Fabio will wear the colors of the Tavullia Team on the Ducati Desmosedici GP. He will be on track tomorrow for the first testing session of the new season in Valencia.

Valencia (Spain), November 27th 2023 – Fabio Di Giannantonio completes the line up of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team for the 2024 season. The young rider, born in '98, will share the garage with Marco Bezzecchi riding the Ducati Desmosedici GP.

In the small circle of winners of a MotoGP race after the Qatar Grand Prix, Fabio will wear the neon yellow of the Tavullia Team for his third season in the Top class (in addition to the win, a podium in Australia in 2023, a podium in the Sprint in Qatar in 2023 and a pole position at Mugello in 2022). For one of the most promising riders in the Italian nursery, thanks to the second place in the Moto3 Championship in 2018 and eight podiums in the intermediate class (a victory at the 2021 Spanish GP), the goal is to continue to grow in this category and be among the protagonists.

For Fabio, first appointment with the new Team already tomorrow when he will be on track for the first day of testing of 2024.

MURRIETA, Calif. – A refreshed four-rider combination will lead Red Bull KTM Factory Racing into the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX), beginning with the AMA Supercross Championship season-opener at Anaheim 1 on January 6, and with firm intentions of competing for title wins when the gates drop on the upcoming 31-round season.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing will field the all-star line-up of Chase Sexton and Aaron Plessinger on the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION in 2024, alongside Tom Vialle and Julien Beaumer, who will each be READY TO RACE with the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION under the guidance of Team Manager Ian Harrison.All four riders were presented this afternoon and into the evening during a special 2024 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team media introduction under lights at RD Field, the organization's official testing and training facility based in Murrieta, California, as they enter the important final stages of the pre-season together. Bringing the red number one plate to defend his 450SX championship is Chase Sexton, the 24-year-old who clinched a first-career premier class crown last May. Also ranked fourth in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship after a share of misfortune, as well as the third-place finisher in the inaugural SMX post-season, Sexton has the credentials and form to enter season 2024 as a legitimate title contender across the board once again. 

Chase Sexton: "I'm excited and feeling refreshed for the start of the 2024 Supercross series. Testing is going well and I’ve enjoyed getting to know everyone more and more on the team, and feel like I’m gelling well with the crew and my new teammates. There’s obviously a level of expectation that comes with heading into 2024 carrying the red plate and I welcome the challenge, especially with the full support of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing behind me."Fan favorite Aaron Plessinger is back for his third term at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, determined to build upon his 2023 campaign that saw him claim seventh overall in 450SX despite missing multiple rounds, a convincing third in 450MX, and fifth in the combined SMX standings. Those results will form a strong foundation for the 27-year-old to work from in the upcoming season, motivated to establish himself at the front of the pack year-round.

Aaron Plessinger: "I'm totally ready to get this show on the road and go racing! Preparation for the 2024 Supercross season is going to plan and I’m just eager to get back to the races to see all my friends and fans again. I’m hoping I can finally bag some of those elusive wins this season, that’s the goal for the team and I, and I think it’s achievable with the encouragement and support I receive from everyone in the Red Bull KTM family."Two-time MX2 World Champion Tom Vialle built immense experience this year in what was his first season of competition in the United States, with the 23-year-old Frenchman now looking to benefit from the lessons learned over the past 12 months. Vialle was eighth in the 250SX East points, sixth in 250MX with a single victory to his credit at Southwick, and P8 in SMX, which sets him up for a strong sophomore season ahead.

Tom Vialle: "The idea of getting to race at venues and on tracks that I’ve been to before is exciting and something I am really looking forward to next year. I feel like I learned a lot in my rookie season in the U.S., but it’s definitely tougher racing a brand new track every week when almost everyone in your class has already raced on them before. It’s really going to help my confidence a lot knowing the tracks I’m going to – it makes a big difference. 2024 should be a good year for me and the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team!"As for 17-year-old newcomer Julien Beaumer, he will open his full-time professional career as the youngest member of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team and is in line to make his mark while his knowledge climbs on a week-by-week basis. Already a SX Futures Main Event winner, Beaumer is debuting in 250SX and will carry that rookie tag into Pro Motocross, as well as the SMX Finals series when it commences in September. 

Julien Beaumer: "Making my debut in the 250 Supercross class next year is a dream come true and I’m super-grateful to everyone at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for giving me this opportunity. My goal is to go out there and learn as much as I can this season, all the while giving it my all. The team and I have put in a lot of laps at the practice track to build a good base and gain as much experience as I can before the start of the 2024 season. I just want to do my best and make both the team and myself proud in my rookie season."

