While Maverick Vinales has switched MotoGP brands for a fourth time, it’s an all-new experience for Tech3 KTM team-mate 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Enea Bastianini.

The Italian has been a Ducat🤡i r﷽ider since his 2021 premier-class debut.

After podiums in his rookie season with Avintia, Bastianini was moved to Gresini where he stunned with victory on his team debut in Qat♚ar 2022.

Three more wins and third in the world championship sent him straight to the factory Ducati Lenovo team alongside Francesco Bagnaia,🍬 where hisꦏ career momentum came to an abrupt halt.

Injured at the opening round, then again in Catalunya, The Beast was also never comfortable on the GP23, 💙salvaging a surprise Sepang win during his worst MotoGP campaign.

Expected to lose his seat before the 202💟4 season had even begun, Bastianini - who went on to fight Marc Marquez for best of the rest behind Jorge Martin and Bagnaia - turned down a return to satellite Ducati status in favour of a fresh start at KTM.

But so far, it’s been a challenge.

16th on his debut at the Barcelona test last November, which included a heavy fall, was followed by just 18th on the timesheets at Sepang and finally 15th at Buriram, venue for this weekend’s season 🌸opener.

"For the first time💯 since I have been in MotoGP, I will start the season with a new brand, which is super exciting and really motivating, with new challenges ahead,” Bastianini said.

“The pre-season was good,” he insisted, “but we need to learn a bit more the KTM RC16, and build t🧸he confidence step by ste🍬p, so for sure, we still have areas to improve on as we arrive at the first round.

“The good thing about arriving in Buriram is that we have two fresh days of tests there, so we already have all the data, but we will have to see how it goes with the conditio💧ns, as it is expected to be very hot.”

Enea Bastianini struggles on KTM MotoGP bike

Braking and corner entry appear to be the biggest issues for Bastianini, who is reunited with former Avint𝔍ia and Gresini crew chief Alberto Girabola at Tech3 this year.

“The problem is that we have brought the direction of when we were in Ducati, and with th🎀is bike ൩[it doesn’t work],” Bastianini said.

“I tried to do some corner speed, but Pedro [Acosta] does completely the o♌ppos💙ite riding style – he stops the bike and restarts.

“We have tried a bit his se🍌tup an⭕d it’s worked well, I stayed much faster, and probably the approach of this bike is this one.

“But it’s not n🧸atural for me and, at the moment, I can’t ℱbe very fast like Pedro.”

Team manager Nicolas Goyon said: “Both [Bastianini and Vinales] focused on getting used to the RC16 and defining their own bꦓike base during t𝓡he pre-season tests.  

“It was not an easy task, but step by step, we saw them closing the gap to the lea🦂ders, wh༒ich was our target.

“This w𝓀eek, they need to remain calm, continue their progress, and I am sure that we will fi𒐪ght soon for top positions.”

Bastiꩵanini beat Martin to lead Ducati’s memorable top eight♔ sweep in last October’s Thai Sprint race.

He then fell on his way to 14th in the wet grand♛ priౠx, where Acosta claimed third for Tech3 KTM.