MotoGp, no Iannone in Barcelona: it's Pirro's turn

Bologna, 9 November 2024 – After the Sepang GP Andrea Iannone will not be in Barcelona for the last Moto GP weekend of the season. The Abruzzo rider, who has been absent from the top class since 2019 due to a disqualification, had been chosen by VR 46 to replace Fabio By Giannantonio in Malaysia, with excellent results on the time even if the physical endurance on racing cars of this kind has presented the price, but for the last Grand Prix scheduled in a week at Montmelo it will be up to the test driver Michele Pirro. It will most likely be him, although it is not yet official, to ride the Ducati Pertamina on the Catalan circuit and also in the successful end-of-season tests.  

Pirro already working on the 2025 bike

It was certainly not a technical choice due to the poor performance of Iannone, who in any case would have evaluated what to do in case of a proposal, the physical expenditure is impressive and he has never ridden these bikes, but rather to an evaluation with a view to 2025. Ducati test rider Michele Pirro, one of the architects of the creation of such an unbeatable Desmosedici, has already been working on next year's bike for some time, where he rode it in Jerez to test it, and also for logistical reasons he will take part in the GP della Solidarietà and then also in the end-of-season tests where the new features for 2025 will be tested. It will therefore be up to him to ride the Ducati VR 46 designed by Pertamina from Friday to Sunday for the last weekend of the season, while from the following Tuesday he will be back on track for tests with the new bikes. Ducati's attention, obviously, is on the new frame that will be made available from next year.

In Barcelona the proceeds will be donated to charity

As it is known, Barcelona replaces as final appointment Valencia, which was hit by the flood and unable to host the GP. It will be called the Solidarity Grand Prix and in fact the proceeds from the tickets will be donated to the affected populations, to date 30 thousand tickets have been reached, but the initiatives to support the flood victims will continue throughout the weekend. Three auctions will be held to raise money and aid for the city of Valencia, which has been seriously injured. One of the auctions in Barcelona will be organised in the circuit's fan zone, while a second will take place online, all in support of those affected by the water and mud. A three-day solidarity event in which it is hoped to donate not only funds to those in need but also a couple of hours of entertainment and distraction from the flood. It will be a Grand Prix that will also award the world titles for riders, constructors and teams, which were previously held by Ducati, between Jorge Martin and Pecco bagnaiaThe Spaniard leads with a 24-point advantage and there are 37 available. If Bagnaia were to win both Saturday and Sunday, Jorge would need to collect at least 14 points to become Moto GP world champion for the first time. Read also - Liberty Media buys Moto GP: a billion dollars ready