Image: Foremost Media.

The DesmoSport Ducati team will switch to the 2023 Ducati V4 R for the remaining races this season, with the charge of Broc Pearson to be boosted by the latest model machinery in the final two Mi-Bike Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) rounds this year.

Pearson was previously riding an older model Ducati V4 R, with the Queenslander achieving his best overall result of the year to date last time out at Morgan Park, qualifying third and going 5-4 for fourth overall.

“The new bike isn’t massively different, but it is always nice to be on all-new bikes for a start,” DesmoSport Ducat co-owner Ben Henry explained. “We have put a lot of effort into getting these things right down to the weight limit, just to try and do as good as we can.

“Honestly, they have got a little bit more power, they accelerate a little bit quicker and our old bikes are 2019s, they are just getting long in the tooth. It’s nice to have fresh ones, and hopefully, it gives us a little edge and another few tenths.

“He’s [Broc Pearson] is slowly coming forward, he is moving forward. If we can sort of consolidate ourselves a bit more firmly in the top five, that would be a nice way to finish the year.”

Two rounds remain in the 2023 Mi-Bike Australian Superbike Championship, with round six taking place at Phillip Island between 27-29 September. While there are no major changes to the 2023 Ducati V4 R, Henry is confident that the small improvements will be positive ahead of the remaining races.

“The engine is a little bit more powerful, the spinning components are a little bit lighter, honestly it’s not massively different,” Henry added. “The linkage is a little bit different, but it’s not a big thing. There’s nothing in it that’s too crazy, but it’s just the small stuff and I’m confident that it will give just a little something small.”