Bagnaia wins Ducati Race of Champions in comeback from drink driving incident
Bagnaia admitted to failing a breathalyser test after crashing his car while in Ibiza during MotoGP’s summer break - he was labelled “an idiot” by Keith Huewen, who added that the rider’s career should not be affected by the mistake.
The Italian was back on a bike during World Ducati Week 2022, the showpiece annual event, and he stormed to victory in the main race.
The Race of Champions brought Ducati riders from different championships together on the same track - Danilo Petrucci and Alvaro Bautista were among the entrants.
Bagnaia had qualified fastest then led the eight-lap race in Misano, Italy, from start to finish.
Mooney VR46 duo Marini and Bezzecchi completed the podium but could not challenge Bagnaia.
Jack Miller, Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin were fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.
Bagnaia finished in 12'57.901.
Federico Caricasulo, the WorldSBK rider for Althea Racing, finished 13th overall but topped a separate podium for riders who raced on the Ducati V2.
Ducati Race of Champions 2022 results | ||||
Position | Rider | Team | Bike | Time |
1 | Pecco Bagnaia | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati V4 | 12'57.901 |
2 | Luca Marini | Mooney VR46 Racing Team | Ducati V4 | +0.696 |
3 | Marco Bezzecchi | Mooney VR46 Racing Team | Ducati V4 | +1.722 |
4 | Jack Miller | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati V4 | +4.182 |
5 | Enea Bastianini | Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati V4 | +7.051 |
6 | Jorge Martin | Prima Pramac Racing | Ducati V4 | +7.873 |
7 | Axel Bassani | Motorcorsa Racing | Ducati V4 | +9.167 |
8 | Johann Zarco | Prima Pramac Racing | Ducati V4 | +10.331 |
9 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | Gresini Racing MotoGP | Ducati V4 | +13.826 |
10 | Luca Bernardi | Barni Spark Racing Team | Ducati V4 | +16.261 |
11 | Danilo Petrucci | Warhorse HSBK Racing Ducati Team | Ducati V4 | +19.572 |
12 | Philipp Ottl | Team Go Eleven | Ducati V4 | +21.199 |
13 | Federico Caricasulo | Althea Racing | Ducati V2 | +32.123 |
14 | Nicholas Spinelli | Barni Spark Racing Team | Ducati V2 | +32.123 |
15 | Maximilian Kofler | CM Racing Team | Ducati V2 | +32.817 |
16 | Oliver Bayliss | Barni Spark Racing Team | Ducati V2 | +39.345 |
17 | Federico Fuligni | D34G Racing | Ducati V2 | +43.286 |
18 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing-Ducati | Ducati V4 | +48.287 |
19 | Michael Rinaldi | Aruba.it Racing-Ducati | Ducati V4 | +48.291 |
20 | Michele Pirro | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati v4 | +five laps |
What next for Pecco Bagnaia?
Bagnaia sits fourth in the MotoGP standings behind Fabio Quartararo, Aleix Espargaro and Johann Zarco.
MotoGP returns from its summer break at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix on August 5-7.
He will be under the spotlight after his drink driving incident in Ibiza, the latest episode in a tumultuous 2022 season.
Will it effect how Bagnaia performs upon his return?