Ducati Team gets ready for Austrian challenge

Just a few days after the Czech Grand Prix, the 2017 MotoGP World Championship continues non-stop with the second of three appointments in the month of August, this time in the heart of Austria, at the Red Bull Ring circuit close to Zeltweg in Styria. This eleventh round of the season will be held on the spectacular Austrian track, the venue for last year’s triumphant 1-2 win by the Ducati Team with Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso in first and second place.

Two days ago Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso took part in the official MotoGP test at Brno, evaluating several new technical solutions including the innovative aerodynamic fairing used at the Czech circuit only by the Spanish rider, which will probably be used by both riders in Austria.

The Austrian GP schedule gets underway on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 9.55 am, while the 28-lap race will start at 14.00 CET on Sunday.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 3rd (133 points)

“If we consider our result from last year, in Austria we are for sure amongst the favourites but this year the situation is different because without the winglets it won’t be easy to find the same speed. Despite the fact that the result in Brno was not what we expected, in general I’m pleased with our performance over the weekend in the Czech Republic, even though in the end unfortunately we lost a lot of points in the championship standings. On Monday in the official test we tried the new fairing and the feeling was good, so I’m confident about this race and I believe we can be competitive right from the start of the weekend.”

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 10th (66 points)

“I haven’t had much time to think of what happened in the race a few days ago at Brno. As I said before, the most important lesson for us is to stay united as a team and continue to work with the same enthusiasm. Monday’s test was positive because we found some new set-up solutions that will help us to go quicker. On paper our bike is perfectly suited to the Spielberg circuit. It will be the first time I’ll be on track with the Desmosedici in Austria and it’ll be very important to find the sensation I had at Brno again and demonstrate that I am competitive right from the first practice session. I feel pretty good with the new fairing and now we also have an opportunity to test its performance at a new circuit.”

The Red Bull Ring

The Red Bull Ring circuit, formerly known as the Österreichring, is a historic track situated in Austria, close to Spielberg in the Styria region. The circuit, which was built in 1969, remained unused for many years after undergoing costly restoration work that modified the layout. The total length of the circuit is 4.318 km and the layout has ten corners, with an elevation change of 65 metres.

Fastest Lap: Iannone (Ducati), 1’23.142 (186.9 km/h) – 2016

Circuit Record: Iannone (Ducati), 1’24.561 (183.8 km/h) – 2016

Best Pole: Iannone (Ducati), 1’23.142 (186.9 km/h) – 2016

Top Speed: Dovizioso (Ducati), 313.0 km/h – 2016

Track Length: 4.3 km

Race Distance: 28 laps (120.9 km)

Corners: 10 (3 left, 7 right)

Race Start: 14.00 CET

2016 Results

Podium: 1st Iannone (Ducati), 2nd Dovizioso (Ducati), 3rd Lorenzo (Yamaha)

Pole Position: Iannone (Ducati), 1’23.142 (186.966 km/h)

Fastest Lap: Iannone (Ducati), 1’24.561 (183.829 km/h)

Jorge Lorenzo

Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP

Race Number: 99

Age: 30 (born on May 4th 1987 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain)

Residence: Lugano (Switzerland)

Races: 260 (166 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)

First GP: 2002 Spanish GP (125cc)

Wins: 65 (44 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)

First Win: 2003 Brazilian GP (125cc)

Pole Positions: 65 (39 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)

First Pole: 2003 Malaysian GP (125cc)

World Titles: 5 (3 x MotoGP, 2 x 250cc)

Andrea Dovizioso

Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP

Race Number: 04

Age: 31 (born on March 23rd 1986 in Forlimpopoli, Italy)

Residence: Forlì (Italy)

Races: 268 (170 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)

First GP: 2001 Italian GP (125cc)

Wins: 13 (4 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)

First Win: 2004 South African GP (125cc)

Pole Positions: 18 (5 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc)

First Pole: 2003 French GP (125cc)

World Titles: 1 (1 x 125cc)