Gran Premio Octo Di San Marino E Della Riviera
FIM MotoGP World Championship
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
Misano, San Marino
September 9, 2018
Race Results (all on Michelin tires):
1. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 27 laps, Total Race Time 42:05.426
2. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), -2.822 seconds
3. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), -7.269
4. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), -14.687
5. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), -16.016
6. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), -17.408
7. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), -19.086
8. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Suzuki), -21.804
9. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Ducati), -23.919
10. Johann Zarco, France (Yamaha), -27.559
11. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), -30.698, includes 1.1-second penalty
12. Franco Morbidelli, Italy (Honda), -32.941
13. Takaaki Nakagami, Japan (Honda), -33.461
14. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), -35.686
15. Michele Pirro, Italy (Ducati), -35.812
16. Bradley Smith, UK (KTM), -46.500
17. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Ducati), -46.614, crash
18. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), -50.593, crash
19. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (Yamaha), -55.168
20. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), -62.255
21. Scott Redding, UK (Aprilia), -69.475
22. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland (Honda), -72.608
23. Christophe Ponsson, France (Ducati), -1 lap
24. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Honda), -10 laps, DNF, crash
25. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), -10 laps, DNF, retired
26. Xavier Simeon, Belgium (Ducati), -25 laps, DNF, crash
World Championship Point Standings (after 12 of 18 races):
1. Marquez, 221 points
2. Dovizioso, 154
3. Rossi, 151
4. Lorenzo, 130
5. Vinales, 124
6. Crutchlow, 119
7. TIE, Zarco/Petrucci, 110
9. Iannone, 92
10. Rins, 79
11. Pedrosa, 76
12. Bautista, 64
13. Miller, 61
14. Rabat, 35
15. Pol Espargaro, 32
16. Morbidelli, 26
17. Syahrin, 24
18. Aleix Espargaro, 19
19. Smith, 15
20. Nakagami, 14
21. Redding, 12
22. Mika Kallio, 6
23. Abraham, 4
24. Pirro, 1
25. TIE, Luthi/Bradl/Simeon/Sylvain Guintoli, 0
More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech 3:
Zarco and Syahrin give their best in San Marino GP
Following a decent start, Monster Yamaha Tech3’s Johann Zarco lost four positions in the beginning of the 27 hot laps race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli today, but was gritting his teeth to bring home as many points as possible. The French star showed a tough battle to eventually end up inside the top 10.
On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 garage, Hafizh Syahrin performed bravely today to convert his hard Qualifying into a decent race result. Starting from P25, the Malaysian MotoGP rookie passed many of his contenders and finally saw the chequered flag in 19th place.
Johann Zarco
Position: 10th – Championship: 7th – Points: 110
“It has been a difficult race today, it was hot. I had a good feeling from the work we did in the Warm Up. At the beginning of the race in the first corners of the first lap I was able to control the bike well. To stay with the others was difficult, especially behind Valentino, he was braking quite strong and I could not overtake him. My weak point was always that I was losing in acceleration. From the beginning of the race, I’ve lost a few meters in the exit of the corners and then I did a mistake in the entry to corner 10 and I think this made me lose a lot of time and a lot of energy. Then I tried to find the pace and relax myself but I couldn’t do more, so it was not easy. The feeling to handle and control the bike was ok but we are so weak in the exit, so for the next races I’m going to try to find a solution even in riding style to have less issues. I still don’t know. I gave all the energy I had, but still finished far from the top guys, which is difficult to accept, but it’s the way of our races at the moment. I need to accept this and work on myself to keep growing.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Position: 19th – Championship: 17th – Points: 24
“In the end, we finished the race in 19th, which is not the position we aim for but it was a lot better than Qualifying. I still need to improve a lot and we also need to work harder for the next race. We decide to choose a rear soft tyre because I don’t have a lot of experience and we had a good pace with it, so we opted for that different tyre on the rear. In the first 10 laps I felt really good, not very far from the others but then I had a huge drop on the left side and therefore I was losing speed on the exit of the corners and had a lot of spinning. The feeling of the bike was very good, but this issue made it difficult for me to stop the bike and in addition the hot conditions today. Anyway, I gained more experience this weekend, some things to forget and some to take away. I try to learn from my mistakes and try to work hard for the next round.”
