MotoGP: Michele Pirro Confirmed as Ducati Test Rider Until 2026

Michele Pirro has extended his contract with Ducati to ride for the Italian company as a test rider until 2026. To break Ducati's 15-year winless record in MotoGP, Francesco Bagnaia raced the Desmosedici, on which Pirro had a significant hand in the design and development. After helping design the Ducati MotoE, which made its debut in the inaugural race of the FIM MotoE World Championship during the most recent Grand Prix weekend in Le Mans, Pirro has moved on to other projects. Michele has been involved in a wide variety of motorcycle racing, including numerous test sessions with the Ducati Test Team and competition in the Italian Superbike Championship on the Panigale V4 R. He has also attended a number of MotoGP Grands Prix and will make an appearance at the upcoming Italian GP on June 9–11.

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Michele Pirro's Career

Michele Pirro, who was born on July 5, 1986, in San Giovanni Rotondo, is one of the most seasoned riders in the paddock. He has participated successfully in almost every category of road racing. In 2004, the Apulian won the European 125 GP Championship, and he has gone on to win the Italian Championship a total of nine times. This will be his eighth season riding for Ducati's MotoGP Test Team. A nine-time national champion with Ducati, he swept the Superstock and Supersport crowns in 2007 and 2008 and the Superbike crowns in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022.

In 2003, Pirro debuted on the international scene as a 125cc wild card. The next year, he competed as a wild card in the Italian Grand Prix and as Marco Simoncelli's replacement in the Valencia Grand Prix due to an injury. In 2005 and 2006, Pirro would race in the whole of the World Championship before making the transition to production-based motorcycle competitions.

As a wild card in 2022, Pirro rode a Desmosedici GP bearing the colours of the Aruba.it Racing team in both Italian MotoGP Grand Prix and the Catalan GP at the Montmeló circuit. The Apulian rider's dominance on the Panigale V4R of the Barni Racing Team resulted in his sixth consecutive Italian Superbike Championship. Michele's goal for 2023 is to successfully defend the Italian championship with the Bergamo squad. As a member of Ducati's MotoGP test squad, he will keep working on the Desmosedici GP and the Ducati MotoE, both of which will make their debuts in the FIM MotoE World Cup this year.

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Ducati Rider Bagnaia Suffers Ankle Fracture

In the wake of his crash with Maverick Vinales at the French GP, the reigning MotoGP world champion sought medical attention in Le Mans. Ducati released a statement saying that Bagnaia suffered "a small partial talus bone fracture" after he complained of pain in his right leg. The injury sustained by Bagnaia was described as "minor" and "will not prevent his participation in the next Italian GP," which will take place at Mugello from June 9 to 11.

Since he is presently leading the championship standings by a single point, Bagnaia can scarcely afford to miss his home race on June 11 at Mugello. As the current champion, he must maintain his dominance if Ducati wants to salvage a poor 2023 season. Ducati has had a rough year in the MotoGP, and the Italian's accident at Le Mans was just the latest setback.