Valentino Rossi's MotoGP team unveils 2023 livery
MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi’s VR46 Racing team has uncovered the livery it will race with in its second season in the premier class in 2023.
After backing Luca Marini's side of the Avintia garage in 2021, VR46 stepped up to MotoGP properly in 2022 as a Ducati satellite outfit.
Originally embroiled in controversy surrounding title sponsorship from Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco, which vehemently denied any such deal when it was announced by Tanal Entertainment in 2021, VR46 found primary backing from Italian banking firm Mooney.
Despite this controversy, VR46 enjoyed a solid maiden campaign last year with Marini and rookie Marco Bezzecchi, with the latter scoring a podium at the Dutch TT and taking pole for the Thailand GP aboard a 2021-spec Ducati.
For 2022, Marini and Bezzecchi remain in the line-up and both will contest the 2022-spec bike Francesco Bagnaia won the championship with.
This does mark a shift in Ducati support for VR46, which did have factory machinery in 2022 for Marini but will now file just four works bikes across its factory squad and Pramac Racing.
Running a one-off black livery for the Sepang pre-season test last month, VR46 has unveiled its true 2023 colours at its launch event on Monday.
The livery remains largely unchanged, featuring orange and yellow stripes on a black background.
The VR46 squad finished eighth overall in the teams' standing, just 20 points behind Gresini - who won four races – and 60 clear of the struggling factory Honda outfit.
Marini was its highest-placed rider in the championship in 12th, with Bezzecchi taking top rookie honours in 14th.
VR46 ended last month's Sepang test fastest of all, after Marini topped the final day of running.
Just three teams now are yet to reveal their 2023 liveries, with LCR Honda doing so on Tuesday followed by Aprilia the day before the Portimao test gets underway on Friday 10 March.
RNF Racing, which will field Aprilia machinery having parted ways with Yamaha at the end of last season, will pull the wraps off its new look for 2023 on 16 March.
The 2023 season gets underway on 26 March with the Portuguese Grand Prix.
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