Ian Harrison – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: "Our 2024 team is excited to start the new race season. Two of our team members are new, so getting to know one another and developing their bikes specific to their needs and riding style can be a challenge, but so far it has gone very well. The team has spent many days at the test track working on fine-tuning the bikes and I am now looking forward to seeing how we stack up against our competition on January 6th. It is exciting for me as the Team Manager to see our four riders working together so cohesively while motivating and challenging each other to be better. Behind all this effort is always a group of people who are diligent at putting the hours in to get us ready for the start gate at Anaheim 1, and for them, I am very grateful. See you at the races."

Roger De Coster – Director of Motorsports, North America: "I am very impressed with the dynamic amongst the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team and I’m looking forward to the start of the new season. With fresh blood in the team, it’s great to see the level of positivity amongst the group as a whole, working together and motivating one another. Watching them at the test track each day, there is good forward momentum amongst the group and I think we are in a strong position to challenge up front in all classes each weekend. Austria has been working extremely hard and has shown great support, which is really encouraging and I’m excited for 2024."

The final testing session of the year for Team HRC factory riders Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal, was unfortunately thwarted by overnight and early morning rain.

The riders have been quite busy lately, having recently traveled to Indonesia for an enjoyable and productive event with MOTUL, and then to Japan for an appearance at the HRC Thanks Day dinner. Afterward, they flew back to Portugal with the aim of continuing preparations for the 2024 WorldSBK season. Despite being unable to ride due to the inclement weather, they took the opportunity to participate in some crucial technical meetings with their crews and Japanese engineers who will continue working in Japan.

Vierge and Lecuona will now take a well-deserved break, returning to the track for their next scheduled test in January 2024.

Tim Gajser and Ruben Fernandez joined a whole host of Honda athletes from a multitude of motorsports at the annual Thanks Day, held at the Motegi Mobility Resort in Japan this past weekend.

The MXGP pair were joined by fellow motocross stars, Jett and Hunter Lawrence who were invited to celebrate after their highly successful 2023 season when the pair won multiple titles across the 250 and 450 classes for the Honda Racing US team in America. And these four met up with more of their off-road and road colleagues for what is one of the biggest events on the motor-racing calendar.

Fresh off his F1 World Championship, Max Verstappen made the trip, alongside fellow F1 drivers Sergio Perez, Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Riccardo, but perhaps the biggest name was MotoGP star Marc Marquez, who was bidding an emotional farewell to his Repsol Honda team after an amazing career under the HRC awning.

Each discipline got to showcase their machinery in special displays around the circuit, with the motocross riders having a super-pole competition on the specially designed track near the impressive Honda Collections Hall. MXGP’s Gajser took the victory and wowed the crowd with a signature whip on the finish line and he also led the way ahead of all the F1 drivers in the highly competitive karting qualification, taking pole-position into the race. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to keep the lead after some aggressive bumping from the chasing pack, but both him and teammate Fernandez enjoyed some fun laps against the best drivers in the world.

They then headed back to the motocross track for a special race that included MotoGP star Joan Mir, Trials rider Gabriel Marcelli and two-wheeled riders across various other disciplines for a race on-board Honda 125Fs, which provided yet more entertainment for this enthusiastic crowd. The four-man team format saw riders hand the bike over after a lap of the circuit, with Jett Lawrence’s crew getting the win in a good-natured race.

Saving the best for last, every bike and car, then took to doing a lap of the Motegi road-circuit, before performing a customary burnout on the start straight in front of the massive crowd. It was a great finale to a great event that truly showcases the strength and depth of Honda Racing Corporation.

Team HRC factory Superbike riders Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona have travelled to Jakarta, Indonesia, to take part in ‘The Ultimate Ride’ event organised by partner Motul.

This exciting initiative brought together the two Superbike riders with HRC MXGP riders Rubén Fernández and Tim Gajser. The four participated in a ‘Meet the Riders’ session at Senayan Park shopping mall in the city center before hitting the streets of Jakarta to ride alongside more than 700 local motorcyclists.

The HRC riders were warmly welcomed by the local fans and media and were impressed by both the significant turn out and the passion displayed by the Indonesian motorcycling community. In staging this exclusive event, Motul set out to showcase the collaborative and constructive nature of its partnership with Honda and strengthen its relationship with the wide-ranging motorcycle population of Indonesia. The initiative was also backed by the national Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Mr. Sandiaga Uno, as a means to promote tourism in Indonesia and support the growth of the motorsport industry in the country.

Participants in ‘The Ultimate Ride’ were thrilled to meet their racing heroes, and even had the chance to win a range of exciting prizes, from merchandise to motorcycles! Xavi and Iker were pleased to take part and are spurred on by all the good wishes and support shown by fans during the event. Xavi and Iker will briefly visit Japan for an HRC event before returning to Europe in the coming days, ready for its next scheduled test on 4 December at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal.