Hervé PONCHARAL
Team Manager
“That was a tough Grand Prix, but we knew it was going to be difficult. For sure, I think the fact that we haven’t been testing here didn’t help us a lot. Clearly the best moment and the highlight of the weekend for us was when Johann managed to go directly to Q2 on a still slightly damp track on Saturday morning in FP3. The rest of the weekend was obviously damage limitation. We did the best we could, we took a soft front and a soft rear and thought it could be a help in the beginning of the race to stay with the front guys and it worked until the Johann was trying to pass too hard and lost four positions, he went down from 9th to 13th. Lap time wise he was ok, he was lapping the same like the guys in front but couldn’t catch them anymore. A top 10 result is ok, thanks to Lorenzo, who helped us to arrive there. But it was a tough thing; Maverick Viñales fifth, Valentino Rossi seventh, Johann tenths shows that it’s not easy. There will be tracks which are better for us, for Yamaha, but right now it’s a bit of a struggle. The good point is, that we stay in contact for the best independent rider together with Cal Crutchlow and Danilo Petrucci. Let’s wait, I think Aragon will be a bit easier. On the other side, Hafizh Syahrin had a much better day today than the whole weekend with Warm Up and race and I think it’s always better to finish on a more positive note than the one he was going through on Friday. He did a good race, passed quite a few riders, did some decent lap times and hopefully Aragon will be also easier for him. Anyway, this is his rookie season, he is in a learning process and just lost two points to Franco Morbidelli now, but we’re still there and hopefully there will be tracks where we can be closer and in front again.”
More, from a press release issued by Angel Nieto Team:
BAUTISTA BACK IN THE TOP 10 AS TOP INDEPENDENT DUCATI
Ángel Nieto Team takes seventh straight top ten in ninth
Just a couple of months after a famous home win for Ducati with Jorge Lorenzo at Mugello, the Italian factory did it again today with Andrea Dovizioso taking the honours at Misano. Dovizioso escaped from Lorenzo and Marc Márquez to take a convincing win, his third of the season after Qatar and Brno. Lorenzo was unable to join his teammate on the podium today after crashing with two laps to go when fighting with Márquez for second position. In the end it went to Márquez with Cal Crutchlow in third.
Álvaro Bautista finished with another top ten and the honour of being the top independent Ducati rider at Misano. The Spaniard has been in the top ten for the last seven races now and this result moves him up to twelfth in the championship. Bautista quickly made up a position from the start and continued to make progress through the field to take ninth. Karel Abraham made up four positions in the San Marino GP, after starting from 24th. The Czech rider had problems with the front end in the first third of the race and lost ground to his rivals that made it difficult to recover more positions in the later stages.
9th Álvaro Bautista: “A top ten finish nowadays in MotoGP is not easy because the level is so high, so another one here is very positive because for some reason I found myself a little off the pace of the guys at the front today. Today we managed to improved the feeling with the bike and went for the soft front and rear options, which I think was the right choice. I am happy because we were close to the factory bikes and given that Cal Crutchlow is on factory material I am the first independent rider today. In any case our goal is to continue improving in the next race.”
20th Karel Abraham: “The only thing I think we could have done better is being in front of Syahrin. He was seven seconds of us and I think this was reachable but unfortunately from the beginning of the race I had problems with the front, I was losing it a lot but after seven or eight laps it got much better. In the middle of the race I had the best feeling I have had all weekend with the bike, it was really good, but then of course it dropped again. With seven laps to go Jack Miller overtook me but I couldn’t follow his pace and it would have been risky to try. It was a big gap in front of me and a big gap behind to I just managed the front and rear tyres to the end of the race. It was a shame the first seven or eight laps weren’t what we needed but overall the race was not that bad. We have to go to Aragon with our chins up, ready to fight again.”
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:
ALEIX ESPARGARÓ, FOURTEENTH, RIDES HIS APRILIA TO A POINTS FINISH
SCOTT REDDING TWENTY-FIRST
Working to improve the bike from the first session on Friday and with a performance in the race, the purpose of which, without holding back with his RS-GP, was to finish the race, Aleix Espargaró finished in the points in the GP of Misano. Fourteenth at the finish, he brought home two points that had been lacking since the Assen race and which boost morale also in view of the tests that Aprilia Racing will be conducting here in Misano tomorrow and Tuesday.
Starting well, in the top ten straight away, Aleix was penalised by the battle on the first turns which cost him five or six positions. From there he began a solid race that took him to the best result of the last four races.
Scott Redding had to deal with a tyre choice problem that caused him to finish twenty-first, rather far from his Aprilia Racing Team Gresini teammate.
