It was a historic day in Valencia on Sunday, and not just for the fact we crowned a first-time premier class Champion. 15 years on since Ducati’s last win, and 13 years since an Italian claimed glory, Francesco Bagnaia brought an end to both droughts following a sensational 91-point turnaround to become the 2022 MotoGP™ World Champion.

Flashback to 15 years ago, and Ducati were still celebrating their maiden Riders’ Championship delivered by Casey Stoner in 2007. Few would have thought it would have taken another decade and a half before the Borgo Panigale factory celebrated again

Stoner was unable to back up his initial success in his remaining years with Ducati, having to wait until his Honda switch in 2011 before he would be once again crowned Champion. To offset the loss of the Australian, the Bologna bullets secured the services of a certain Valentino Rossi, a nine-time World Champion.

It seemed a match made in heaven. An Italian superstar with an Italian bike. Not since the legendary Giacomo Agostini and MV Agusta in 1972 had such a combination taken World Championship honours, but if there was one to emulate that feat, it was Rossi and Ducati… or so it seemed.

Moving from the comforts of his Yamaha to the Desmosedici proved a taxing challenge. So demanding, that Rossi went an entire season without a win for the first time since his Championship debut, with a solitary podium his only consolation.

The hard work continued through the following year, but his and Ducati’s misfortunes continued, with just two podiums to his name in 2012. By the end of year, it was chalked down as a failed experiment, and Rossi returned to Yamaha and title battles from the following year.

Tough years lay ahead for Ducati with likes of Nicky Hayden and Cal Crutchlow unable to bring them to the top step, and it wasn’t until 2016 that one of their riders took the chequered flag first, with Andrea Iannone taking victory at the Austrian GP. It was a first Ducati win since Stoner’s final season back in 2010.

While they went on a barren run, a star had been developing within their ranks. Andrea Dovizioso joined Ducati in 2013, and he took his first win at a rainy Malaysian GP in 2016. That was just the beginning as the next season, he took six race wins as he pushed Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) all the way to the season finale. Dovi even outshone star recruit and five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo that season as he claimed second in the Championship.

2018 saw Dovizioso claim four more victories as he once again finished runner-up to Marquez, while 2019 continued in the same vein as the Italian claimed a third consecutive runner-up medal as the entire grid were outclassed by Marquez once again, with the Repsol Honda rider tallying up a preposterous points total.

Despite his best efforts, Dovizioso just kept falling short, but he achieved what others failed and became a consistent Championship threat while developing the Desmosedici into a formidable weapon.

In 2020, Dovi bid farewell, as did his teammate Danilo Petrucci, and Ducati gambled on youth, promoting Pramac pair and great friends Pecco Bagnaia and Jack Miller to the factory team. They were betting big on Pecco too, having previously handed him a factory bike debut at the end of season 2018 Test.

Having been under the tutelage of Rossi, hopes were high that Bagnaia could live up to the hopes that were set upon his mentor ten years previously. And things got off to a pretty good start with an opening night podium at the Qatar GP.  More podiums followed before that victory breakthrough finally came at a thrilling Aragon GP, where he held his nerve against a relentless Marc Marquez.

After a myriad of near misses, that victory broke the dam wall and three victories in five followed to close out the season. That form had him primed as a main contender in 2022, but struggles ensued at the beginning of the season. After five podium-less races, Bagnaia upset the odds to take the win in Jerez. Then it was a case of win it or bin it, with his next three races seeing record DNF-P1-DNF. At this stage, he was 91 points off the pace, and seemingly out of contention, but cue the most remarkable title turnaround we’ve ever seen in the sport.

Four consecutive victories came before a second place in Aragon. Within striking distance of Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), back-to-back podiums in Thailand and Australia saw him assume command of the Championship race while a Malaysian GP victory put him on the brink.

15 years later, Bagnaia sealed the deal and finally brought the Riders’ Championship back to Ducati. 13 years on from his mentor Valentino Rossi’s last title, an Italian is once again the toast of the MotoGP™ paddock. Judging by the celebrations seen at the circuit, we have no doubt the town was painted red as they partied hard into the night.

Congratualtions Pecco. Congratulations Ducati. We can’t wait to see what you bring next year.