Misano: Bagnaia (Ducati) reaches a historic milestone on Sunday

At Aragon, Ducati factory rider Pecco Bagnaia had another difficult weekend. As at Silverstone, he failed to score any points in Spain either. The two-time MotoGP World Champion struggled in particular with a lack of rear-wheel grip. In the overall standings, with nine Grands Prix remaining, Bagnaia lies eighth, already 113 points behind championship leader Jorge Martin (Aprilia).

Bagnaia wants to put the last two MotoGP events behind him and regain a better feel for his Desmosedici this weekend. There is hardly a better circuit for him to do so than the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, which is just over 20 kilometres from his home. The Italian knows the circuit on the Adriatic coast very well – he often trains there with his mates from the VR46 Academy. What’s more, the track offers plenty of grip.

“We struggled in Aragon, but burying my head in the sand isn’t in my nature. That’s why the whole team is getting straight back to work – at a very special circuit: my actual home track, in front of all the Ducatisti,” said Bagnaia, looking ahead. “We’re not giving up and will continue to give it our all to play a leading role again. I’m sure that the support and passion of the fans will give me that little bit extra, just as they have in the past.”

Bagnaia: The Ducati rider with the most GP starts

Bagnaia claimed his last GP victory at Misano in 2022. This weekend, the 29-year-old will reach a historic milestone – regardless of how he fares: On Sunday, with 142 starts (from Qatar 2019 to the San Marino Grand Prix 2026), he will become the rider with the most Grand Prix starts in the history of Ducati Corse in MotoGP. Andrea Dovizioso competed in 141 Sunday races for Ducati, whilst Hector Barberá took part in 108. At the same time, this will be Pecco Bagnaia’s final appearance at Misano on a Ducati – in 2027, he will be racing on the 4.226 km circuit on an Aprilia RS-GP.

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11.09.2026 - 08:55