Lenovo Race of Champions 2024
A star-studded field took to Misano on freshly revealed and identical 2025 model Ducati Panigale V4 S motorcycles as part of World Ducati Week on Saturday.
A fair number of the the talented competitors had taken part in the biannual event before, but it was the first time for both the Marquez brothers, and also the likes of British Superbike star Glenn Irwin.
The event was last held in 2022. Pecco Bagnaia was the victor in that contest ahead of Luca Marini, Marco Bezzecchi and Jack Miller.
Misano, along with Mugello, is the backyard and day-to-day training ground for the likes of Italians Pecco Bagnaia, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Marco Bezzecchi, Enea Bastianini and six-time Italian Superbike Champion Michele Pirro, so somewhat of a home ground advantage.
The bikes, though, were all-new, and the riders only had a pair of 20-minute sessions ahead of a ten-lap contest on the 55-degree Misano track surface.
Andrea Iannone beat MotoGP World Champion Pecco Bagnaia to pole position with 1m35.05. Fabio Di Giannantonio joined them on the front row while Nicolo Bulega headed row two ahead of Marc Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi .
Despite the lack of set-up time, and the fact that these were street bikes complete with lights and standard electronic suspension, the pole time was only a couple of seconds behind competitive World Superbike times at Misano.
Pecco Bagnaia led the field into turn one as Andrea Iannone and Nicolo Bulega clashed at turn one. Marc Marquez made up a number of positions over the opening few turns to move into fourth place, but with less than half-a-lap down Bagnaia, Iannone and Bulega were a long way ahead of their pursuers. Jorge Martin had been dusted up early on and was dead last at the end of lap one, 5.5-seconds down behind the race leader at the end of that opening lap. Rinaldi was fifth, Bezzecchi, sixth, Di Giannantonio seventh and Franco Morbidelli in eighth.
Marc Marquez quickly left the second pack behind and started closing in on the leading trio. At the end of lap two Marquez was 1.8-seconds behind race leader Bagnaia, and just over a second Bulega. Further back, Marco Bezzecchi had moved to the front of the second pack.
Alex Marquez put a tough move up the inside of Alvaro Bautista for 11th place early on lap three which interrupted the flow of both of them and allowed Jorge Martin to sneak through on both of them.
Up front Pecco Bagnaia had the hammer down to shake off Andrea Iannone and Nicolo Bulega. With six laps to run Marc Marquez was just under 1.4-seconds behind Bagnaia, and also a full-second behind third-placed Bulega.
At half-race distance Marzo Bezzecchi was holding down fifth place ahead of VR46 team-mate Fabio Di Giannantonio. Marc Marquez still had a lot of ground to make up on Bulega if he was going to challenge for a podium. Iannone and Bulega were still keeping pace with Bagnaia, preventing their their fellow Italian to break away any further.
Iannone then became the fastest man on track to step up his challenge for victory. Still a few bike lengths behind Bagnaia but keeping the pressure on. With three laps to run Bagnaia led Iannone by six-tenths, who in-turn now had six-tenths over Bulega, while Marquez was still more than a second behind third placed Bulega.
Bagnaia responded to Iannone’s pressure and pulled away over the closing laps to stamp his dominance on the event. Further back, Marc Marquez was now starting to catch Iannone and Bulega. The Spaniard was letting it all hang out on corner entry now he had the sniff of a podium finish.
As they started the last lap Marc Marquez was all over the back of Nicolo Bulega. He was always going to have a go, and he did that up the inside at the final turn, clashing with Bulega, sending the World Superbike rider down the road and leaving the Italian sitting disconsolately in the gravel trap with his arms up in the air.
To be fair, Marc was up the inside of Bulega at least 40 metres before the apex and had his nose in front from that far back, one of them was always going to have to relent.
Bagnaia was never headed on his way to a clear victory, but was pushed most of the way by Iannone.
Marc Marquez claimed that final step on the rostrum while Bulega headed to the medical centre clutching at his shoulder.
1. Pecco Bagnaia
2. Andrea Iannone +1.462s
3. Marc Marquez +2.556s
Marco Bezzecchi finished strongly in fourth place, 2.5-seconds ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Michael Rinaldi sixth, ten-seconds behind the victor, and just ahead of Franco Morbidelli and Enea Bastianini.
Jorge Martin had managed to climb his way from last place at the end of lap one, to a ninth-place finish, 12.6-seconds behind the race winner, and half-a-second ahead of Michele Pirro who rounded out the top ten.
Bagnaia celebrated with burnouts for the World Ducati Week crowd on the cool-down lap as all the riders amped up the loving crowd.
Ducati Race of Champions Results 2024
- Pecco Bagnaia
- Andrea Iannone +1.462s
- Marc Marquez +2.556s
- Marco Bezzecchi +3.889s
- Fabio Di Giannantonio +6.332s
- Michael Rinaldi +10.062s
- Franco Morbidelli +10.916s
- Enea Bastianini +11.156s
- Jorge Martin +12.600s
- Michele Pirro +13.109s
- Alex Marquez +15.251s
- Alvaro Bautista +17.648s
- Danilo Petrucci +22.573s
- Glenn Irwin +29.134s
Nicolo Bulega – DNF
