It was time for round 16 of the MotoGP World Championship in 2021 at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. The Emilia Romagna GP was the second race that took place in Misano and as it followed the norm of being an absolute firecracker of a race!
Ducati’s Plan A
Pecco Bagnaia was in a title fight with Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, all Pecco had to do was to finish the race ahead of Fabio. Jack Miller, another rider from Factory Ducati, offered to play wingman alongside Pecco, so that the title fight could go to the next round in Portugal.
In the Qualifying session on Saturday, Fabio Quartararo, the championship leader was out in Q1 and would start 15th, on the other side Ducati wanted to place as many Ducatis between Fabio and Pecco because passing a Ducati is a tough job. Pecco grabbed pole position while Jack miller put his Ducati in p2 and Luca Marini was in p3 on another Ducati.
Pecco at Misano World Circuit
Pecco is one of the students of VR46Academy run by Valentino Rossi. Misano World Circuit is just 10 kms away from Rossi’s home in Tavullia. So Rossi and his academy boys always train there. So this Circuit is Pecco’s backyard, and he also managed to clinch a victory during the first race that took place here a few weeks back.
#GRAZIEVALE
Misano is Rossi’s home track. The support for Rossi, the sea of yellow, VR46 flags and the yellow smoke filling the air for one last time was a spectacular sight to witness even if you aren’t a Rossi fan.
Valentino Rossi, a 9-time World Champion, announced his retirement earlier this month, making Misano 2 his last race on the Italian soil as a full-time MotoGP rider. His team SkyVR46 team had a special livery for this race as well. Rossi always has a Special Helmet for the Misano round, so for this time, he gave a small tribute to his fans around the world showcasing them on his helmet.
Glory for Blues and Misery for Reds
Jack Miller got a great start but he allowed Pecco through Turn 1 in the lead and he started his wingman role to hold Oliviera first and then Marc Marquez. While on the other hand, Fabio began his Charge through the field to limit the damage that would be done by Pecco. During lap 4, Jack Miller lost the Front end of his Ducati which allowed Marc to put some pressure on Pecco. In Aragon, Marc attacked Pecco 7 times but Pecco had the answers for Marc, and it was the same this time around as well.
During the 23rd lap, Pecco was leading the race while Fabio stumbled down to p5. As Pecco approached turn 15, his front end washed away in the same manner as Jack Miller. That allowed Fabio to claim the MotoGP title for this year, astride his Monster Energy Yamaha M1. Yamaha last won Championship in 2015 with Lorenzo, while Ducati’s search for another title rages on.
