Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati) seemed to turn his season around with a perfect weekend at the Motegi circuit in Japan. Bagnaia took pole position and both race wins ahead of teammate Marc Marquez, who clinched this year’s championship in the process.
Saturday’s Sprint saw Bagnaia quickly take the lead and cruise to the win over Marc Marquez in second and Pedro Acosta (KTM) in third.
Sunday’s Grand Prix again saw Bagnaia dominate and take the win with a large cushion over second place Marc Marquez and third place Joan Mir (Honda). Bagnaia’s Ducati began to emit smoke with a few laps remaining, but his bike made it to the finish line. Marc Marquez takes the title this year with a huge points gap over his brother Alex. Marc’s last title was six years ago, which was followed by several years of injury and frustration.
At the start of Saturday’s Sprint, defending champ Jorge Martin crashed heavily and broke his collarbone. According to a press release from Aprilia, Martin has already undergone successful surgery to repair it. No word yet on when Martin will return to racing.
For full results and points for Saturday’s Sprint race, visit the MotoGP site here. For full results and points for Sunday’s MotoGP race, visit the MotoGP site here.
I’ll bet the “ride height devices from 2024” that they used were the shim stacks in his forks. Now that it doesn’t matter, they can let him have a few moments in the sun to keep him happy. Winning the championship is always nice. But having a champion that looks like a hobo with a kink for letting the rats and mice eat away at his beard is not something the Italians are going to be excited about. So give him crap suspension until the guy whose folks taught him a little bit about personal hygiene wins the championship. Watch his bike go south again for a while if it starts to look like he is going to beat Alex for second. The season of brotherly love. Brought to you by Hallmark greating cards.
If Pecco were to shave and get himself a green eyed fiance with good media skills. Boy howdy! He’d have a great bike all year. He’d be Hallmarkin’ it out of the park.
Yo Pecco! Your salary comes out of the advertising budget. Fog mirror a little bit bud.
makes perfect sense…Pecco’s career was sabotaged because Pecco preferred to come to work un-shaven.
I couldn’t know but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that at the end of 2024 Ducati preferred and expected proven ‘Italian’ rider Pecco (and especially since Martin went to a new bike/team) would win the 2025 title on an Italian bike of an Italian team and that MM would finish nicely in second place having assumed the ‘teammate’ role behind Pecco.
I should then assume that after the first few races of 2025 Ducati had some re-thinking to do.
*Mir…rides like a Champ once this year and only in front of his employer…kind’a like office staff turning off their game of ‘solitaire’ when they hear their boss walking down the hallway.
This weekend should be pretty exciting to see if Mir and Pecco repeat their great results.
The ride height device is only on the rear of the bike. The front has a rebound lock, similar to what’s used on MX race bikes, that releases the suspension to full travel after the first big braking/bump event and never engages again.
Why are you so fixated on Pecco’s beard/appearance? That’s weird.. Have you seen the guy’s wife? I think he’s doing just fine.
I imagine Aprilia are thoroughly kicking themselves, hard, for not getting rid of Martin when he was crying and whining to be let go. Bezz is the star of Aprilia and I’d wager Martin will never out perform (over all) him in their remaining careers.
Poor Pecco, he finally wins a sprint and race, no one seemed to care. MM93 has comeback from a disastrous carreer, Winning the Championsip! was it really just the GP24 ride height device on Peccos bike, installed on his GP25 that has given him his mojo back? Was Marc cruising knowing the championship was in his grasp? the gloves will be off at the next race, eh?
I sure am glad to see Pecco on the box again.
However, MM stated ‘they’ were focusing on something else this weekend. I don’t wonder what that could have been.
Pecco stated (i’m sure it was tongue in cheek) upon receiving congratulations for his other win early in 2025 (the one MM crashed himself out ofway far in the lead)…I guess all the training paid off.
FQuart’s 2025 title congratulations to MM was ‘the’ best…I hope he slows down a little now because he is making all of our lives difficult.
MM could break 700 point this season?
It’s too bad that one can’t say for sure but I have to think the reason MM dominated so hard this year was to remove any doubt that had he been on a great bike from 2020 to 2023…likely would have a couple/few more titles. That’s what the movie will say.
I wonder if MM stays for 2027. Thats when Ducati will really need him.
Odd that lot of the rookies think they will finally have an advantage in 2027…I don’t know why.
Who is the current rider that dominated before all the latest tech/aero?
MM that’s who. Maybe that’s why Ducati hired MM…for fun in 2025 and 2026 and for some serious work for 2027 and 2028.