Withdrawing from the Spanish MotoGP, Bastianini: There’s no point in taking risks

– MotoGP racer from the Ducati Lenovo team, Enea Bastianini has decided to withdraw from the Spanish GP race at the Jerez Circuit this weekend. Previously, Bastianini did suffer an injury, but was declared fit to pave the way.

“I am very sorry to have to withdraw from the race. I have tried hard, but on Saturday morning I realized that I was not in the condition to race and did not feel confident to face the race,” said Bastianini, quoted from the team’s official statement, Sunday (30/ 4/2023).

The racer nicknamed The Beast had tried out five rounds in the free practice session. It was his first chance back on track since sustaining a broken bone earlier this season.

“There’s no point in taking unnecessary risks. So after discussing with the team, we decided to stop. The decision to try a few laps was correct so I can understand my current level and how far it takes to be competitive again,” he said.

Defending champion Francesco Bagnaia’s team-mate suffered a fracture of his right scapula as a result of a crash in the sprint race of the opening series of the Portuguese Grand Prix, March 25 2023. He experienced friction with Mooney VR46 Racing Team racer Luca Marini at Turn 5 causing him to lose balance and fall quite hard.

Previously, Bastianini had also been absent from the main race of the Portuguese GP, as well as the Argentina MotoGP series and the United States MotoGP.

Meanwhile, Bagnaia admitted that he was quite satisfied to be able to finish in second place in the sprint race at the Spanish MotoGP, Saturday (29/4/2023). He was 0.48 seconds adrift of the fastest racer Brad Binder (KTM Red Bull).

“I’m happy with today’s race. The night before, our team really did a great job to put me in a position to have a good qualification,” said Bagnaia.

“I had a hard time adapting to the bike at first, but after that I felt comfortable on the bike and tried to go fast. It’s not easy, but I’m sure I can do it again in the main races later,” said the world champion.

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