Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati won the Valencia Grand Prix on Sunday to secure his second consecutive MotoGP world championship title after his closest rival, Jorge Martin, crashed out following a collision with Marc Marquez. Martin, who rode for Pramac Racing and was 14 points behind Bagnaia, had made the title race more exciting by winning the sprint on Saturday, but was ultimately unable to stop the Italian rider’s victory.
Bagnaia, who started the race on pole position after Maverick Vinales received a three-place penalty, had a great start but was closely matched in the first two laps by Martin, who moved up from sixth place to second by turn two. However, Martin’s eagerness to overtake Bagnaia resulted in a collision between the two on turn one of the third lap, causing Martin to drop down to seventh position.
Despite the setback, Martin attempted to climb back up the leaderboard but collided with Marquez and crashed out on lap six. This unfortunate incident also marked a disappointing end to Marquez’s time at Honda, as he plans to join Gresini Racing in 2024.
Jack Miller of KTM led the race for a significant period after overtaking Bagnaia in the 15th lap, but he crashed in the 20th lap, allowing Bagnaia to take the lead and ultimately win the race. Bagnaia had to fend off challenges from Fabio Di Giannantonio of Gresini Racing and Johann Zarco of Pramac Racing, who finished second and third respectively.
Other riders such as Marco Bezzecchi of VR46 Racing, Enea Bastianini of Ducati, and Augusto Fernandez of GasGas Factory Racing Tech3 were also unable to finish the crash-filled race. With clear track in front of him, Bagnaia crossed the finish line first to secure the title in a dominant fashion.
Overall, it was a thrilling and eventful end to the MotoGP season, with Bagnaia emerging as the champion. Ducati’s strong performance was evident with multiple riders contending for victory. The race also signaled the beginning of a new chapter for Marquez as he looks forward to joining Gresini Racing in the future.