ALEIX ESPARGARO’
“The race was undoubtedly the best session of the weekend, despite the final result which was below our objectives. I managed to be faster than in practice, reducing the gap behind riders like Zarco, Petrucci and Iannone, but we are still lacking a few tenths in order to stay with them for race distance. I gave it my all, even physically, because now the RS-GP takes a toll in direction changes. Our weak point right now is on corners without brakes, where the bike should flow, whereas when you brake hard, we are rather competitive. The tests will be fundamental, also to increase the synergy with my new crew chief.”
SCOTT REDDING
“I’m disappointed. Our weekend started the right way and I honestly thought that it could have been the right chance to show our potential. Instead, things got worse. Especially in the early part of the race I was very slow, and I had to let a lot of riders pass. I am in difficulty with the front tyre. I can’t use the hard because it’s too risky, partly because I weight more than other riders, and at the same time, the medium is too soft. I don’t have the solution. We are working, but we are struggling to get out of this vicious cycle.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:
NAKAGAMI IN THE POINTS IN MISANO
LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami produced a fine ride to claim 13th position in Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix in Misano. The Japanese rookie started from the seventh row of the grid, but built on a good start to finish in the points for the sixth time this season, eventually crossing the line just over five seconds off the top ten.
Nakagami was aware of the need for a fast start after qualifying in 19th position and did just that as he made up places on the first lap. He was then able to maintain a consistent race pace and just failed to get past Franco Morbidelli at the end which would have seen him equal his best result of the year. The 26-year-old was pleased with his performance and is now looking forward to the next round in Aragon.
Takaaki Nakagami – 13th
“It was a really long race and it was hot, but it was the best conditions we’ve had all weekend. I had a really good start and overtook a few riders at the beginning of the race and tried to follow the main group. From the beginning to the end, my lap times were nearly the same, I didn’t make any mistakes and was consistent which allowed us to take some points.
“I’m happy with this result, it’s only a few points, but it’s important for me as it was a difficult weekend. I want to thank my Team who did a really great job and gave me a good bike and let’s see what we can do at the next race in Aragon.”
More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:
CRUTCHLOW ON THE PODIUM IN MISANO
LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow claimed a first podium since his victory in Argentina as he took third place in Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix at Misano. The Briton produced a patient ride at Misano and was rewarded at the end as Ducati’s Jorge Lorenzo crashed out on the penultimate lap to allow him into the top three.
Starting from sixth on the grid, Crutchlow chose to bide his time initially, but eventually got past Maverick Vinales and Alex Rins to lap in solo fourth for the latter part of the race. Lorenzo’s unfortunate finish then gave the 32-year-old a welcome boost and the result sees Crutchlow move into sixth place in the championship standings – just 11 points off Lorenzo in fourth.
Cal Crutchlow – 3rd
“The Team did a fantastic job this weekend, this is a very important round for them, I was disappointed not to race at mine two weeks ago, so we put everything into this one. We tried our best, sure we got lucky with the crash of Lorenzo at the end, but as I said, I don’t really care because we did a good job. I’m proud of my Team and we now go to Aragon in good shape”.
“I lost one second (behind Maverick Vinales and Alex Rins) and that just stopped me being there with Marc (Marquez) and Jorge (Lorenzo), but that’s the way it goes. I wasn’t willing to push at the start of the race as much as I could and I got passed by Rins. But overall we have to be very pleased for the Team and we head into the rest of the year in good shape.”
More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:
Difficult Grand Prix for Reale Avintia Racing at Misano
MotoGP GP of San Marino – Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
The Grand Prix of San Marino was not easy for Team Reale Avintia Racing as Xavier Simeon’s hopes of fighting for points and scoring a strong result evaporated at the beginning of the fourth lap when he lost the front of his Ducati GP17 and crashed. As the Belgian rider says, it was a pity, because the previous work of the weekend had been very positive and his pace and race set-up were more than acceptable.
New team-mate and MotoGP rookie Christoph Ponsson finished his first Grand Prix, in a weekend that was also difficult for him due to the criticism of numerous publications and riders pilots. The most important thing for him today was to gain experience and finish the race, which he achieved.
The next round of the championship will take place within two weeks at the MotorLand Aragón Circuit and will be the third home race for Team Reale Avintia Racing.
