Andrea Dovizioso maintains Champioship lead with a eighth position in the Gran Prix of Emilia Romagna and the Rimini Riviera. Tenth place for Danilo Petrucci. At the Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna and the Rimini Riviera, both the Ducati Team riders finished within the top ten. After starting from tenth on the grid, Andrea Dovizioso couldn’t make his way through and remained behind the group losing more ground on Lap 1. Forced to slow down to avoid being involved in a crash with other two riders that were proceeding him, the rider from Romagna dropped back into fourteenth place, but then managed to find a good pace and recover to get back into the top ten after a few laps. Eighth at the finish line, Dovizioso earned valuable points today that keep him in the Championship lead with just one point on Quartararo and Viñales, who are second and third respectively, tied on points.
Danilo Petrucci also finished his race in the top ten. The rider from Terni was the protagonist of an excellent start that allowed him to recover till sixth place after two laps, but then as he couldn’t find the feeling on the front, he began to lose ground, closing the GP in tenth position. In the overall standings, Petrucci climbs back into 14th place, 53 points behind Dovizioso. Ducati is in second place in the manufacturers’ standings, while the Ducati Team is fourth in the teams’ standings.
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 8th
“It was a complicated race. Unfortunately, when you start from the back, there is always the risk of wasting time, especially in the first laps. After the start there was a bit of confusion: at Turn 8 two riders fell in front of me and I had to brake, leaving room for two other opponents who overtook me. After a few laps, I finally found my rhythm, and I just thought about trying to stay constant. I felt better than last week, but I didn’t have a great pace and being so far behind, I couldn’t do any strategy. In the end, today we scored some points, and for now, we are still leading the standings, but of course, we cannot be satisfied with today’s result.”
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 10th
“It was another tough race. Right from the start, I didn’t find the same feeling I had in the practices. I started well, but I didn’t have confidence on the front, and I couldn’t stop the bike. Too bad because I felt I could have a good race today. I am happy with the progress we have been able to make compared to the previous races, but it is clear that we are still missing something. Fortunately, next week we will be back on track in Barcelona, where we will try to redeem ourselves.”
After the double Grands Prix in Misano Adriatico, the Ducati Team will immediately head to Spain, where next weekend, from 25th to 27th September, they will be racing at Montmeló Circuit, for the Catalunya Grand Prix.
