Andrea Dovizioso repeats his 2015 second place finish with another great race at the Qatar GP.
Once more Andrea Dovizioso produced a race win challenging run at the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar aboard his factory Ducati. In 2015 Dovizioso battled with Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) for victory, but 2016 saw him battling with the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP machine of Jorge Lorenzo. The incredible top end speed of the Ducati helped ‘Desmo Dovi’ get past Lorenzo and then into the lead after his Ducati Team teammate Andrea Iannone crashed out. Dovizioso put up a great fight for three laps, but eventually Jorge Lorenzo slipped past and he had to then focus his attention on Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). Marquez’s pressure on Dovizioso grew but the Italian was able to defend his second place and start the 2016 season on strong ground.
Dovizioso’s second in Qatar in 2015 started a run of three consecutive second place finishes, something both he and Ducati are keen to repeat and carry on. One thing is for sure, the Desmosedici GP continues to be dominant force down the straight. Achieving a top speed of 349.8km/h, Dovizioso was 9km/h faster than Jorge Lorenzo’s (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) top speed and 7.1km/h quicker than Marquez. Round two of the MotoGP™ World Championship will take place in Argentina, another circuit with a sizeable straight.
Andrea Dovizoso: “Starting off the season like this is a dream! I am really happy and above all I want to thank my team because together we have done a fantastic job to become so competitive. Thanks to all of Ducati and the guys in my team: every so often I make them suffer, but I’m always there when it counts! I finished last season without having a good feeling with my bike and so to do the first race at this pace, with all the regulation changes, means that we have really done a great job. We are only at the start and maybe this won’t be the real situation throughout the season, but we have an excellent base that makes us confident for the upcoming races.”
source : motogp.com
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