Photo: Ducati
For better or worse, 2023 is coming to an end. We're all now engaged in summing up a year that's been awful for some, so-so for others, and extraordinary for a few. Which is, basically, how all the years in human history have been.
The Italians from Ducati are part of a group that's celebrating a record, extraordinary year. And I'm not talking here about how many bikes they sold, or how much money they made, but about how impressive the brand has been in racing.
The past weekend marked the end of both the Formula 1 and MotoGP series for 2023. For drivers, the best of the best was crowned, expectedly, Red Bull's Max Verstappen. When it comes to riders, the best of the best is in 2023 Francesco Bagnaia.
Bagnaia raced in MotoGP on the back of a Desmosedici GP, a ride wearing the colors of the Ducati Lenovo Team. It's the exact same combination that won MotoGP in 2022, proving once and for all what a successful recipe Ducati has stumbled upon.
The achievement is even more spectacular when looked at in conjunction with the WorldSBK series. There, a rider by the name of Álvaro Bautista, also on the back of a Ducati motorcycle, raced to the top as well, also for the second year in a row.
When you combine these two achievements you come face to face with something that no other bike maker has achieved before: win both the Riders' and Constructors' World Titles in the two most prestigious competitions for two-wheeled machines.
Add to that the Riders' and Constructors' World Championship in WorldSSP, and it becomes instantly clear why Ducati is calling 2023 a record season. This win came at the hand of rider Nicolò Bulega and the Panigale V2 motorcycle.
It's in MotoGP however where Ducati excelled. Not only did it win all there was to win, but the second and third positions at the end of the season have been clinched by two other Ducati riders as well: Jorge Martín came in second, and Marco Bezzecchi landed third.
Just to give an idea of how important the achievement is, consider the fact MotoGP was traditionally the playground of Japanese bike makers. Ducati is the only company outside the Asian country to have managed championship wins in the series.
The Italians can now count three Riders' titles to their name, while in Superbike this year's win is the 16th. In chasing these victories, Ducati also broke a number of records.
In MotoGP the bike maker is the one with the most number of overall victories in a single season – it snatched the first place in 17 out of 20 grand prix races. It also has the highest number of different riders to have won MotoGP races: six. Furthermore, during nine of these season's races the entire podium was occupied by Ducati riders.
In WorldSBK the achievements were no less impressive. Ducati set the record for victories by a single rider, 27.
After winning the 2023 MotoGP, Francesco Bagnaia was gifted one example of the most powerful BMW M ever made, the XM Label Red. It's the same kind of car that starting next season will be seen on MotoGP tracks as a safety car.
The past weekend marked the end of both the Formula 1 and MotoGP series for 2023. For drivers, the best of the best was crowned, expectedly, Red Bull's Max Verstappen. When it comes to riders, the best of the best is in 2023 Francesco Bagnaia.
Bagnaia raced in MotoGP on the back of a Desmosedici GP, a ride wearing the colors of the Ducati Lenovo Team. It's the exact same combination that won MotoGP in 2022, proving once and for all what a successful recipe Ducati has stumbled upon.
The achievement is even more spectacular when looked at in conjunction with the WorldSBK series. There, a rider by the name of Álvaro Bautista, also on the back of a Ducati motorcycle, raced to the top as well, also for the second year in a row.
When you combine these two achievements you come face to face with something that no other bike maker has achieved before: win both the Riders' and Constructors' World Titles in the two most prestigious competitions for two-wheeled machines.
Add to that the Riders' and Constructors' World Championship in WorldSSP, and it becomes instantly clear why Ducati is calling 2023 a record season. This win came at the hand of rider Nicolò Bulega and the Panigale V2 motorcycle.
It's in MotoGP however where Ducati excelled. Not only did it win all there was to win, but the second and third positions at the end of the season have been clinched by two other Ducati riders as well: Jorge Martín came in second, and Marco Bezzecchi landed third.
Just to give an idea of how important the achievement is, consider the fact MotoGP was traditionally the playground of Japanese bike makers. Ducati is the only company outside the Asian country to have managed championship wins in the series.
The Italians can now count three Riders' titles to their name, while in Superbike this year's win is the 16th. In chasing these victories, Ducati also broke a number of records.
In MotoGP the bike maker is the one with the most number of overall victories in a single season – it snatched the first place in 17 out of 20 grand prix races. It also has the highest number of different riders to have won MotoGP races: six. Furthermore, during nine of these season's races the entire podium was occupied by Ducati riders.
In WorldSBK the achievements were no less impressive. Ducati set the record for victories by a single rider, 27.
After winning the 2023 MotoGP, Francesco Bagnaia was gifted one example of the most powerful BMW M ever made, the XM Label Red. It's the same kind of car that starting next season will be seen on MotoGP tracks as a safety car.
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