Ducati Team arrives at Misano for second ‘home’ race of the year, the TIM San Marino GP

After last Sunday’s race at Silverstone, the Ducati Team is back on home ground in Italy again for the thirteenth round of the 2016 MotoGP World Championship. The Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini will be held this weekend at the Misano World Circuit, the Adriatic Riviera track situated just down the motorway from Ducati headquarters at Borgo Panigale.

Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone come straight to Misano off the back of a difficult British GP in which, due to right forearm pump for both riders half-way through the race, they were unable to get the results they had hoped for. The two Andreas should however be all fit to go for the San Marino round. The Misano race will also see another wild-card appearance by Michele Pirro, with the Ducati Test Team’s third Desmosedici GP. The rider from southern Italy will line up on the grid for the eighth time in this year’s MotoGP season.

Despite it being his ‘home’ race, Dovizioso has never actually stepped onto the podium at Misano in eight appearances in MotoGP since 2008, and his best result is fourth place, which he scored four times in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014. Andrea Iannone has taken part in the San Marino GP in MotoGP three times, with his best result being a fifth place in the 2014 race. Michele Pirro has twice finished tenth and twelve months ago qualified fifth on the grid, starting from row 2.

The Misano weekend programme gets underway on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 9.55 am, while the 28-lap race is scheduled for 2 pm on Sunday.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 6th (96 points)

“I don’t think I will have any problems with my forearm in the Misano race. I haven’t suffered with arm pump since my operation in 2013 and now I’m confidently looking forward to our home race. The weather conditions should be better than in England and this will allow us to make constant progress during the weekend. I think the Desmosedici GP can be competitive at this track, two weeks ago we had a test there that gave good results. It’s true that we didn’t have any of our main competitors to compare with, but the feeling was very good and I think we have a good chance of doing well in the race.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 7th (89 points)

“It’s a pity about last Sunday, because we could have got a better result had it not been for the problem with my forearm, but I’m happy to get back on track again right away at Misano, where expectations are higher than Silverstone for sure. We did a test here at the end of August and, apart from the crash at the end of the day, we worked well and I feel confident, even though we’ll only find out during the weekend.”

Michele Pirro (Ducati Team #51) – 21st (23 points)

“I hope that I can get some satisfaction at Misano, especially after everything that’s happened in the CIV championship. In any case this is an important weekend for our team, because after our first win at Zeltweg we have shown that we can be competitive at every circuit. I’m ready to tackle this weekend with the Test Team and as always I’ll be doing my best to get a good result for me and for Ducati.”

The Misano World Circuit

Built in 1972, the Misano circuit was a venue for GP races in the 80s and 90s before dropping off the calendar for fourteen years. After a number of modifications to improve the infrastructure and a change in the track direction, Misano returned to the MotoGP calendar in 2007. As always for a ‘home’ round, the Ducati Team riders can count on the support of numerous fans present in the Ducati Grandstand.

Fastest Lap: Lorenzo (Yamaha), 1’32.146 (165.1 km/h) – 2015

Circuit Record: Lorenzo (Yamaha), 1’33.273 (163.1 km/h) – 2015

Best Pole: Lorenzo (Yamaha), 1’32.146 (165.1 km/h) – 2015

Top Speed: Dovizioso (Ducati), 299.5 km/h – 2015

Track Length: 4.2 km

Race Distance: 28 laps (118.3 km)

Corners: 16 (6 left, 10 right)

Race Start: 14.00 CET

2015 Results

Podium: 1st Marquez (Honda), 2nd Smith (Yamaha), 3rd Redding (Ducati)

Pole Position: Lorenzo (Yamaha), 1’32.146 (165.103 km/h)

Fastest lap: Lorenzo (Yamaha), 1’33.273 (163.108 km/h)

Andrea Dovizioso

Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP

Race Number: 04

Age: 30 (born on March 23rd 1986 in Forlimpopoli, Italy)

Residence: Forlì (Italy)

Races: 252 (154 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)

First GP: 2001 Italian GP (125cc)

Wins: 10 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)

First Win: 2004 South African GP (125cc)

Pole Positions: 16 (3 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc)

First Pole: 2003 French GP (125cc)

Titles: 1 (1 x 125cc)

Andrea Iannone

Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP

Race Number: 29

Age: 27 (born on August 9th 1989 in Vasto, Italy)

Residence: Vasto (Italy)

Races: 190 (63 x MotoGP, 51 x Moto2, 76 x 125cc)

First GP: 2005 Spanish GP (125cc)

Wins: 13 (1 x MotoGP, 8 x Moto2, 4 x 125cc)

First Win: 2008 GP of China (125cc)

Pole Positions: 10 (2 x MotoGP, 5 x Moto2, 3 x 125cc)

First Pole: 2008 GP of Malaysia (125cc)

Michele Pirro

Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP

Race Number: 51

Age: 30 (nato il 5 luglio 1986 in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy)

Residence: Cesena (Italy)

Races: 91 (44 x MotoGP, 18 x Moto2, 29 x 125cc)

First GP: 2003 Italian GP (125cc)

Wins: 1 (1 x Moto2)

First Win: 2011 Valencia GP (Moto2)

Pole Positions: 1 (1 x Moto2)

First Pole: 2011 Valencia GP (Moto2)