ROAD NEWS

( Ducati), edged out Bez( Marco Bezzecchi) and his Aprilia Racing Team for the early season bragging rights as the Italian brands resume the battle for 2026. Hot on their heels was VR46’ s Fabio Di Giannantonio, also Ducati mounted. Meanwhile, last year’ s winner, Marc Marquez had an up and down time, crashing for the first time this season but luckily was unhurt. He was not alone, with several riders practicing their crashing technique over the two days. To put it into perspective, over the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 grids, the average season sees around 900‘ offs’ over the testing and racing. The low injury rate is testament to the ability of their gear to protect them and the tracks to be as safe as possible. Compared with the days of old, racing in these classes is a much less risky ordeal. Still, the speeds they get up to and the

78 KIWI RIDER