Xavier Simeon | DNF
“It was a shame to crash in the race and without a doubt, this is not what I expected. The first thing that went wrong was the start and that’s what ultimately caused this crash, because I tried to recover and go with the group that was in front of me. But apart from this, I had fun and I learned a lot this weekend riding the GP17, although, of course, you can’t jump on a different bike and do miracles. I think I’ve done good lap times during practice, compared to last year. And I’ve also reconfirmed that the level of this category is very high even with a better bike. I hope to be able to take advantage of all I’ve learned this weekend when we get to Aragon, where I want to be stronger from Friday and make a good weekend”.
Christophe Ponsson | P23
“It’s been a long race. I expected it that way and I faced the race as a 27-lap practice session. It helped me to understand many things about the front tire and I have also experienced how the behaviour of the bike as the fuel load gets less towards the middle of the race. I also learned the difference between a new and a worn tire, because it changes the way you have to ride during the race. My last lap was only half a second slower than my best one in qualifying and this was also positive. I think we haven’t made any mistakes. I learned a lot and I did not crash because I did not want to lose track time. It was difficult to take everything in in such a short time, but the experience was worth it. I hope I can do better in Aragon”.
More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:
Marc Marquez equals Hailwood’s 112 career podiums in Misano, with Dani Pedrosa in sixth
Crossing the San Marino GP finish line in second place ahead of fellow Honda rider Cal Crutchlow, today Marc Marquez stepped on the podium for the tenth time this season, and for the sixth time in a row for the first time since 2014.
Marc also equaled Mike Hailwood with the 7th most podiums across all classes and extended his lead in the MotoGP overall standings to 67 points over new runner-up and today’s GP winner Andrea Dovizioso.
Currently, Honda also leads the the Constructors World Championship and the Repsol Honda Team tops the Teams World Championship.
Starting from eleventh on the grid, Dani Pedrosa took a positive sixth place, though not yet the result he is looking for.
Marc Marquez 93
2ND
“We’re very happy with this podium because we knew that at this track Ducati would be very fast and actually they were! They’d tested here and we hadn’t, but we fought hard and we got very close. I had a good start and then it took some time to bring the tyres up to temperature. I closed the little gap to the front but then I saw that Dovi was so strong today, so I set second place as the target. I was behind Jorge but he was faster than me. I kept pushing and pushing to see if I was able to make a move in the last lap and then he crashed. We took second meaning that we leave here with a 67-point advantage in the Championship which is very important. I’m happy, I feel comfortable on the bike, and I’m ready to prepare for Aragon, which is a track that I like very much.”
Dani Pedrosa 26
6TH
“Today’s sixth place was the best outcome for the weekend and so we must take the positives from it, but of course it’s not enough because we’re still far from where we want to be. I tried to stick to Maverick and to get closer to Rins but I wasn’t able to. We need to work on our bike’s setup in order to get closer to the pace of the front group.”
More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:
#SanMarinoGP Race. Difficult Sunday for Alma Pramac Racing: Jack crashes on lap 3, Petrux struggles in the first half of the race.
It was a difficult Sunday for Alma Pramac Racing. After the convincing performance of qualifying, Jack Miller and Danilo Petrucci were not able to be effective in the race. Jack started well from the second position but on la 3 he crashed when he was with the leading group, finishing P18. Petrux didn’t find the feeling with the rear tyre and only in the second part of the race he was able to find a good race pace but he finished in 11th position.
P11 – Danilo Petrucci
“I’m sorry about this race. It wasn’t a good weekend for us. I tried to stay with the leading group in the first laps but I didn’t have any feeling with the rear tyre”.
P18 – Jack Miller
“It’s a shame. We did a good job over the weekend and the race pace was good. I was convinced that I could be with the leaders but I made a mistake. I can’t wait to be at Aragon”.
More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC):
Stefan Bradl crashes out San Marino GP while fighting for a top 15 place
HRC MotoGP wild card Stefan Bradl was giving it his all to reach his target of a top-15 place in the San Marino Grand Prix and was chasing down Michele Pirro for sixteenth place when he suffered a crash on lap 18 and was forced to retire.
Stefan Bradl 6
Team HRC – MotoGP
“Today we chose to race on a hard rear tyre so I managed the first laps in a bit of a defensive way until I got comfortable with it. Our strategy was to gain some advantage in the final part of the race. Unfortunately, after some laps I started to feel vibrations from the front and finally I crashed. We don’t know yet what happened. We’ll discuss with Michelin to analyse the data and see what the problem was.”