Members of one of the world’s biggest bike racing nations were given an extraordinary experience on Wednesday when four of the top riders from Honda’s MXGP and WorldSBK teams joined them to ride through the streets of Jakarta in one of the first ever celebrity-fan events of its kind.

Dubbed ‘The Ultimate Ride’, the event was enabled by lubricant manufacturer Motul and saw five-time MXGP champion Tim Gajser, MXGP race winner Ruben Fernandez and WSBK riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge ride alongside hundreds of fans on motorbikes of all shapes and sizes.

The star appearances on the city streets brought bikers, clients and distributors from all around Indonesia together with the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) riders to highlight the significance of Motul and HRC in Indonesia and celebrate their combined ability to unite the biking communities.

The event was also supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and the Ministry of Youth and Sports as an effort to promote local tourism in Indonesia globally and support the growth of the motorsport industry in the country.

Luthfi Ilhami, Managing Director of Motul Indonesia, said: “This was an extraordinary event. For the first time Motul brought four HRC riders in WorldSBK and MXGP to ride with and meet and greet hundreds of Honda communities in Jakarta. It was an unforgettable experience for HRC and Motul fans.”

Motul APAC Chief Marketing Officer, Carlo Savoca, continued: “We have an extremely large and passionate community of bike fans in the region and we are proud to have been able to provide such an exclusive experience for direct interaction with the HRC racing team.”

Tetsuhiro Kuwata, HRC General Manager, added: “It was great that HRC teamed up with Motul for such a special occasion. This partnership has proven to work well over the years, with Motul providing unwavering support across the world championships. It was an amazing opportunity for us to celebrate not only with Motul but also with Indonesia’s leading figures and passionate Honda motorbike fans. These fans made this celebration even more special for us.”

Lecuona and Vierge both joined Honda’s factory Superbike team last year and continued to be regular points scorers in 2023. Vierge is particularly well known by local fans in Jakarta, having finished on the podium in the Motul-sponsored Indonesian round of the championship this year. Gajser joined the MXGP field riding a Honda in 2016 and won the championship in his debut season. He won again in 2019, 2020 and 2022 but missed much of this year through injury, although he returned to win two of the final three rounds. Fernandez debuted in 2021 and took his first race victory this season.

The event took the group of riders through Central Jakarta from the Thamrin 10 parking area to Senayan Park shopping centre. Fans also got the chance to speak to their heroes at a meet and greet event following the ride – resulting in thousands of social media posts and online videos. It was the latest example of Motul’s continued work to strengthen its relationship with Honda motorcycle communities in Indonesia through diverse activities involving many communities, with the aim of becoming an increasingly appreciated premium lubricant brand in the region.

Ilhami added: “HRC and Honda have a large fan base in Indonesia, and Motul offers a complete range of lubricant and motorcycle care products for all layers of the Honda motorcycle community in Indonesia, not only for high-performance motorcycles but also for daily scooters.”

Work for the 2024 MotoGP World Championship is already well underway as Joan Mir and the Repsol Honda Team sampled the 2024 prototype Honda RC213V for the first time, the double World Champion ending the day in 13th and positive about future progress.

Late November in Valencia made for a cold start to the first day of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship pre-season as wind whipped around the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. This didn’t stop the Repsol Honda Team who were the first out on track just after 10:00 Local Time. Joan Mir would venture out not long after, starting the day on his 2023 machine before stepping onto the newest evolution of the Honda RC213V.

Completing a total of 69 laps, Mir posted a fastest time of 1’30.051 to end the day in 13th. Starting Tuesday assessing his physical condition after missing the Grand Prix due to a crash, Mir was able to ride without major limitations and diligently worked through his testing plan. Running until the final moments, the #36 left the test content with initial developments made by HRC engineers since the Misano Test. The busy schedule meant that Mir was unable to do a final time attack, but the overall pace he showed was promising.

Luca Marini finished the day in tenth with a best time of 1’29.956 and 72 laps completed.

All involved will now enjoy a well-earned break after the 20-race season, MotoGP action returning with the Sepang Test in early February.

The last official bout of MotoGP action in 2023 concluded at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo in Valencia as the one-day IRTA test allowed teams and riders to try new parts and ideas well ahead of the 2024 season. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing ploughed through an aerodynamic and electronic test program and ended the session with both riders in the top nine of the fastest lap-times.

