BY NEIL MORRISON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
W
hat exactly are the hall-
marks of a champion?
Putting disappoint-
ment—even embarrassment—
swiftly to one side? Maintaining
cool and recovering from adver
-
sity in a short space of time?
Perhaps it's showing supreme
race craft in high stakes situa-
tions, doing things those around
you seemingly can't? Or maybe
it's holding your nerve under the
most intense pressure?
Pecco Bagnaia (Lenovo Duca-
ti) showcased all of the above at
Jerez, as he came out on top of
a vintage scrap with Brad Binder
(Red Bull KTM) to secure one of
his most impressive victories to
date, forgetting the crash out of
the lead in Austin and recover
-
ing from 13th on Friday, a day
when his confidence deserted
him. Carving through the pack
at a track where overtaking was
tricky in extreme temperatures,
which restricted front tire perfor
-
mance, Bagnaia then withstood
the South African's late on-
slaught. This was as complete
a performance as the Italian
has mustered during his 176 GP
starts.
At one point a terrifying first-
lap crash, as well as some ap
-
palling stewarding, threatened
to overshadow the 999th Grand
Prix in history. But the contest
really came alive later on as
Bagnaia reeled long-time leader
Binder in with just four laps
to play. Any fears it was done
once the Ducati swept majesti
-
cally ahead were soon quelled,
as Binder put everything into
the last lap, leaving the bumper
crowd of 79,625 on tenterhooks
until the flag.
ROUND 4 / APRIL 28-30, 2023
CIRCUITO DE JEREZ ANGEL NIETO / JEREZ, SPAIN
MOTOGP I FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
P82
Pecco Bagnaia wins in final-lap showdown
BAGNAIA DISRUPTS
KTM PARTY
