MotoGP Valencia Championship: Pecco Bagnaia is red with pleasure

With a nonchalant step and an Olympian calm exuding like a deep inner joy, Pecco Bagnaia headed towards his family and his Ducati people to secure the title of World Champion of the year, validated at the Valencia Grand Prix. at the drop of the checkered flag. At the same time, the Italian broke statistics by achieving this, and he fulfilled expectations in his country and within a firm from Borgo Panigale, able to win everything this year. Because the coronation in WSBK is also to come…

His rival fabio quartararo will have given everything and will have played his last chance with panache. Brad Binder will also have impressed on his KTM while, last but not least, alex rins materialized in what was also the last MotoGP Grand Prix of Suzuki. A farewell worthy of this GSX-RR adventure whose euthanasia by its parents is heartbreaking.

From the final race podium to the battlefield induction ceremony Pecco Bagnaia, and before the high mass this evening in tailored suits and bow ties, everyone had reason to be happy with this sunny epilogue on Ricardo Tormo's route. But to all lords, all honor, let's focus on the new king.

He is the first Italian rider to win the MotoGP world championship 13 years later Valentino Rossi (2009). It allows Ducati to win the drivers' championship 15 years later Casey Stoner (2007). Finally an Italian rider wins the world championship in the premier category on an Italian motorcycle, 50 years later Giacomo Agostini on MV Agusta (1972). The hero of the day commented: “ it was the hardest race, I wanted to finish in the top 5. Then there was a lot of suffering with the front tire. But what matters is to have won the championship, we are champions and I'm happy! ».

Pecco Bagnaia came to fruition despite a difficult start to the season and a disadvantage which at one point seemed insurmountable of -91 on fabio quartararo after the Sachsenring race. In nine races, he collected 114 points more than Quarterly, never before seen in MotoGP.

Championship: Pecco Bagnaia has breathtaking figures

This season he won Sept races and he is the second driver Ducati to have won so many in one season behind Casey Stoner (10 in 2007) and ahead Andrea Dovizioso (6 in 2017). A driver did not win 7 MotoGP races since Marc Marquez won 12 in 2019. In this championship he won 10 podiums and he is the second driver Ducati to have achieved the most podiums in a season behind Casey Stoner (14 in 2007) and ahead Andrea Dovizioso (9 in 2018 and 2019).

With five pole positions conquered, he is the second pilot Ducati to have conquered the most top positions in a season behind Casey Stoner (9 in 2008) and ahead Jorge Lorenzo (4 in 2018) and tied with Jorge Martin (5 poles in 2022). bagnaia has won 11 of the last 25 races in Grand Prix and on 37 races (start of the 2021 season) is mounted 19 time on the podium.

He argued 172 races (67 in MotoGP, 36 in Moto2 and 69 in Moto3), collecting 21 victories (11 in MotoGP, 8 in Moto2 and 2 in Moto3). The first victory in the Top Class came last year in Aragon while of the 18 pole positions won in MotoGP (in addition to 6 in Moto2 and 1 in Moto3), the first came in 2021 in Qatar. Pecco had already won the Moto2 title in 2018. , when he raced for the VR46 Sky Racing team. He was born in Turin on January 14, 1997, and wears the number 63. 21 was his number but as he was not free in Moto2 as in MotoGP, he took 42 (2×21) for Moto2 and 63 (3×21) for MotoGP…

MotoGP Valencia Championship: final ranking (20/20)

Ranking motogp.com