Taking a break from competing for his third MotoGP title, Ducati Lenovo rider Francesco Bagnaia wins the third Lenovo Race of Champions, held during World Ducati Week at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
A total of 15 Ducati riders took part, riding the new Ducati Panigale V4 S this year. They includes MotoGP riders Bagnaia, Marc Marquez, Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Enea Bastianini, Franco Morbidelli, Jorge Martin, and Alex Martin, alongside World Superbike riders Andrea Iannone, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, Alvaro Bautista, Danilo Petrucci and Nicolo Bulega, test rider Michele Pirro, and British Superbike rider Glenn Irwin.
Bagnaia also won the 2022 event, ahead of Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi. Due to the disruption of the global panedemic, the first Ducati race of champions was actually held in 2018, won by Ducati test rider Michele Pirro ahead of Tito Rabat and Xavi Fores.
It’s not often you get to see MotoGP, World Superbike and other riders compete on the same machinery, even if some might have a bit more knowledge of the Misano circuit that others. The bikes had track modifications include the fairing and racing bellypan, Brembo GP4-MotoGP brake calipers and Z04 pads, and a billet top triple clamp personalised with the rider’s name.
World Ducati Week 2024 also broke attendance records, with more than 94,000 people visiting the 12th annual event.
Keep up with all the latest Ducati bikes, customs, classics and more, here. Along with upcoming motorcycle events in the UK and around the world, here. In the past, the Race of Champions bikes have been auctioned after the event, but if you can’t quite afford that, check out the secondhand Panigale V4S examples currently being offered secondhand on eBay.
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Ducati 2023 MotoGP and WorldSBK Teams Launched
After winning both championships in 2022, the Ducati 2023 MotoGP and WorldSBK teams launched at a joint event in the Alps this week. It was a chance to see the unveiling of the bikes, liveries and riders who will be competing in both series this year.
The Ducati Lenovo Desmosedici GP bikes will be ridden by reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia, and new team-mate Enea Bastianini, who finished third in 2022 riding for the Gresini Racing team. It’s Bagnaia’s third season riding for the team, and will also mark 20 years since the Italian factory debuted in the premier class in 2003.
Alongside the MotoGP machines, the Aruba.it Racing Ducati team were also unveiled with the Panigale V4 R of Alvaro Bautista wearing the number 1 plate. Baustista is once again partnered by Michael Ruben Rinaldi.
Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #19)
“We have a new challenge ahead of us. After a fantastic season in which we won with Ducati in both Superbike and MotoGP, 2023 will inevitably be a difficult year. Racing with the number 1, in fact, means that our objective can only be one: to win. We’ll have a lot of pressure but at the same time we’ll have to keep calm, try to work with high concentration but also with serenity. We’ll have a new bike and even if it won’t be extremely different from the 2022 one, the work that we’ll be able to do before the first race is crucial: we have to fix all the details that will allow us to get the best performance.
I’d also like to address a thought to all the Ducatistas: I’m very proud of all our fans who followed us last season, and I hope that with the result we’ve achieved, in 2023 there will be even more of them supporting us at circuits all over the world. I am a Ducatista and I feel lucky to be able to defend the colours of the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team”.
Michael Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati #21)
“I start this new adventure with great enthusiasm. Together with my team we have always made progress in the last two years, managing to improve our results. As a team we won the three titles last season and this means that the package is very strong. During the winter, we have analyzed the points we have to focus on, in order to improve and to be competitive for the title race. I have worked a lot over the last few weeks and I will continue to do so with great dedication as I want to always be able to express my maximum potential. There will be a lot of new things, also on the bike, so I can’t wait to get started. I want to thank Aruba and Ducati for the opportunity to ride this beautiful Panigale V4 R and be part of such an ambitious team”.
With both Ducati teams fielding the reigning world champions, it’s set to be an interesting season for the Italian motorcycle firm.
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