Ducati confirms the date for 2019 MotoGP team launch 

The Ducati team has recently announced that the 2019 MotoGP team launch will take place on 18 January 2019 at 18:00 (CET) in Switzerland.

The event could be streamed live on Ducati's website and on the company's official Facebook and Youtube channels. Not many details have been divulged by the Italian manufacturer regarding the upcoming machine, adding a veil of mystique to the next-gen Desmosedici GP.

A new adventure is about to begin: hop in with us and watch it live at 18.00 (CET) on https://t.co/yo2lMNMxGz and our official Facebook and Youtube channels as we get ready for another exciting @MotoGP season. pic.twitter.com/Nh8bhyErZ7

— Ducati Motor (@DucatiMotor) January 10, 2019

The upcoming season will not see Jorge Lorenzo on the Italian machine alongside Andrea Dovizioso, but will instead feature the young-talent Danilo Petrucci. Michele Pirro will most-likely be part of the team as a test rider.

The 2018 testing at Jerez, which saw Petrucci finish fifth and Dovizioso finish eight was a historic first for the Italian manufacturer as for the first time, it managed to bring in the next-gen Desmosedici GP for the end-of-year tests.

Both the drivers were happy with the test results and would be hoping that the improved 2019 machine would allow them to get one better over the current MotoGP champion Marc Marquez and deny the Spaniard his sixth world championship in seven consecutive years.

Danilo Petrucci said, "After four days of testing at Valencia and Jerez, I’m very happy with the work that we have done. We tested many different solutions but my feeling with the bike has always been good, and so I’m satisfied."

"I’m pleased because we were able to understand the differences between the various solutions better than yesterday and we have ended these last two tests of 2018 at Valencia and Jerez with some good feedback," added Dovizioso regarding the team's performance with the 2019-spec motorcycle.

The first MotoGP action that one would see in 2019 would be during the month of February when all the teams head to the Sepang International Circuit for a scheduled three-day testing session to better understand the vehicle before the season gets underway the following month.

The testing session at Malaysia would allow everyone to examine the 2019 version of the Desmosedici GP in great detail.

The 2019 MotoGP championship will commence in March 2019 at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.