Not only Ducati against Fabio Quartararo in the challenge for the 2022 MotoGp title. Horses and classification in hand there is certainly also a third wheel, that is the other Italian brand of Aprilia, which, given the latest results, has no intention to stand by and watch in these last five Grands Prix that will decide such an uncertain season after the dominance in the first part of the year by the French Yamaha rider, still leader of the World Championship but with only 10 points over Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) and 17 over Aleix Espargaro of the Noale team, in fact.
More detached, 48 points from the Diablo, is Enea Bastianini, the next official Ducati team rider next to 'Pecco' who seems to be pulling himself out of the fight: "Forty-eight points are too many for me to fill.
but I want to continue like this and be competitive in the last part of the championship.
We will see what happens race by race. "
To write the next page of a very open championship will be already Sunday the race in Japan, in Motegi, where in addition to the duel for the title it will be interesting to see the progress of Marc Marquez after returning to the track in Aragon fresh from the fourth operation on his arm and from a long stop.
For the Spanish champion, the primary objective is to finish the race after the unfortunate elimination on the first lap last Sunday, but there is also the desire not to disfigure in front of the Honda fans.
And who knows who the home crowd between Quartararo, Bagnaia and the third wheeler Espargaro will cheer for in a World Cup key.
The Spaniard has always been in contact with the top of the standings and the outcome of the Aragon race since the beginning of the year,
with the unfortunate zero scored by the world champion and his third place behind Bastianini and Bagnaia, he revived the ambitions of the centaur from Granolleres.
This means that, with five races at the end of the championship, even the veteran of the Aprilia house is once again the master of his own destiny.
In fact, if he managed to conquer success in all the remaining events he would be arithmetically world champion, without having to depend on the results of others.
And in Noale, despite the supremacy of Ducati (which after the conquest of the constructors 'title wants to go back to winning the riders' classification, 15 years after Casey Stoner's world championship triumph), they do not stop believing in the company with a calendar that seems favorable to characteristics of the top Aprilia rider.
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The World Championship starts from scratch - said the Aprilia team manager, Romano Albesiano - and we are ready: we can play for it.
Aragon was fundamental for Aleix, he had to go fast and he did it.
Now we have to be good at giving him the right bike, because he will fly on the next tracks. "
And the challenge to the Quartararo-Bagnaia duo has started.