the other hand, is the best-positioned factory as it has three strong riders: Quartararo, Morbidelli and Toprak,” said Pernat.

Moreover, Miller and Zarco will enter their final year contract with Ducati whereas Bagnaia has already secured a place with the team considering he is the main bet for the title in 2022.

Considering how well Jorge Martin did in his rookie season with Pramac, Ducati might reward him the factory seat in 2023.

Martin already told what his wishes are for the 2023 season, as quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport; “My goal is to be world champion at Ducati and for that, I have to join the factory team. We hope to be on that team in 2023.”

Francesco Bagnaia produced a dazzling display to record his third win MotoGP win of the season as the race was cut short due to a red flag incident involving Iker Lecuona and Miguel Oliveira.

The Ducati Corse rider was on top of his game in Portimao, leading every lap around the circuit since the start of the race.

Despite a bad start that saw teammate Jack Miller take the lead from Bagnaia, the Australian lead lasted just one corner as Bagnaia repassed Miller at Turn 2.

Bagnaia was leading the race comfortably ahead of Joan Mir and Miller with just five laps to go.

Shortly after that, Lecuona crashed into Oliveira, which resulted in a red flag.

The red flag means Bagnaia recorded his third premier class win while Mir and Miller completed the podium.

“I’m thrilled! We deserved this pole position, as in the Portuguese GP, our lap time got cancelled due to the yellow flags.

“I was improving again on the last lap, but unfortunately, I made a mistake in the last sector and went wide. We are strong this weekend; we tried both the medium and hard tyre, and we were pretty competitive with both.

“Today was cool and windy, but tomorrow the conditions should be better, so tomorrow morning we’ll evaluate what our final tyre choice will be for the race,” said Bagnaia.

Meanwhile, the success of Bagnaia and Miller alongside fellow Ducati’s Johann Zarco, Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini has helped the Italian firm to be crowned back-to-back 2021 MotoGP Constructors World Champion.

Ducati secured a total of 21 podiums this season.

Pelumba factory Ducati, Jack Miller, menyambut baik sekiranya pasukan itu membekalkan empat pasukan dan lapan pelumba bagi musim 2022.

Ketika ini, Ducati membariskan Miller dan Francesco Bagnaia di samping turut membekalkan Desmosedici GP kepada Pramac yang telah pun melanjutkan perjanjian sebagai pasukan satelit utama sehingga 2024.

Bagaimanapun, Avintia – selaku pasukan ketiga Ducati – bakal menamatkan kontrak bersaing di kelas premier hujung musim ini dan akan digantikan dengan Aramco Racing Team VR46.

Situasi ini sekaligus menguatkan khabar angin bahawa VR46 bakal menjadi pasukan satelit Ducati musim depan.

Pada masa sama, Ducati turut dicanang berminat menjalinkan kerjasama dengan pasukan Gresini, yang akan bergerak sendirian setelah perjanjian bersama Aprilia berakhir di akhir musim ini.

“Jika ada lapan Ducati bermakna, jentera 2021 milik saya dan Pecco (Bagnaia), serta Johann Zarco dan Jorge Martin di Pramac akan dibekalkan kepada dua pasukan baharu musim depan.

“Jika itu perancangannya maka saya berasakan Ducati Corse mempunyai asas yang baik untuk melaksanakannya,” jelas Miller.

Dalam perkembangan lain, saingan MotoGP kembali bersambung hujung minggu ini di Litar Catalunya, Sepanyol.

After securing two wins this year, Ducati’s Jack Miller has been handed a contract renewal for 2022.

Despite a shaky start to the season, Miller secured an impressive back-to-back win at Jerez and Le Mans, making him the only Australian to do so after Casey Stoner back in 2012.

Miller now sits at fourth in the championship standings with 64 points after five rounds.

“I’m thrilled to be able to continue my adventure with the Ducati Lenovo Team for another season.

“Wearing these colours is really an honour for me, and being able to win the last two races with the Desmosedici GP was really a dream.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the great support I’ve always received from Ducati and the entire team in recent months,” said the Australian.

Meanwhile, Ducati Corse General Manager Luigi Dall’Igna also shared his excitement.

“Miller certainly one of the riders who manage to interpret our Desmosedici GP in the best possible way.

“Our goal remains the world title, as always and we believed that with Jack and Pecco, we can continue to fight for the world championship in 2022,” he said.

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