SportsNews

Di Giannantonio will try to “annoy” Marquez and Bagnaia on Ducati GP25

Published

11 months ago

December 29, 2024

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team © Motorsport.com

Fabio di Giannantonio says he will try to “annoy” Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia when he is on the same equipment as the factory Ducati riders in MotoGP next year.

On the back of his impressive form astride a year-old bike in 2024, di Giannantonio has landed a contract directly with Ducati to ride its latest GP25 at VR46 next year.

The terms of the deal give him the same status that allowed Jorge Martin to win the 2024 MotoGP title with Pramac. However, while Franco Morbidelli also enjoyed the same privilege at Pramac this year, di Giannantonio will now be the only rider outside the official team to get a factory-spec bike and full technical support from the Borgo Panigale marque.

The Italian is hoping this will allow him to mix with former champions Marquez and Bagnaia in MotoGP next year, but thinks there won’t be so much pressure on him to perform at the top level.

“It’s a beautiful opportunity, that’s how it is,” he told GPOne. “This season on the GP25 will be a beautiful opportunity to become an even better rider.

“It’s a responsibility, it’s something I’ve been looking for all my life, but at the same time we are not the ‘reds’ today, so in reality we can still ‘play’. The responsibility of being in an official team is different, there you have to win, so I think that kind of responsibility will be especially felt by Pecco and Marc”.

“We can have a lot of fun, try to be the outsiders, we can try to annoy them, and this will also give me the opportunity to learn a lot from them by working on their same level. So I don’t see any negative aspects, but only a great opportunity. I’m sorry I didn’t get podiums this year, for the team, I would really like to do well to see them celebrate.

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“As I often say, however, I don’t want to think about the results already, the goal must be to grow and enjoy the experience: enjoy the GP25, go fast, enjoy this moment for which we have sweated, enjoy the privileged relationship with Ducati, and in the end we will draw a line and see how it went!”

Di Giannantonio’s MotoGP career was seemingly coming to an end after 2023 as six-time premier class champion Marquez broke his contract at Honda to take the Italian’s spot at Gresini.

But that announcement coincided with an upturn in form for the Italian, leading to his maiden grand prix victory at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Finding a reprieve at VR46 this year, he outperformed his more experienced team-mate Marco Bezzecchi, finishing in 10th place in the riders’ championship.

But having picked up an injury on his left shoulder in Austria, he was forced to skip the last two races of the year in order to undergo a surgery.

The long recovery period meant he was also absent from the post-season test at Barcelona last month – and thus missed out on the opportunity to ride the new GP25 prototype.

However, having received positive feedback on the new bike from Ducati test rider Michele Pirro, who was able to draw a direct comparison between the two versions of the Desmosedici after racing the GP23 in Barcelona, the 26-year-old is eager to start the next chapter of his career in the Sepang test in February.

“I can’t wait to try it to personally understand what feeling it will give me,” he said. “From the amazed comments of those who tried the GP23 again [Pirro], to then get on the GP25 [in the test], I was surprised.

“Above all, I expect not to struggle so much in riding at the pace we have been used to this year. This in itself would already be a significant step forward. It would allow me to optimize my riding style, not having to focus on optimizing the package.

“Obviously I don’t take anything for granted, it is still a new bike and there will be a period of adaptation, but I certainly expect to start from an excellent base.”

SportsNews

EPL: Fulham must move on from defeat to Manchester City — Iwobi

Published

2 days ago

December 3, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

Alex Iwobi says Fulham must stay positive despite their 5-4 defeat to Manchester City at Craven Cottage on Tuesday.

Marco Silva’s side put up a spirited display in the encounter, and were unlucky not to get at least one point.

Iwobi started the fight back by scoring the second goal for Fulham early in the second half.

The versatile midfielder’s compatriot, Samuel Chukwueze then rose from the bench to score two more goals for the Cottagers.

Manchester City, however, held on to go home with maximum points.

Iwobi stated that they deserved more from the game.

“I feel disappointed because we didn’t get anything out of the fighting spirit that we showed, but I think we have to take the positivity from the game,” Iwobi told the club’s official website.

Fulham will be away to Crystal Palace in their next Premier League game on Sunday.

SportsNews

EPL: Guardiola names team that impresses him everyday

Published

2 days ago

December 3, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola has named the Premier League club that has impressed him so much this season.

The Spaniard said that Enzo Maresca’s side have really impressed him with the improvement they make everyday.

Speaking after Manchester City beat Fulham 5-4 in the Premier League on Tuesday night, Guardiola pointed out that a team must remain consistent to win the title.

Pep Guardiola’s side closed the gap at the top of the Premier League to just two points behind Arsenal with the victory over Fulham, but the Gunners could maintain their five points lead with a win over Brentford on Wednesday night.

“Chelsea impresses me more and more every day with Enzo [Maresca], but it’s long,” he told reporters after the win.

“Premier League is so long, many things will happen. We won six Premier Leagues, four or five when we in December, January or February we were behind.

“The team who wins the Premier League is the team who grows during the months and this is what we try to do. No injuries, it’s so long.

“But at the same time, if we push, we will be better and push ourselves and control the situations better, the emotions and we will see what happens.”

SportsNews

Outrage As ‘Biological Male’ Wins World’s Strongest Woman Event in Texas (Photos)

Published

1 week ago

November 26, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

The 2025 World’s Strongest Woman final has sparked outrage after an alleged transgender athlete won gold.

American Jammie Booker, who is accused of being a biological male, beat Great Britain’s Andrea Thompson to victory at the event in Arlington, Texas.

According to Mail Online, Thompson walked off the podium, appearing to say ‘this is bulls***,’ while Booker celebrated. The Brit has since been crowned the ‘true World’s Strongest Woman’ by her coach and some of her peers.

Rebecca Roberts, a three-time winner of World’s Strongest Woman, has sensationally claimed that no one – not even the organizers – knew about Booker’s background.

Details on the American are not clear, but the publication sighted a YouTube video – uploaded to what appears to be Booker’s YouTube channel in September 2017, with Booker saying: ‘Everyone is dying to tell their own story and I am obviously no exception to that.

‘I’m 21-year-old trans woman with a history of abuse, struggling to stay true to herself while under the rule of her religious parents.’

On Monday night, Roberts posted a picture on Instagram that read ‘Protect Women’s Sports.’ She wrote alongside the picture: ‘I hold no hate toward transgender people. Everyone deserves dignity, respect, and the freedom to live their truth.

But I cannot stay silent about something that threatens the fairness and future of women’s strength sports. Transgender women, people born male, should not be competing in the women’s category.

This isn’t about identity. It isn’t about politics. It’s about the undeniable physical differences that exist in strength-based sports… differences that don’t disappear, and that matter more here than almost anywhere else. Women’s categories were created for a reason, and if we lose that, we lose the foundation of our sport.

‘What happened this weekend wasn’t transparent. None of us knew. Not even the organisers knew. And when fairness is taken by surprise, trust in the sport begins to crack.

‘My message is simple. Trans people belong in sport, but women’s divisions must remain biologically born female-only.

‘I love this sport. I have given my life to it. And I won’t ignore something that could quietly change it forever. Congratulations to @andreathompson_strongwoman… the true World’s Strongest Woman 2025’