Niccolo Bulega has pushed back on claims that Ducati have given him special treatment with extra testing before his 2027 MotoGP debut. He said every rider on the grid will get multiple pre-season test days, adding, “They will have four, five, or six days of testing before the season starts next year,” and “That will be enough.”
Marc Marquez’s doctor, Samuel Antuna, said the severity of the reigning MotoGP champion’s latest injury would mean retiring from professional tennis if he were Carlos Alcaraz. Antuna pointed to Marquez’s right-shoulder surgery on 10 May and his return in Italy less than three weeks later, after which he won four of the next six races. “If he were Carlos Alcaraz, he would have retired from tennis,” Antuna said.
Pedro Acosta says his priority for his first Ducati outing as Marc Marquez’s teammate is to finish ahead of him at the post-season Valencia test in November. Journalist Manuel Pecino reported Acosta’s mindset, quoting: “Pedro has a mission; what he wants more than anything in the world is to finish ahead of Marquez in the Valencia test.”
Marc Márquez is still winning in 2026 despite ongoing issues with his injured right arm, which has not fully healed after multiple surgeries. Surgeon Samuel Antuna says it is “clinically difficult to understand” how Márquez keeps winning, and Nicolo Bulega adds: “I think only Marc can do what he’s doing with one and a half arms.”
KTM test rider Pol Espargaro said he likes the idea of shifting the Australian MotoGP from Phillip Island to an Adelaide city circuit, provided safety is guaranteed. He added that a race close to a major city offers more for fans beyond the track, including hotels and other activities. “Yes, it looks okay as long as safety is guaranteed,” Espargaro said.
KTM has been running the RC16 with a reduced maximum rev limit of 500 rpm to protect the engine after recent power unit issues. From the Misano race weekend, the restriction will be removed, a change Pol Espargaro says affects far more than top speed and gear choice. “Manchmal muss man das Getriebe anders abstimmen,” he explained, adding that the missing revs force compromises across the lap.
@ktmfactoryracing
A solid weekend in Afyonkarahisar for Simon, with P2 overall in MX2! 🇹🇷 Next stop, China! 💪🇨🇳 #KTM #ReadyToRace #Motocross #MXGP
@vr46racingteam
YOU MADE HISTORY, @kimi.antonelli! 🇮🇹🏆 60 years later, an Italian is back on the top step in Monza. What a day, what an achievement! Grandissimo Kimi 💛 #MotoGP #PertaminaEnduroVR46RacingTeam #F1 #ItalianGP
Neil Hodgson rode Ducati’s GP26 at Misano and was most impressed by the bike’s practice-start acceleration, describing the 0–100 km/h pull as extraordinary. Speaking on Gas it Out, he said, “Honestly, the acceleration, 0-100 kilometers is unbelievable. It literally pulls your arms off.”
@alexmarquez73
Another dump 😜😊
@ducaticorse
3 races out of 3 for @nicolo_bulega11, and 3 @ducati on the podium all weekend long. 🤩❤️ Congrats to @ikerlecuona_27, P2, and @yarimontella55, P3, for rounding out the podium in Race 2 of the #FrenchWorldSBK alongside their #PanigaleV4R. Another @worldsbk weekend for the history books!📚🇫🇷 #ForzaDucati #Ducati
MotoGP is described as a development platform whose safety advances later feed into production gear and street motorcycles. VR46 team manager Pablo Nieto said, “The things we use here in racing are brought into road traffic in the following years,” while LCR team boss Lucio Cecchinello pointed to traction control as a key example: “In racing, traction control was developed for road motorcycles. That is a huge help to prevent crashes.”
@vr46ridersacademyofficial
What a weekend, what a squad! 🔥 @lorenzo_pritelli67 race1 P3 race2 P1 🏆 @leocasadei44 rimonte pazzesche, 📌race1 da P29 a P4 😳 @matteogaba81 belle gare 👏🔥 @nicco23on e @m16no fantastici coach di pista