VOLUME ISSUE DECEMBER , P67
ON ANY
GIVEN SUNDAY
JORGE MARTIN
MAY HAVE BEEN
MOTOGP'S FASTEST
MAN IN 2023. BUT
EVENTUAL CHAMPION
PECCO BAGNAIA
ALWAYS MADE IT
COUNT WHEN THE
BIG POINTS WERE
HANDED OUT. HERE,
THE TWOTIME
PREMIERCLASS
CHAMPION TELLS
CYCLE NEWS HOW
HE DID IT.
A
ll championship successes merit
acclaim. But some are deserving
of more than others. 2023 was
a case in point as Francesco Bagnaia
reached new levels of performance, with
-
standing near incessant pressure from
chief rival Jorge Martin in the year's final
months to become one of only 13 men to
retain a premier-class crown.
On the face of it, having led the fac-
tory, which amassed a colossal 700
Constructors points from a possible 728
across 20 feature races and 20 Sprints,
doesn't sound like the most startling
of achievements. But just how Bagnaia
repeatedly bounced back from positions
of peril in Indonesia, Australia, Qatar
and Valencia lived up to the number-one
plate he carried throughout the year.
"He did the most difficult thing for a
rider—defending a championship," said
Marc Marquez, who offered his con
-
gratulations to the new champ in Valen-
cia. "Winning a championship is super
difficult. But defending one, keeping the
pressure, is even more."
BY NEIL MORRISON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GOLD & GOOSE
