Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez have given Ducati’s centenary weekend its sharpest MotoGP hook, with the Lenovo Race of Champions set for Misano during World Ducati Week.
MotoGP confirmed on 2 July that the race will be streamed on motogp.com, putting Bagnaia, Marquez, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Franco Morbidelli and WorldSBK leader Nicolo Bulega into a one-off Ducati contest at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
Why Misano now matters
The timing is useful for MotoGP. With no grand prix on the weekend, Ducati has a clean stage for a fan-facing race that still carries competitive interest because it puts current MotoGP and WorldSBK names into the same event window.
Ducati’s own World Ducati Week page says the Race of Champions runs across 4-5 July as part of the company’s 100th anniversary celebration, extending an event format that has become one of the Bologna marque’s clearest pieces of brand theatre since 2018.
Closer
➡️ Soon at @circuitomisanoWDW 2026 #ForzaDucati #Ducati100 pic.twitter.com/cbkkKtAdwg
— Ducati Corse (@ducaticorse) July 2, 2026
For Bagnaia, the symbolism is heavier after Ducati announced last week that he will leave at the end of 2026. For Marquez, it is another public-facing reminder of Ducati’s present star power before the championship resumes.
The race is scheduled for 12:40 local time, UTC+2, on Sunday 5 July.
