MotoGP News: Ducati Lauds 'Incredible' Francesco Bagnaia For Winning The Race of Champions

Saajan Jogia | Jul 28, 2024

Apr 13, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Francesco Bagnaia (1) of Italy and Ducati Lenovo Team rides during the qualifying session for the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Ducati praised MotoGP Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia for his victory in the 10-lap Lenovo Race of Champions during World Ducati Week at Misano on Saturday.

The showpiece race featured Ducati's top 15 riders from MotoGP, World Superbikes, and British Superbikes, all competing on the newly unveiled Panigale V4. Introduced by Ducati earlier in the week, the new bike added an extra layer of excitement to the event.

Bagnaia swiftly overtook polesitter Andrea Iannone on the first lap and, after a spirited battle, held off his rival to claim victory. However, the event also saw Nicolo Bulega crash out at the last corner following contact with Marc Marquez, who went on to secure third place.

Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali expressed his excitement after witnessing the race. He told the media:

"The Lenovo Race of Champions is an incredible spectacle for all motorcycling fans.

“Personally, I had a lot of fun during the race, and seeing the red crowd of World Ducati Week on the grandstands of the Misano Circuit was a great emotion.

“Congratulations to Pecco, who once again showed the world his incredible talent by winning a world-class race, and congratulations also to Andrea and Marc, who finished on the podium.

“We would have also liked to have Nicolo on the podium during the celebratory moment, but it was rightly given priority for medical checks after the crash.

“The Lenovo Race of Champions and this WDW2024 was the perfect setting to demonstrate the value of the new Panigale V4, and the improvement in performance compared to the 2022 race makes us proud of the work done on this motorcycle."

Bagnaia, who could hear fans cheering through his helmet, said:

“First of all, I want to say that it was fantastic seeing so many people on the grandstands.

“I was even able to hear people cheering, although I had the helmet on while racing; it was really incredible.

“The race was great; I enjoyed it a lot. I couldn’t understand what the gap was, so I just pushed a lot and had a lot of fun.

“I am very happy to have tried the new Panigale V4 here in Misano, and I really look forward to training on it from now on.”