The Ducati satellite team held their launch at Pramac’s headquarters in Italy on Wednesday as they prepare for their 15th season in MotoGP™.

On Wednesday 20th January Pramac celebrated 15 years of competing in the MotoGP™ World Championship. The celebration took place at Pramac’s headquarters in Casole d’Elsa, Siena, where it all began back in 2002. After having experienced Formula One, Pramac turned towards the two-wheeled world and in their first season entrusted Tetsuya Harada with the Honda NSR 500.

The first major success for the team came in 2003 when Makoto Tamada took third place at the Brazilian Grand Prix, and the following season he took Pramac Racing and Bridgestone to the top spot of the podium by winning the Japanese GP.

In 2005, Pramac Racing signed an agreement with Ducati, and in 2007 Alex Barros claimed third place at Mugello.

The hero of the 2008 season was Toni Elias, who took two consecutive podiums, the first at Brno (second place) then at Misano (third place).

Last season, Danilo Petrucci was chosen to replace Andrea Iannone (Pramac’s MotoGP™ ambassador) who was called up to the Factory team after a great year. Petrucci enjoyed a superb season and managed to secure another podium for the Pramac Racing team by finishing second at Silverstone.

During the celebratory event hosted by Sandro Donato Grosso from Sky, the new liveries for Octo Pramac Yakhnich’s two Ducati Desmosedici GP’s were presented. They team achieved positive results at a test in Jerez at the end of 2015 and Danilo Petrucci and Scott Redding form the team line up for the 2016 season.

Several riders took to the Octo Pramac Yakhnich stage after Paolo Campinoti’s opening remarks, which retraced the 15 years of Pramac’s MotoGP™ history. In an entertaining video, some riders also recounted their favourite moments from the team’s history. These included Alex Barros, Toni Elias, Max Biaggi, Loris Capirossi, Andrea Iannone, and surprise guest Carmelo Ezpeleta, who wished Paolo Campinoti and the team good luck in the upcoming 2016 season.

Paolo Campinoti (CEO Pramac and Principal of Pramac Racing Team): “It is a special day for all of us. We are about to start the 15th Pramac Racing MotoGP season and to celebrate we have returned to the place where it all began. In 2002, the presentation of the first team was held here and we are proud to be at Pramac once again to reaffirm, if there was ever a need, the strong bond between our company and the Team. We are coming from a season rich with accomplishments, the highlight being the podium won by Petrux at Silverstone. But Pramac is ambitious. The company is ambitious and the team should be as well. Therefore, we are looking forward to doing even better in 2016 with Danilo and the newest team member, Scott Redding, in whom we have great trust.

Once again, we will also have OCTO by our side, who enthusiastically joined us for the 2015 season and celebrated our fantastic victory at the podium of the OCTO British GP. We would like to welcome Yakhnich, and thank all of our partners who continue to put their trust in us. We consider them friends before sponsors.We are prepared to do our best this upcoming season, a season which I hope – and I am certain – will be exciting thanks to the Desmosedici GP, which Danilo and Scott already feel at home on. Pramac Racing is part of the Ducati family and 2016 marks the 12th consecutive season of this relationship which began in 2005, and which I hope will be stronger and more rewarding.”

Francesco Guidotti (Team Manager Octo Pramac Yakhnich): “This is an evening charged with emotion for me. To celebrate 15 years of Pramac Racing after already experiencing 5 years is a really wonderful feeling. I have lived a third of Pramac Racing history. We are coming from a season filled with accomplishments.Thanks to Danilo, the team reached the podium for the first time since 2008, but our goal is to do even better. The only person who cannot do better is the person who wins. Technical regulations have shuffled the cards, so we are talking about an important breakthrough. We have to work hard for this. But we are starting with great enthusiasm because a great challenge lies ahead of us. How much we can improve is difficult to say. Last year we bet on Danilo and we were right. This year we are betting on Scott and relaunching Danilo. It will be a season with many new opportunities, but we are ready to face new challenges and we can’t wait to get on the racetrack and battle it out.”

Danilo Petrucci: “I am very pleased to be here, and be a part of the Pramac family for the second year in a row. I am especially happy because I have found a close-knit group that has not changed. The great relationship I have with Daniele Romagnoli and all of the guys on the team reinforces the trust between us. I can’t wait to begin because there is so much to do, especially in light of the new regulations. I have a great desire to do better. The tests went very well, especially at Jerez where we made great strides forward compared to Valencia. I would like to thank the sports group Fiamme Oro, and those who have spent these last months with me: my trainer Marco Baglioni and my friends Tommaso and Filippo, with whom spent I spent a great week in Sardegna. This retreat recharged me and gave me strength. And then I would like to thank my family. I am ready to do my best for my fans and supporters. Rest assured, I will give my all!”

Scott Redding: “I am very excited. I got a fantastic feeling riding the bike during the first round of tests at Valencia. I immediately felt comfortable on the Ducati and it was a great sensation. I have to say that when I entered the box and met my new team in Valencia, the atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming. The guys welcomed me and I felt a desire to do my best. I feel that they have high expectations for me, but at the same time they do not put pressure on me. During the tests, my conversations with Giacomo Guidotti and the crew went perfectly, we immediately clicked. And then, as I said, the bike is insane. The weather wasn’t excellent in Valencia, but the main goal was to work. And, in fact, at Jerez we did an amazing job. I would like to thank Pramac and Ducati for choosing me and I can promise all of my fans and fans of the team that I will do everything I can to accomplish great things in 2016.”