Ducati's Bagnaia retains MotoGP title with Valencia GP win

VALENCIA :Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia won the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix on Sunday to claim a second straight MotoGP world championship as closest contender Jorge Martin crashed out following a collision with Marc Marquez.

Pramac Racing's Martin, who was 14 points behind Bagnaia going into the final race, made the title race tighter by winning Saturday's sprint but was ultimately unable to thwart the Italian.

Bagnaia, who began the race on pole after Maverick Vinales was handed a three-place penalty, had an excellent start but was matched in the first two laps by Martin, who moved up from sixth into second by turn two of the race.

However, Martin was reckless in his eagerness to overtake Bagnaia, and a coming-together between the two on turn one of the third lap resulted in the Spaniard being forced wide and dropping down to seventh.

Martin threw caution to the wind at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo and tried to surge back up the leaderboard, but clipped Marquez's rear and was left in the gravel on lap six.

The crash ensured a dismal end to six-times MotoGP champion Marquez's tenure at Honda, with his final race for the Japanese manufacturers ending in a non-finish. Marquez will join Gresini Racing in 2024.

Martin congratulated Bagnaia for the win in a post-race interview.

"We arrived here with a big distance, so hopefully next year we can work harder and leave Valencia with a championship in our hands," Martin added.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also sent her own congratulations.

"An extraordinary Francesco Bagnaia wins in Valencia and becomes world champion for the second year running," she wrote on social media platform X above a photo of a jubilant Bagnaia.

"You made us dream again this year. Pride of Italy," she