Snob Diaries: A High-Octane Weekend at the MotoGP Grand Prix
Snob Diaries is a personal recap of seasonal events around the world, told through the lens of our staff and close friends. In this edition, we travel to Italy for the MotoGP Grand Prix for a special announcement from Ducati.
There’s a world of epic crashes at 300 kph, thousands of hours of precise engineering, and decade-long feuds between riders which, for many, can remain a total mystery. We are at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the MotoGP grand prix weekend, the 16th race weekend of the Moto GP season which spans from late February to early November and includes 22 races over four continents.
Emilia Romagna, Italy, is a region also known as the “Motor Valley,” where many of the leading motorsport brands originate and still have their headquarters today. The region has spawned many legendary riders—most notably it is the home turf of MotoGP living legend Valentino Rossi, known as the "Michael Jordan” of the sport. Retired since 2021, Rossi holds almost mythical status in this part of the world, as his persona is synonymous with the sport itself.
Rossi fans’ hope lives on in Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia, aka “Pecco,” a mentee and graduate of Rossi’s VR46 academy, who also hails from the Motor Valley. Rossi’s antithesis and rival, the Spanish born Marc Márquez, also rides for Ducati, dividing fans’ loyalty and setting the stage for the weekend’s duel.
After being treated to a magnificent sunset over the surrounding hills, we were summoned to the paddock for a very special event hosted by Ducati. With press, VIPs, mechanics and riders milling around, the paddock is buzzing with preparations for the weekend ahead.
The Ducati team, journalists and so called “Ducatisti” (very important clients) gather on the pit lane in anticipation of a top secret announcement. The 99-year-old motorcycle manufacturer dominates on the track, as well as inspiring a very loyal fanbase in its customers for their consumer bikes. After a perfunctory passing around of prosecco and hors d'oeuvres and an introduction from Ducati’s CEO, Claudio Domenicali, Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Márquez rip into view on the brand new Multistrada V4 RS and Diavel V4 RS models. The guests clamor to get a closer look at the handsome red and black bikes with gold accents, marveling over every inch of their glossy forms while a Ducati employee swiftly removes the key from the ignition.
While TV viewers are treated to helicopter footage and multiple angles of the track, and even tiny cameras mounted on the bikes themselves for an immersive look at the action, watching the race in person is an entirely different experience. Grand stands line the track and fans train their eyes on one corner, hoping that some decisive action will take place in their section of the track. The cameras can’t convey how fast it feels in person, the sweet smell of burning tires and the ear-splitting noise—earplugs a necessity.
Crashes are par for the course when a badly timed shift in weight can send riders skidding into the gravel, and they can dramatically change the outcome of a race. Orange-clad track marshals jump into action to remove crashed riders and debris from the track earning applause from fans.
Watching Saturday's sprint race, a 13-lap dash around the circuit, from the service road, we catch a glimpse of Valentino Rossi zipping past on an e-scooter, accompanied by F1 star Landon Norris. From this vantage, a position that Moto fans would “cut off a few fingers” to be able to have, we are at eye and ear level with the bikes. Ducati’s Márquez, thought to be a shoe-in for the sprint, crashes in lap 6, leaving the victory wide open for Aprillia’s Marco Bezzecchi to snatch the podium spot. The unexpected crash has Ducati fans spooked.
On Sunday morning, Moto fans eagerly file into the circuit for the warm up race starting at 9:40 AM sharp. Having shaken off yesterday’s crash, Márquez scoops first place and restores some faith in team Ducati.
We are kindly shown into the garage, a surprisingly modest room where a team of engineers work with surgical precision in the bowels of the bikes. Millions of euros worth of metal are unceremoniously taken apart and re-assembled and indecipherable spreadsheets are pored over, all in the interest of shaving off a few more milliseconds of lap time.
With the afternoon sun beating down, and a temperature on the track of 37C, it’s finally time for the main event. Watching the race from Ducati’s own fan grand stand, the crowd is awash in red merchandise and buzzing with anticipation. The race is tense, with Márquez fighting hard to pluck the lead from Marco Bezzecchi. Pecco’s race was bleak, crashing out from 8th place, a huge disappointment for fans who had hoped to see him succeed in his home ground. The hopes of Ducati fans rest solely on Márquez, who defends his lead elegantly and takes first place. Team Ducati takes the win, and fans rush onto the track to watch Márquez take to the podium, who in a Messi-inspired celebration, strips off his race leathers and displays them to the cheering ground.
Having begun the weekend completely unaware of the world of MotoGP, we are leaving converted.
