2023 was a good year for Ducati, taking the top three spots in the Championship, with all three riders being from a different team.
Their works rider Francesco Bagnaia ended the season as Champion, but he will face some tough competition in 2024 as he defends his title.
Let’s take a look at five riders that I think you should keep an eye on going into the 2024 season.
Marc Marquez
After a difficult few seasons, hampered by injuries, 2024 will be seen as a fresh start for Marc Marquez as he switches to Gresini Racing from Repsol Honda.
It will also see the six-time World Champion race on Ducati bikes for the first time after joining the Honda team in 2013.
The Gresini Racing bike is considered by some to currently be the best on the grid and with Marquez unable to show his true ability on a difficult-to-ride Honda, it does give him a strong chance of putting in a title charge next season.
Alex Rins
After making the switch from Suzuki to Honda for the 2023 season, Alex Rins has spent most of it on the sidelines as he recovered from surgery on a broken right leg that he sustained during the Italian sprint race.
For 2024, he will be moving yet again, this time to Yamaha where he should have a bike that will allow him to score points and some possible podiums.
Rins also will bring some extra race-winning experience to the team and form a strong partnership with 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo.
Francesco Bagnaia
It would be hard to do a riders to watch article without mentioning the reigning World Champion as he prepares for his title defence with Ducati, where he will hope to make it three titles in a row.
With a new team-mate in Enea Bastianini, he will have the added pressure of outperforming the 2020 Moto2 Champion, who is also a 5 time MotoGP race winner.
Bangnaia has already proved himself but will face some tough competition if he hopes to retain his crown.
Jorge Martin
Last season’s runner-up is expected to be in the title fight again in 2024 with the Primac Racing Ducati team.
His second-place finish came after two consecutive ninth-place finishes after making the step up from Moto2, with Martin taking four race victories last season along with a further four podiums as he finished 39 points behind the Champion.
With the same team-mate going into 2024 and a strong year behind him, the foundations are there for Martin to go one step further next season.
Marco Bezzecchi
Staying with the VR46 team for another season, despite an approach from Pramac is Marco Bezzecchi, a rising star amongst the MotoGP ranks.
His third-place finish in the Championship in 2023 is impressive, where he took three race victories, with seven podiums overall.
If he can continue this form into 2024, he could be a real title contender but will face tough competition from the other, better-supported Ducati teams.
He will be in the mix for race wins and podiums however, which might just make him a strong contender for a front-running team should the opportunity arise.
So there is five riders which I think you should keep an eye out on in 2024. There is plenty of content coming out across both our website and Youtube channel during the month of December as part of ‘Apex Advent’. Make sure you follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and subscribe to us on Youtube so you don’t miss out on any content here on ‘The Apex Motorsport’.