Thrills and Spills at World Ducati Week: Bagnaia Triumphs, Marquez Clinches Last-Gasp Podium Amid Controversy

Nicolo Bulega suffered a crash, allowing Marc Marquez to advance in the Ducati Race of Champions. In a thrilling climax, Francesco Bagnaia secured the victory while Marc Marquez snatched a podium position at the eleventh hour.

It was always expected that Marc Marquez's inaugural World Ducati Week would be anything but subdued.

He secured a top-three spot in the Lenovo Race of Champions on Saturday, making his move at the final turn.

Nicolo Bulega was on the verge of finishing third but unexpectedly wiped out in the race's closing moments.

While Bulega was seated on the gravel, extending his arms in a gesture, Marquez passed by him to secure his third-place position.

"Unfortunately, Bulega went down; I'm not sure if there was contact," Marquez stated.

"However, we shall ascend to the stage as a united front."

"I believe we delivered an entertaining performance for the audience. What matters most is that we enjoyed ourselves."

As previously mentioned, it seemed there was some interaction between the racers. However, Márquez claims he didn't experience any touch, awaiting Bulega's input on the matter. Additionally, the television camera's perspective offered no clarity.

One can only imagine what was going through the minds of the Ducati team leaders, who probably wished for the day's celebrations to conclude without any of their racers crashing.

Conversely, despite no signs of misconduct, Bulega lost his competitive edge in the mishap with Marquez.

In the latest iteration of the yearly World Ducati Week, this marks the inaugural appearance for Marquez following his departure from Honda the previous year. His participation comes at a time when he has been chosen to join Francesco Bagnaia as a factory MotoGP rider for the upcoming season.

The bond between Bagnaia and Marquez is already under scrutiny.

The highlight of the World Ducati Week at Misano circuit took place on Saturday with its featured race.

It united riders from Ducati teams in MotoGP, World Superbikes, and British Superbikes.

They were cruising on the recently revealed Panigale V4s, the latest motorcycle to hit the market this week.

Francesco Bagnaia clinched the victory in the Lenovo Race of Champions, surpassing the pole position holder, Andrea Iannone, during the initial lap.

Throughout the majority of the 10-lap race, Iannone pressured Bagnaia into maintaining his defensive stance, until the last moments when the MotoGP titleholder managed to extend his lead.

Jorge Martin, on the other hand, had a poor beginning, dropping to the rear of the pack, but managed to climb back and secure a ninth-place finish.

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