MotoGP Assen: Marco Bezzecchi: Casey Stoner praise ‘a big pleasure, I hope he saw some good skills’

The standout rookie so far in 2022, Marco Bezzecchi showed just why former two-time MotoGP champion Casey Stoner had such high praise for the Italian last season, after claiming a maiden premier class podium in Assen.
Marco Bezzecchi, Ducati MotoGP Assen
Marco Bezzecchi, Ducati MotoGP Assen

Bezzecchi ☂has been extremely fast throughout the first half of the 2022 MotoGP season, which was again⛎ highlighted by his ability to stay with Francesco Bagnaia for large parts of Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix. 

Despite failing to win the Moto2 title before joining Ducati in the form of Valentino Ross🦩i’s Mooney VR46 team, many expected Bezzecchi’s talent to translate well to MotoGP, with Stoner very much pa𝄹rt of that thinking.

During a visit to the MotoGP paddock at the 2021 season-finale, Stoner 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:shed high praise for what Bezzecchi wa🐻s able to do on a Moto2 machine: "Bezzecchi has something, maybe extra, but I haven’t seen it enough [in 2021].

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"I saw something in him, the lines he was able t🌊o do I didn't see others do. I'd like to see what he can do in MotoGP with more power." 

Still Ducati’s 🔥only MotoGP champion, S♏toner’s assessment of Bezzecchi has proven to be very accurate as the Italian has been the best rookie so far this season.

‘I hope he saw some good skills’ - Bezzecchi talks Stoner praise

Seven months later and Bezzecchi is now a podium finisher in MotoGP after he claimed a brilliant P2 in 🅷Assen. 

Speaking about the 🐼prai༒se he received, Bezzecchi called it a ‘big pleasure’ although it’s unclear to him what Stoner saw in his riding.

Marco Bezzecchi, Dutch MotoGP race, 26 June
Marco Bezzecchi, Dutch MotoGP race, 26 June

"I met Casey [Stoner] in Valencia last year but I didn’t really speak a lot with him. We 🌜just said ‘nice to meet you, how are🔥 you’," stated the 23 year-old. 

"So, I didn’t speak with him about this [comment], but I saw the interview and it was a big pleasure to me and to know he’s thinking of me like thisꦗ. But honestly, I don’t know what he saw, I hop꧒e some good skills."

Soft tyre call had Bezzecchi nervous for Dutch MotoGP

Having done most of his race runs on ♍the medium tyre, Bezzecchi put his trust in crew chief Matteo Flamigni to make what was a bold decision to use the soft rear tyre for Sunday’s race.

And ♌while it was a call that Bezzecchi questioned whilst sitting on the grid, it ultimately turned out to be a very good one.

"For me it was an incredible race," added Bezzecchi. "Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect with the soft [rear tyre].👍 We worked well [during the weekend] but with the 🙈medium. 

"I brought the medium to race distance and I did not expect that the medium was not good. Seeing in the qualifying 🔜that I was very fast, I did not think it was possible to be so slow with the ♑medium. 

"But with the soft I was making a maximum of six laps [race distance]. Matteo [Flamigni] gave me a lot of confidence in this choice because I wasn’t reall🥃y sure. Still sitting on the grid I didn’t know what to do but he said ‘we put the soft, don’t worry. You are good’. 

Francesco Bagnaia, Dutch MotoGP race, 26 June
Francesco Bagnaia, Dutch MotoGP race, 26 June

"When I saw Pecco in front I tried to go with him be𓂃cause I didn’t want to catch him; well if I could I would try, but the target was to escape from the others because Maverick [Vinales] was very fast. [The podium] is a fantasti🎀c feeling."

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