Andrea Dovizioso #4 Team Ducati
Andrea Dovizioso climbed on the third step of the rostrum at Jerez de la Frontera, where the Spanish Grand Prix took place this weekend. In what was a very challenging GP, which put bikes and riders to the test due to the high temperatures, the Ducati Team rider was able to manage well his race strategy.
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with Dovizioso tenth and Petrucci sixteenth
The final 2020 MotoGP preseason test concluded this evening at Losail, in Qatar. The same race venue, situated just a few kilometers away from the capital city of Doha, will host the opening Grand Prix of the new season in less than two weeks.
During the three days of testing available, the Ducati Team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci were able to work consistently on the development of the Desmosedici GP20 bike as they kept testing the new tire solutions brought by Michelin this year.
The last day for the two riders was mostly dedicated to making the final arrangements ahead of the upcoming race weekend. In the late afternoon, they headed back out on track together to complete a long run that gave positive feedback.
Andrea Dovizioso ended the day with the tenth fastest time, in 1:54.312, closing in tenth position also in the combined classification of the three days.
Danilo Petrucci ended the last day of testing in the tenth position with the fastest lap time in 1:54.752 that he posted on his 36th lap out of 56 put in today. In the combined rankings, the rider from Terni also sits in the same position with his fastest lap time on Day 1 in 1:54.634, 0.776 seconds off today’s pacesetter.
After completing the preseason test, the Ducati Team riders will resume action at Losail Circuit from 6th-8th March for the first MotoGP Grand Prix of the season.
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:54.312 (10°)
“I am really satisfied with the work done today. We were able to try different setups that helped us understand that we still have some room left for improvement. The most positive aspect of today was the race simulation. With used tyres, I was able to cover the race distance without problems. On top of that, I did a few laps behind Danilo, which helped me to understand how to manage better the tyres. My race pace is good, and I am sure that if we can be fast as the front guys, then we will be able to fight for the top positions during the race weekend”.
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1:54.752 (16º)
“I am happy about this final day of testing here in Qatar. We tried to manage our last session well without focusing on lap times and giving priority to the long run. We were able to cover the same distance as the race and to remove the doubts that we still had. Now we need to work well during the race weekend to be able to secure a good starting position for the race. As we were fast during the race simulation, I am sure that we will be able to be competitive also in the race”.
Ends with Petrucci fourth and Dovizioso eleventh.
Completed the first official 2020 MotoGP test at Sepang in Malaysia two weeks ago, the Ducati Team riders were back in action today at Losail for the last three days of testing ahead of the start of the Championship, at the same race venue in Qatar in fifteen days.
The opening day of the last pre-season test that featured bright skies and temperatures around 25 degrees allowed the Italian squad to resume the development program of the Desmosedici GP20 focusing mainly on testing new components and improving the bike setup for the race.
The first Ducati Team rider to hit the track, right a few minutes after the opening of the pit line at 1 PM local time, has been Danilo Petrucci, the fourth fastest today. The rider from Terni put in a total of 41 laps and clocked his fastest lap time in 1:54.634 on the last minutes of the day using a soft tire.
Andrea Dovizioso closed in 11th position with the fastest lap in 1:55.308, only 0.654 seconds off his teammate. The rider from Forlì, who suffered a small crash at Turn 8 towards the end of the day, has declared to be satisfied with his first day of testing in Qatar, as he was able to find a good feeling with his Desmosedici GP20 and a solid base to continue his preparations for the opening MotoGP Grand Prix of the year.
Tomorrow Petrucci and Dovizioso will be back out on track for the second day of Qatar Test with the other seven hours of free practices available from 1 PM till 8 PM local time (CET +2.00).
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1:54.634 (4º)
“It has been a first complicated day of testing. Unfortunately, some small issues prevented us from taking full advantage of the track time available today. Despite that, the feeling with the bike is good, and now we only need to run constantly to get further confirmations on our work. I am quite happy with the behaviour of the Desmosedici even if there are still a few aspects that we need to improve, but I hope tomorrow we will be able to take a further step forward”.
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:55.308 (11º)
“I am quite satisfied with today because we were able to find a good feeling with the bike, which was better than the one I had in Malaysia. We did a few tests, and all of them were positives. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to complete the program that we had for today, but in general, we had a good pace, and we were able to set the fastest lap time with a medium compound tyre that had already done seventeen laps. Shame only, that I had a small crash towards the end of the session, that didn’t allow us to complete an interesting test”.
