MotoGP Ducati’s home track Emilia Romagna

After nearly a month from the last race weekend held at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”, which saw Pecco Bagnaia triumph in front of his home crowd, the Ducati Lenovo Team returns to the Italian track to face the sixteenth round of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship; the Grand Prix of Made in Italy and Emilia Romagna.

In the last GP held here in September, Bagnaia proved to be the absolute ruler of the weekend. After taking pole position on Saturday and setting a new all-time lap record, Pecco scored his second consecutive MotoGP victory by leading the race from start to finish. In addition to the Italian rider, Casey Stoner in 2007 and Andrea Dovizioso in 2018 also took the Desmosedici GP to the top step of the rostrum at Misano. The total number of podiums taken by Ducati at Misano now stands at nine, thanks to the third place scored by Enea Bastianini in the last event.

At this weekend’s Grand Prix, Pecco will be aiming for another victory in front of his home crowd in an attempt to keep the Championship open, as he currently sits second, 52 points behind Quartararo. Teammate Jack Miller, who finished fifth in the last race in Italy, will also be back on track at Misano, determined to fight for a good result and get some more important points for the general standings, which currently see him fourth, 26 points off Joan Mir in third place. After the first fifteen rounds of the 2021 season, Ducati and the Ducati Lenovo Team both occupy first place in the Constructors’ Championship and Teams’ classification.

In addition to the two factory riders, Michele Pirro returns to the track this weekend with the Ducati Test Team. The test rider of the Bologna-based manufacturer will take part in the Grand Prix as a wildcard, bringing to 60 his starts in MotoGP so far.

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 2nd (202 points)
“To be back racing at Misano after the stunning victory that I took here in front of my home crowd a month ago is definitely very exciting! That weekend everything was perfect, and the two days of post-race testing were very positive for us. Nevertheless, we have to stay focused: our rivals will come to this Grand Prix much better prepared, and the track conditions will be different, with lower track temperatures than a month ago. It will be essential to work well from the first sessions. The objective will be to fight for the win and keep the Championship open until the end”.

Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 4th (149 points)
“I’m happy to be back racing at Misano again this year! It’s Ducati’s home track, and there are always many fans there to support us, so this weekend will definitely be special too. We were pretty competitive at the last Grand Prix, even though we didn’t get the results we wanted in the race, but now we have a more solid base to work from over the weekend. We also had two days of testing in September, and the feedback was excellent. Certainly, the conditions will be different from a month ago, and our rivals will be more competitive, but I’m optimistic and determined to fight for a good result. We’re close to third place in the Championship, so it will be crucial to try and score as many points as possible”.

Michele Pirro (#51 Ducati Test Team) – 23rd (8 points)
“I’m excited to be racing here at Misano again! At the last Grand Prix here in September, I came close to a top ten finish, finishing eleventh in a great race that I really enjoyed! I hope I can do even better this weekend. Still, the main objective will be to help Pecco and Jack get the best possible result in the race and collect other important data to continue developing our Desmosedici GP. Racing on our home track is always very exciting: we’ll give our best to try to entertain as much as possible all the Ducatisti who will come to cheer for us here in Misano! 

The Ducati Lenovo Team will take to the track on Friday 22nd October from 9:55 am local time for the first free practice session. The race will get underway on Sunday 24th October at 2:00 pm Italian time, over a 27-lap distance.

Circuit Information

Country: Italy
Name: Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”
Best lap:  Bastianini (Ducati), 1:32.242 (164,9 km/h) – 2021
Circuit record: Bagnaia (Ducati), 1:31.065 (167,0 km/h) – 2021
Top speed: Zarco (Ducati), 302,5 km/h – 2021
Track length: 4,2 km
Race distance: 27 lap (114,1 km)
Corners: 16 (6 left, 10 right)

2021 Results
Podium:   1° Bagnaia (Ducati), 2° Quartararo (Yamaha) 3° Bastianini (Ducati)
Pole Position:  Bagnaia (Ducati), 1:31.065 (167,0 km/h) 
Fastest lap:  Bastianini (Ducati), 1:32.242 (164,9 km/h) 

Rider Information

Jack Miller
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 43
GPs started: 168 (114 x MotoGP, 49 x Moto3, 6 x 125 cc)
First GP: Qatar 2015 (MotoGP), Qatar 2012 (Moto3), Germany 2011 (125 cc)
Wins: 9 (3 MotoGP + 6 Moto3)
First Win: Netherlands 2016 (MotoGP), Qatar 2014 (Moto3)
Pole positions: 9 (1 MotoGP + 8 Moto3)
First pole: Argentina 2018 (MotoGP), USA 2014 (Moto3)
World Titles: –

Francesco Bagnaia
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 63
GPs started: 147 (42 x MotoGP, 36 x Moto2, 69 x Moto3)
First GP: Qatar 2019 (MotoGP), Qatar 2017 (MotoGP), Qatar 2013 (MotoGP)
Wins: 12 (2 MotoGP + 8 Moto2 + 2 Moto3)
First Win: Aragón 2021 (MotoGP), Qatar 2018 (Moto2), Netherlands 2016 (Moto3)
Pole positions: 11 (4 MotoGP + 6 Moto2 + 1 Moto3)
First pole: France 2018 (Moto2), Britain 2016 (Moto3), Qatar 2021 (MotoGP)
World Titles: 1 (Moto2, 2018)

Michele Pirro
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 51
GPs started: 105 (59 x MotoGP, 18 x Moto2, 29 x 125cc)
First GP: Qatar 2012 (MotoGP), Aragón 2010 (Moto2), Italy 2003 (125cc)
Wins: 1 (Moto2)
First Win: Valencia 2011 (Moto2)
Pole Positions: 1 (Moto2)
First Pole: Valencia 2011 (Moto2)

Championship Information

Riders’ standings
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 2º (202 points)
Jack Miller (#43 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 4º (149 points)
Michele Pirro (#51 Ducati Test Team) – 23° (8 points)

Manufacturers’ standings
Ducati – 1º (291 points)

Teams’ standings
Ducati Lenovo Team – 1º (351 points)

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