Why the factory is flexing its muscles in search of history in Ducati Squad Le Mans

Le Mans Bugati Circuit has been a stronghold for Ducati Desmosis Since then Denilo petruchi Crossed the line to win in 2020. But the victory he started has been the attempt of a true team.

Sure, Petruki won the official factory bike. and when Jack Miller In 2021, the mixed-mosam, the flag-to-flag version won, his machine was a red that no one knew a house other than Bologna. But then a curious a little stretch in which each independent of Ducati took a twist on top of the famous podium in Circuit de La Sarahe.

First of all, Graceini was to get its shot. Le Mans’s win in 2022 was the third and final chapter. Ineni BastianiniAt this point for the peak of your career in terms of difficult results.

It was then the turn of VR46. Marco Bezchi It was the year of his life in 2023, regularly fighting it with factory rider and final champion Francaco gardeniaAnd the beige came out well about Bagania in the French Grand Prix, where the factory Ducati Rider collided with the famous Mavric vineles.

Pramac was the last Ducati independent in the line for French success-and it followed the script for perfection to seal the hat-trick. George martinJoe defeated Bagania and factory for the World Championship, scored one of the three 2024 Sundays victory in Le Mans’s last May.

It may be just a coincidence that the factory team has been provoked by its satellites in the larynx for the last three years – but you can always look for reasons! The Bugati Circuit is not everyone’s cup of tea, for the beginning: Bagania does not have a good time to place it on the circuit here in recent years. The track also asks for some extent off-pist base set-up.

Then it is the time of the year. Not only the weather can be famously unpredictable, but it is still true that the old, independent ducatis start realizing their age. Two or three races in the European leg of the season, usually with the official test of the first season in books, the latest factory bikes look traditionally look inauspicious. And while the exceptions are – see Pramac, up – Satellite teams usually do not have the latest factory bikes.

Perhaps independence is only exploiting the feeling of that final-map in Le Mans in recent years. And last week in view of the Jerase Test, due to which some improvements in the factory GP25, this familiar spirit may return after practice for the 2025 version of the French GP on Friday.

Can independents turn once again into positive energy? The initial indications are that it may not be sufficient anyway. On Friday’s evidence, the factory team is not in the mood to surrender one of Motogp’s most prestigious victory for ‘Privaters’ for a fourth straight year.

Mark marks By topping both practice sessions and giving different imprints, which he could do so, he could do so with more margin. This is a fairly standard Friday story for Motogp in 2025. He will be a favorite at the end of this week. And if he offers Sunday’s honor for the crew in the Red, it would be a clear thing as Marketis was the last man to win Ducatis before holding a camp on the top stage of that Le Mans Podium.

But we have seen that Mark is worth falling several times this year. Thus after falling on two of the five Sundays so far, what he did for Honda in 2019 is not a guarantee for Ducati at all. That is why the Ducati Factory Team will be happy that Omens are good beyond the mark.

For one beginning, its other rider had an acceptable Friday for the other straight Motogp weekend. Bagania Free Practice 1 was fourth and forty in 1, although with a worrying difference of 0.620s for the mark. But the PECCO shut down when the PECCO was closed, the margin to go to the third spoon in practice decreased by 0.177s. Keeping in mind on Friday is often his Beti -NaireYou will expect it to be in the top-two conversations from here. What will be useful should have another lapse with Mark.

It is that Marx also saw it: “The main rival is Paco at this time, which I have seen. When he does a good Friday, it means that he is there.”

But what is the one of those independent teams who have ruled Rost in recent years? Well, for a beginning, there are two instead of three at this time. Pramac, of course, to run Yamaha machinery, switch to leaving only Gracini and VR46. And he gave the factory a cause of concern, as we became accustomed in early 2025.

Graceini boys were respectable today, but no more. Alex marks He was second in FP1, but in a ‘time -bound’ practice he fell behind his crook team partner. Firmin aldeguer As the pair saw the fourth and fifth fastest time. While being in the top 10 and earning a Q2 ticket, all this matters on Friday afternoon, a good couple of the tenth part behind the Aldeguer Bagania. Was it the indication that the factory GP25s are now decisively – if only a little – there are better machines than Graceini GP24S?

While Gracini has no reason to panic, VR46 has a mountain to climb if anything happens on Friday. Double 2025 podium finisher Franco Morbideli Fall in the morning and later came to Q2 over the ninth-one time. But his day was a pleasure compared to the team partner Fabio de giantonioThe only independent GP25 was a shocker, who was determining the time 18th fastest (or fifth-most, if you want) time in practice.

Di Giennantonio asked it to “do not feel a good feeling with the whole day”, he said that he could “lose it at any moment”. While Q1 still gives him a chance to save the weekend, he has longer the possibility of repeating Bezchi’s victory.

Although none of these weekends can have a lot of meaning to the big, happy Ducati family in weekends, victory will have a special significance around this time. There is something extra to play for the market: Ducati currently sits on 22 consecutive Premier Class Grand Prix victory. The French GP has a chance to go before the mark set by Honda in the 1990s.

Not only a factory bike breaking bike will be ideal from a marketing perspective, but also the old saying: If you want any work to be done properly, do it yourself. Win-world records are disabled. This one is messed up, and Ducati will slide from below a new ladder in all ways.

And can slippery snakes slide it below? The start of another sketch for the beginning is the forecast of the weather. Remember, the rules made in view of Austin madness means that those who gamble correctly on the mixed-weather grid should be really rewarded. Goes for the qualification to plan, Gigi Duligna and the company will have to be cursed if rain spots appear on Sunday. They have found the best bike in dry and they will thank the gods of the weather that they spare complications.

But even if those prayers are answered, Fabio QuartaroYamaha can be the bike that has a careful look at. Quartero was the Interpopper that divided Market Markes and Bagania in behavior. Keep in mind that it is a domestic race of Fabio, if he can finish another on an inferior bike in the jewelery, then 100,000 French fans were shouted and given it an additional tenth or two, which he needs to ruin the dreams of the factory team?