By APS Staff
Valencia, Spain — Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia secured his second consecutive MotoGP World Championship title with a dominant victory at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia on Sunday. Starting from pole position, the Ducati rider controlled the race from start to finish.
Bagnaia’s (Ducati Lenovo) built a comfortable lead in the early laps, despite a late charge from Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), Bagnaia crossed the line with a comfortable margin of victory in first place, ultimately earning 25 points for an overall season of 467 points, granting him top honors as Champion two years running.
“It’s a dream,” said Bagnaia after the race. “I’ve always dreamed of winning the title by also winning the race… It’s fantastic. I could not have asked for better.”
Martin suffered a collision in lap 6 with Marc Marquez who would fail to finish the final race with his iconic sponsor of over a decade, Repsol Honda, before joining Gresini Ducati.
“It was a big impact. Especially on the head and the ankle. But nothing broken, so this is the most important,” said Marquez. “Jorge was a bit too optimistic on that overtake, but I understand. I will not push against him, I understand completely his mentality.”
Though Martin managed to keep on the tail of Bagnaia up to the collision, he too retired from the race and contention for the championship title, coming in second in overall standings at 428 points.
“It was a really complicated place but I think was the best option to move up a little bit the race,” Martin said, regarding the crash. “Then I saw it was complicated, too risky, so I tried to be behind, but I was… I don’t know the word, ‘sucked’ by the slipstream.”
Feeling complicit in Marquez’s final DNF with Honda, Martin went to apologize to the Spaniard in person. “It tastes terrible to me,” Martin was caught saying.
“You were playing for the World Cup. You have done what you should,” said an understanding Marquez in reply.
This comes in stark contract to the heated exchange Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46) had with Marquez at the end of the race when Bezzecchi accused “the dirtiest rider in MotoGP” of intentionally sliding into him, causing him to wipe out.
“He hit me, right here in my back,” said Bezzecchi. “The problem is that this time he hit me a bit harder and he made me crash very early.”
Bezzecchi accused FIM of protecting Marquez by not issuing any penalties against him in this and other close calls throughout the season. “He will regret what he said when he matures a little more,” said Marquez in response.
Ultimately Pecco’s season earned him seven first place wins and eight additional finishes on the podium. This marked a remarkable turnaround for the Italian rider; after a mix of wins and crashes at the start of the year—one of which resulting in a leg injury at Catalunya—Bagnaia stormed back into contention with a string of strong results as the season progressed.
“It’s been a great season even if Barcelona and the leg injury made it really tough for the run in,” said Bagnaia.
The 2023 MotoGP season was one of the most exciting and unpredictable in recent memory. With eight different Grand Prix winners and no back-to-back victories, the championship remained in doubt until the very end. However, it was Bagnaia who emerged as the Champion, twice over, proving himself to be a true star of the sport.
Final Results:
- Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo)
- Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Ducati)
- Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
- Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing Ducati)
- Raúl Fernández (CryptoData RNF MotoGP Aprilia)
Championship Final Standings:
- Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) – 467 points
- Jorge Martín (Ducati) – 428 points
- Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati) – 329 points
Cover: Newly crowned MotoGP World Champion, Francesco Bagnaia of the Ducati Lenovo Team, hoists his finger in victory at the conclusion of the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana finale of the 2023 racing season, near Valencia, Spain. | Аlbеrtо Sаіz, AP
Adrenaline Powersports Magazine 