Ducati Team gearing up down under for Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island

Just a few days after the GP of Japan, the Ducati Team has arrived at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia, the venue for round 16 of the MotoGP World Championship, and the second leg in this exhausting series of three end-of-season overseas races on two different continents.

Situated close to the Bass Strait in the state of Victoria, the Phillip Island track runs in a counter-clockwise direction with a series of extremely quick curves that make it one of the fastest on the world championship calendar. Despite the fact that weather conditions in spring in the southern hemisphere are often unpredictable, the event is always a favourite for teams, riders and fans alike.

As in Motegi, the Ducati Team has also notched up four wins at Phillip Island, all at the hands of Casey Stoner.

Andrea Dovizioso has stepped onto the podium three times in the different categories, including one win in 125cc in 2004 and a third place in MotoGP in 2011. Last year he finished the race in fourth. Andrea Iannone’s best result is a third place in 2010 in Moto2, while last year he had to retire.

With three rounds remaining until the end of the 2015 championship, Iannone is currently fourth overall on 172 points, while Dovizioso lies seventh on 150 points.

The weekend schedule at Phillip Island kicks off on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 10.55am local time (01.55 CET), while the 27-lap race is scheduled for Sunday at 4pm (07.00 CET).

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 4th (172 points)

“At Motegi we had a good weekend and were always competitive, but unfortunately on Sunday I had to retire when my GP15 had an engine problem. Pity, because I had every chance of doing a good race and continue my run of positive results, but in any case throughout the season you have to accept a result of this kind. The next few tracks, starting with Phillip Island, should be positive for us. I like this circuit a lot and so I hope to do a good race on Sunday.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 7th (150 points)

“Phillip Island is not one of my favourite circuits, but with the GP15 I believe that this year we can be competitive, and so it should be a good weekend for us. It’ll actually be interesting to see how we will go here because last year I didn’t have a good feeling with the bike at all. Throughout the Motegi weekend, we did however improve on our performance and so also here we’ll be working hard to get a good result.”

The Phillip Island Circuit

Phillip Island, which is around 150 km south of Melbourne, is steeped in motor racing tradition, with the first car races having been held there on public roads in the 1920s. The first motorcycle races took place in 1931 and a permanent track was built in 1956. The circuit fell into disrepair during the late 70s and early 80s until it was bought in 1985 and given a major facelift. MotoGP returned in 1989 and 1990 before becoming a regular fixture once more from 1997 onwards. The Phillip Island circuit is blessed with breathtaking scenery and beautiful ocean views and is one of the fastest tracks on the calendar.