Francesco Bagnaia dominated the third edition of the Lenovo Race of Champions. The highly anticipated race, held during WDW2024, saw 15 Ducati riders compete at the iconic Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” aboard the brand new Panigale V4 S. Press: Ducati Corse.
Starting from the second spot on the grid after securing a front-row position in the qualifying held on Day 1 of the event, Bagnaia immediately took the lead and maintained it until the chequered flag. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider, who also set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:35.431, kept a consistent pace throughout the 10-lap race, crossing the finish line alone with more than a second advantage over the rest of the field.
Superbike rider Andrea Iannone (Team Go Eleven), who claimed pole position with a time of 1:35.051, finished in second place behind the reigning MotoGP World Champion after holding off a very fast Nicolò Bulega for almost the entire race. However, the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team rider fell at the last corner after he and Marc Márquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) made contact. The Spanish rider crossed the finish line in third place, thus completing the Lenovo Race of Champions podium.
Claudio Domenicali (CEO Ducati Motor Holding) “The Lenovo Race of Champions is an incredible spectacle for all motorcycling fans. Personally, I had a lot of fun during the race, and seeing the red crowd of World Ducati Week on the grandstands of the Misano Circuit was a great emotion. Congratulations to Pecco, who once again showed the world his incredible talent by winning a world-class race, and congratulations also to Andrea and Marc, who finished on the podium.
“We would have also liked to have Nicolò on the podium during celebrations, but it was rightly given priority for medical checks after the crash. The Lenovo Race of Champions and this WDW2024 was the perfect setting to demonstrate the value of the new Panigale V4, and the improvement in performance compared to the 2022 race makes us proud of the work done on this motorcycle”.
Francesco Bagnaia (#1, Ducati Lenovo Team) “First of all, I want to say that it was fantastic seeing so many people on the grandstands. I was even able to hear people cheering, although I had the helmet on while racing; it was really incredible. The race was great; I enjoyed it a lot. I couldn’t understand what the gap was, so I just pushed a lot and had a lot of fun. I am very happy to have tried the new Panigale V4 here in Misano, and I really look forward to training on it from now on”.
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