• Brad Binder rounds Valencia for 51 laps and with the 2nd quickest time as the South African closes his fourth campaign in MotoGP and with the KTM RC16
• Jack Miller sets the 9th best effort in the chrono and with some further experimentation to refine the performance of the #43 race bike
• Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, the 4th best team in the championship and the vanguard for the second best Constructor, now transfer their working duties to the factory and with a view to the first pre-season test at the Sepang International Circuit from 6-8 February 2024

Afternoon sunshine arrived to coat the last three hours of the Valencia test and the first strains of work towards the 22-round 2024 MotoGP season. With just 70 days between the laps in Spain – less than two days after the final race of the 2023 campaign in which Red Bull KTM claimed a podium finish – and the next test outing in Malaysia, there was plenty of data to collect, components for Brad Binder and Jack Miller to try, and ideas to be evaluated.

Clearly on display was the next development of the RC16 aerodynamics package but the factory crew also clicked off a number of internal question marks with the bike’s setup. Binder had a push at a time attack and ranked 2nd after sitting around the top ten for most of the day with his fifth effort of the test. Miller accumulated more laps and moved to 9th position from the full allotment of 23 riders working in Spain.

Brad Binder, 2nd: “Today we tried a few different things with aero, some exhausts. We didn’t have anything big or radical but we learnt a lot about what we did use, and that’s the most important thing. We played with some electronics to try and put the bike a bit more ‘in our hands’ and that was cool but there is still some room to work. Everything was pretty much the first starting point towards the next test in Malaysia.”

Jack Miller, 9th: “A busy day and the weather conditions were not ideal but I’m happy enough. We tested a lot and we already have a clear direction for where we want to improve. We are working hard to make a broader power range, we tried some aero, and we made a step with grip today so I’m happy with that. Pleased to have reached the end of the season. It’s been a hectic year!”

Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Just one day here in Valencia so a matter of getting through as much as we could. It was important to collect information for the winter work for the Sepang test. We never stop evolving the bike, there was a lot during the race weekends as well, so we are not looking for big steps. We need to work on little details and the rider needs to understand how and where to use the potential. We are looking for small gains on electronics, aerodynamics, everywhere. We know our engine is strong and the chassis is the first spec of the new technology: there are plenty of areas where we can still work.”

 Sebastian Risse, Red Bull KTM Technical Manager MotoGP: “After some intense weeks we had one last chance to work on the next steps and I think we - the team and the riders – did a great job exploring some directions for aero because this is the thing to homologate for next year. We also had some other projects like the exhaust with a lot of mapping behind it, some engine management with a view towards next year’s fuel. I believe we really learned a lot today, and there is a lot of input that can help us for next year. I don’t think we are on the final version of anything we have tried but it was very important to get all this feedback. It has been a very high workload in the last weeks and the team did great. I’m proud of that and I think we can look forward to a very good season next year.”

At Valencia Marco Bezzecchi, unfortunately in the gravel after the start today, took the P3 in the overall standings in his second year in MotoGP. Luca Marini, P9 under the checkered flag, say Goodbye to the Team after six seasons together with the eighth place in the Championship.

Valencia (Spain), November 26th 2023 – A complicated Sunday for Marco Bezzecchi, in the gravel immediately after the start due to a contact with another rider, but capable of achieving the third place in the overall standings in the second year in the Top class of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team with 329 points (P3 among teams with 530 points). Luca Marini says Goodbye to the Team after six years with a good comeback to ninth place.

Starting from the P7 on the grid and with an excellent race pace, Marco was forced to retire at the third corner. In the gravel, blameless after a contact, he is unable to end the season in the best way possible.

Eighth overall with 201 points Luca, who started from the 17th box on the grid. He recovers to reach the Top10 and closes his adventure with the VR46 Racing Team after 110 GPs and a lot of great results. 

After six years together, starting from the 2024 season, to better follow their future objectives and goals, Luca will not race for the Tavullia Team in MotoGP.

Tavullia (Italy), November 25th 2023 – Mooney VR46 Racing Team and Luca Marini announce, after six seasons of shared goals, that they will not continue together in the 2024 season. The time has come for both parties to pursue ambitious goals and results following different paths. All the management, the Team and the people involved in the project wish Luca the best for his future.
  
Luca joined the Moto2 Team at the end of 2017 and has achieved his most prestigious results within this family. First podium in the Moto2 World Championship (German GP) in 2018 and first win in the middle class in the same year (Malaysian GP 2018 – 6 victories in Moto2). Best overall result in the 2020 Championship when he is a contender for the Moto2 World title until the last race (final P2). Luca was the first rider to have brought the VR46 brand to MotoGP on the Ducati Desmosedici GP in 2021.
  
In the last two seasons (2022 - 2023), Luca is one of the protagonist of the successes of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team project, built around him to become among the most competitive riders in the Top class. He signs two pole positions, 4 podiums in the Sprint and two podiums in the Sunday race.