“Burning” bike compelled di Giannantonio to retire from MotoGP Thai dash

Fabio di Giannantonio has revealed that he needed to voluntarily retire from the Thailand Grand Prix dash race as his bike was “fully burning” within the extra warmth.

The VR46 rider was on the cusp of the highest 10 within the half-distance race at Buriram when he mysteriously ran vast at Flip 5 with lower than a handful of laps to run, dropping down the order.

As his tempo continued to dwindle, he pulled into the pits on lap 11 of 13, turning into one in every of solely two riders alongside Jack Miller to not end the opening contest of the 2025 MotoGP season.

Talking afterwards, di Giannantonio defined that his Ducati bike was overheating a lot that he suffered a number of burns to his physique and it grew to become insufferable for him to proceed.

“What occurred is that the bike was burning fully, fully burning,” the Italian stated. “I received burns on the arms, on the legs, on the neck. 

“[It was] fully burning, like by no means earlier than. Ducati is likely one of the coolest bikes, so it is actually, actually unusual. 

“Even yesterday morning I had this sort of state of affairs. We all know that it isn’t a technical concern, the bike was working nicely, every thing was effective. 

“However we’ve got to know I am the one rider that’s burning himself. Different riders complain concerning the warmth, and possibly generally the entrance lever is sizzling, however for me it was not attainable to journey.

“On the straights [my feet] weren’t on the fairing. I used to be [riding] with legs open, arms open. 

“Once I was braking I used to be placing away each my ft. I used to be simply eradicating each [body part] from the bike, it was fully burning.”

Explaining his determination to chop his race quick, he stated: “It was an excessive amount of. I needed to proceed. However earlier than the final nook I received virtually on the proper aspect [of the track].

“So I stated ‘okay, I am out of the factors, the bike is burning, I am racing rather a lot, the shoulder is feeling, in order that’s it, I am unable to anymore – let’s avoid wasting laps for tomorrow’s race’.”

The Aprilia RS-GP has been a very troublesome bike to journey within the hotter Asian races, with Aleix Espargaro revealing that he had “burned his arms” and was compelled to open his visor in final 12 months’s Malaysian Grand Prix. 

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Staff

Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Photographs

Nonetheless, Aprillia’s points have all the time affected its total fleet of bikes, whereas di Giannantonio was curiously the one Ducati rider to endure burns at Buriram. The 26-year-old is certain that VR46 will discover a resolution in time for Sunday’s grand prix.

“I am actually assured concerning the group and I am assured that they may repair it,” he added. “We have now to discover a technique to repair it, to search out options to repair it. I do not need to assume that we can’t repair it. 

“Additionally as a result of my colleagues with the identical model are doing the race with out this sort of massive concern, so we have to be like that. 

“I am not that apprehensive. However right this moment it is a pity as a result of we misplaced a great alternative to do a great job even with the harm.”

Di Giannantonio is contesting the grand prix a bit over two weeks after breaking his collarbone whereas performing a wheelie within the Sepang take a look at.

Coming into the weekend, he stated he was 95 per cent match however felt that his shoulder was working at “zero per cent”.

Pictures from Thailand GP – Saturday