Valencia MotoGP Race Results | Bagnaia bolts to victory, Rossi top ten in finale

Pecco Bagnaia brought his breakthrough 2021 MotoGP World Championship season to a fine conclusion with victory in the Valencia MotoGP finale, while Valentino Rossi secured one final top ten finish in an emotional swansong outing for one of the sport’s most iconic figures.

In a year that has seen Bagnaia prove himself as among MotoGP’s new elite, the Italian produced a well-judged performance to get the better of Ducati counterpart Jorge Martin with ten laps remaining before controlling the pace to the chequered flag.

A fitting result in a race otherwise dominated by Bagnaia’s mentor and friend Rossi, ‘the Doctor’ made it to the flag in tenth position in his 371st and very final MotoGP race, bringing the curtain down on a career that has spanned 25 years, delivered nine World Championship titles and earned him a mammoth fan base around the world.

Despite missing out on the 2021 title to Fabio Quartararo, Bagnaia has been the form man in recent races and came into the finale as the arguable favourite from the front row to land a fourth win in six races.

Even so, he was made to work hard for it after a tardy start left him fourth initially, but after picking his way back up to second position by lap four, proceeded to shadow pole man Martin before sizing up a pass around the long Turn 13 left hander and into the final corner on lap 16.

Though Martin didn’t let Bagnaia escape too far up the road, the Pramac Racing rider couldn’t respond to the factory rider, leaving Bagnaia to complete victory and earn a significant fillip for his confidence heading into the winter period.

Despite missing out on the win, Martin held off a determined Jack Miller to secure second position, in so doing leapfrogging Enea Bastianini to secure the Rookie of the Year honours. A welcome boost for the Spaniard to honour a rollercoaster maiden campaign, one headlined by his terrifying crash and injury at Portimao, but also his stunning first win in Austria and four standout runs to pole position.

Completing an all-Ducati podium, Miller ran strongly initially before slipping back to as low as sixth at one stage, only to yo-yo back up the order to finish on Martin’s tail in third.

Despite looking like a threat for victory at one stage, Suzuki’s Joan Mir faded during the closing stages to end his title defence without a win but still a top three spot in the overall standings.

His successor to the MotoGP crown followed him in fifth position, Quartararo unable to make significant in-roads up the order from eighth on the grid, while Johann Zarco paid the price for a poor start from fifth to end his season in sixth place.

On another tough day for the KTM contingent, Brad Binder brought some satisfaction with a run to seventh place, ahead of Bastianini, who worked hard from 18th to finish eighth but could do nothing to stop Martin from snatching top rookie status.

In a year that has seen Aprilia take a step forward in performance, Aleix Espargaro rounded off its campaign in ninth place, leading home Rossi, who secured one of his best results of a low key final season on the Petronas SRT Yamaha, one that will nonetheless be quickly overshadowed by the rosier memories of a legendary career.

He was followed home by another of his proteges in Franco Morbidelli in 11th, with Andrea Dovizioso, Alex Marquez, Miguel Oliveira and WorldSBK-bound Iker Lecuona completing the points’ paying positions.

Elsewhere, Alex Rins ran inside the top three early on before suffering another costly slide off into retirement on lap 12.

Takaaki Nakagami was the only other DNF after falling early on, compounding a disappointing conclusion to the season for Honda after Pol Espargaro was forced to withdraw through injury, consigning Repsol Honda to an early finish.

2021 Valencia MotoGP | Ricardo Tormo | RACE Results