Next stop Sachsenring for the Ducati Team, on track with Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci for the ninth round of the Championship
Just a few days after the Dutch GP – ended with Andrea Dovizioso and Petrucci respectively fourth and sixth on the finish line, separated by only half a second – the Ducati Team is ready to resume action near Chemnitz (Germany) at Sachsenring for the ninth round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship, the last one before the summer break.
On the twisty German track, which will host MotoGP for the 22nd consecutive year, Ducati scored five podiums in total, the last of which in 2016 with Andrea Dovizioso. Last year, moreover, Danilo Petrucci led a group of four Ducati riders on the finish line to claim fourth place, just five tenths of a second off the podium.
Both Ducati Team riders, who are currently second and third in the championship with 116 and 108 points respectively, are keen to get closer to the top of the standings and finish the first leg of the season positively ahead of a challenging start of the second phase, with three races scheduled in August. After eight rounds, Ducati is second among Manufacturers with 144 points, while the Ducati Team leads the Team rankings with 224 points.
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 2nd (116 points)
“The track’s layout isn’t particularly suited for our bike’s characteristics, but the tyres also play a key role towards the final result of the race. I don’t expect an easy challenge as we’ll have plenty of strong rivals, and not just Márquez because probably Yamaha and Suzuki will also be competitive on an anti-clockwise track with so many tight corners. At any rate, we know we have our work cut out for us but each race is a different story and we want to keep moving forward on this circuit. Last year the gap on the finish line was small, but we still have room for improvement. We need to stay focused and finish the first half of the championship on a positive note.”
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 3rd (108 points)
“Sachsenring maybe isn’t the most ideal track for our bike, but personally I’ve always liked it. Last year I was the first Ducati rider on the finish line, only half a second off the podium, so I feel fairly optimistic heading into the weekend. Weather conditions are often mixed there, but managing the rear tyre is the most important thing because it stays for more than thirty consecutive seconds on the left shoulder each lap. Our goal is to finish on the podium because only by confirming our competitiveness and racing constantly at the front we can keep holding the top spots in the rankings. Also, it’s the last race before the summer break and a strong result would allow us to go on holiday happy. We are ready for another battle.”