Bagnaia did not disappoint and took the MotoGP title

Since Marc Márquez lost the battle due to his important injury in 2020, the MotoGP World Championship has no owner and three riders who reached the championship in 2019 passed the crown: 2020 Joan Mir wore it, in 2021 Fabio Quartararo and in 2022 he became Pecco Bagnaia thanks to the most brutal comeback in the history of motorcycling without injury between opponents. He lost 91 points after the Sachsenring race, the 10th on the calendar, and after ten races he took the crown by 17 points over the deposed champion and took ninth place.

Bagnaia managed this 2022 to finish the remaining half in 2021. He was also the star of the second half of the championship, but Fabio Quartararo endured the onslaught like a champion despite a noticeable technical inferiority. This 2022 will be no miracle for the Frenchman who, only because of his immense quality, has weathered the storm and in the end put a Bagnaia in the difficulty of not being able to focus until the holiday. But Ducati, who took all the trophies in 2022, could not miss the jackpot again so they did not risk the last race.

Ducati has taken all the rider, team and factory titles, the rookie for Bezzecchi, and independent rider and team, Bastianini and Pramac Ducati, and only allowed Quartararo to enter the final MotoGP podium between Bagnaia and Bastianini.

After the victories of Izan Guevara and Pedro Acosta in the sensational Valencian weekend, with 92,166 spectators in the stands this Sunday for 170,380 over the whole three days, Alex Rins deservedly signed the Spanish treble at home He was certified with his second victory of the year in Suzuki’s farewell race.

Rins stole the wallet on the way out

From fifth place, Alex Rins stole the purse from Martin, Miller and Márquez, the men on the front line, and Quartararo complicated his life by making a normal start, quite the opposite of Bagnaia who won of two seats at once which were quickly taken. up position behind him, fifth and sixth. The Frenchman had three laps to try to improve, abandoning his life in the curves to shoot down the straights when Bagnaia himself entered the fray, no soft suiting the tough battles he was fighting at ‘The Ranch’ with his VR teammates Academy, and took advantage of Quartararo and Miller’s relationship to enter the battle in first person. And so the back-to-back testing laps went by and Bagnaia became Quartararo’s worst nightmare to try to win the race causing Rins, Martín and Márquez to distance themselves with Miller.

Farewell to Aleix’s third

The drama in the third turn is for Aleix Espargaro who, away from the spotlight, ended up retiring, giving third place in the championship to Bastianini if ​​he had scored -twelfth at that time-. Maverick Viñales also struggled, coming off points that ended up retiring 12 from the end. Because Aragón Aprilia no longer raised its head to what it had promised in the first two thirds.

Rins and Martín held off for a few meters when on the sixth lap Miller overtook Marc Márquez for third place. Quartararo let go of Bagnaia, who lost one of his lower fins in the duel with Quartararo, and it was not that comfortable, but he had only 22 laps to reach the head of the race. And this repeated fall in the first third is a serious warning to sailors.

Márquez was third on the Honda in nine laps

Rins, Martín, Miller and Márquez grouped up front and Binder came up the rear to pass Bagnaia for sixth place. Marc took a risk and on the ninth lap at turn 8 he became the third Honda to kiss the ground in nine laps, in his case when he was fourth.

From the vial Valentino Rossi, who had lost two titles as Cheste arrived with a table advantage, saw him dressed as a cyclist and holding a phone. His student listened to him, a good start to reach the height of Quartararo and bother him so that he does not improve and then finish the race without paying attention to the result and less than the aerodynamics touched. It was worth 14th even though his rival was likely to win the race, stuck in the top-4 with Binder following him and with 10 to go he overtook him and was on the podium.

Bagnaia was overtaken by Oliveira, Marini and Bastianini who dropped to ninth place. On the screens I could see that Quartararo was not in the lead so he was letting himself be carried to the finish line. What really counts is the title and making history: the first Italian champion since Rossi in 2009, the first Ducatista champion since Stoner 2007 and the first Italian to win on an Italian motorcycle since Agostini in 1972.

In front of Alex Rins he continued his career in Suzuki’s official farewell to MotoGP, a huge piece of motorcycle he lost in the premier class, leaving the two Ducatis at the mercy of Binder when Miller fell five from the end. Martín proved to be Rins’ best ally by holding off Brad Binder for three and a half laps. In a lap and a half there was no room or time to stop Rins from taking a second victory. Quartararo could not get on the podium, but he defended himself to the end with what he had, handed over the crown and was the first to congratulate the new champion. The second who will be his next partner, Bastianini.

Valentino Rossi did not miss the celebration

And then a celebration at turn 2 with his entourage, with Valentino Rossi and all the guys from the VR Academy and with the three main teams in his career showing the numbers: the 21 led by Mahindra Aspar in his stage, with Aspar and Borsoi, the 42 when he was champion in Moto2 with Sky VR 46 with Uccio and Pablo Nieto, and 63 when he was crowned in MotoGP with Ducati and Ciabatti and Tardozzi at the helm. Perhaps not being committed to a specific number will help us see for the first time since Casey Stoner a rider with a 1 on the bike.

And after pressing three magic numbers, the golden helmet of the champion came out. I couldn’t stop crying and I didn’t hear anything. And now to fulfill the promise to Domizia Castagnini, his partner for 7 years. touch scratch your pocket on a nice ring, get down on one knee and set the wedding date.

As for the other Spaniards, Joan Mir was sixth and Raúl Fernández twelfth and Alex Márquez fell on the seventh lap and Pol Espargaró on the fourth lap and Maverick Viñales retired on the 15th lap when he penultimate and Aleix Espargaró in third. .