More, from a press release issued by Michelin:
MICHELIN SEES RECORDS BROKEN AS DOVIZIOSO IS VICTORIOUS
Michelin saw its range of MotoGP™ tyres break records throughout the weekend during the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli as local hero Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) took the win today on home soil.
Michelin’s full range of MICHELIN Power Slicks were present on the grid this afternoon, again underlining the philosophy of supplying a selection of tyres that can be used by the whole field to give every rider the optimum performance. This weekend that performance element was in full view as every single practice and qualifying session, as well as this morning’s warm-up, produced lap-times quicker than the lap record. That time was then beaten in the race as Dovizioso set a new best on lap-nine, this made a full set for Michelin as Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) had set a new pole and outright lap-record in Saturday’s Qualifying, as he recorded the fastest-ever two-wheel lap of the 4,226m Misano track.
Lorenzo qualified on pole and got a good start to the race, leading for the first five laps, before team-mate Dovizioso passed him. The pair were joined in a three-way battle by reigning World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and the trio started to pull away at the front. Dovizioso then broke the two as he pushed his Michelin tyres to set consistent fast laps, including the one for the new record. He controlled from the front and although his pursuers tried to catch him – which resulted in Lorenzo crashing as he pushed too hard – the Italian took victory for Ducati at its home track in front of a large amount of ‘Ducatisti’ around the circuit. Following Dovizioso over the line was Marquez, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) securing the third podium place and the position of First Independent Rider. Alex Rins (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) took fourth, with Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) crossing the line in fifth and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) finishing sixth.
A large crowd of 96,758, most of which were dressed in yellow to support local hero Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), cheered their favourite all the way as he took seventh place, with fellow Italian Andrea Iannone (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) in eighth. Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) and Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) rounded out the top-ten in ninth and tenth respectively.
Michelin and the MotoGP paddock will now head to Spain and the 14th round of the season which will be held at Aragon on Sunday 23rd September and will signal the final leg of the summer European tour, before the fly-away section of the season gets underway in October.
Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team:
“The rear tyre worked very well, it was very consistent from the beginning to the end, but the grip from the track seemed less than the practice, this happens many times in the race and it makes it difficult to manage, we don’t know why and we need to understand. At the end our pace was so good, so I am really happy and it was especially good to set a new lap-record and get the win here at my home race.”
Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:
“This has been a very good weekend for Michelin, all of the sessions saw some very fast times. It was especially pleasing in the third Free Practice on Saturday morning to see impressive lap-times, as there were damp patches on the track, so it shows the grip and confidence that our tyres give the riders to enable them to push in imperfect conditions. All six compounds again featured in the race and this is an important factor, as it again reiterates our ethos of designing tyres that all can use. To set new lap records in the race, and also for overall fastest lap, is a very satisfying result and the durability of the tyres was evident today as riders were still recording very similar lap-times as the race drew to a close, as they did at the start. Overall it had been a strong weekend for the Michelin tyres, considering the continuously changing conditions and we look forward to Aragon and continuing with the high-level of performance – that we have had here – when we get to Spain.”
More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:
MOVISTAR YAMAHA SEAL FIFTH AND SEVENTH IN SAN MARINO RACE
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi had to wrestle a little at the start of the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini before the rider order settled. The teammates lost some time battling with competitors and were unable to mount the pressure at the end of the 27-lap race. They finished in fifth and seventh place respectively.
Misano Adriatico (Italy), 9th September 2018
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi showed persistence at today’s Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. Though they lost valuable time at the start of the race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, they kept their concentration and crossed the finish line in fifth and seventh place respectively.
After the first couple of corners, at the start of the 27-lap challenge, Viñales slotted into fifth place. He was under pressure from Álex Rins but defended his position skilfully on the opening lap. The Yamaha rider then briefly moved up to fourth place when Jack Miller crashed out, but soon fell back two places as the battle with Rins continued and also Cal Crutchlow got involved.
Viñales spent a large part of the race stalking Rins and Crutchlow who were battling for fourth place, but he wasn‘t able to join in on the fight. As the race went on, the gap between the riders expanded slowly. A late crash by Jorge Lorenzo saw the number-25 rider gain a place and finish in fifth position, 16.016s from first.
Rossi didn‘t have the best of starts to his home GP, kicking off the race from seventh place on the grid. He lost one position on the first lap, but it seemed his luck turned around as he went up a place in the order when Miller fell.
The local hero kept pushing to the fullest, motivated to please his fans, but was unable to keep Dani Pedrosa at bay. Though the Italian kept going, the remainder of the race was a lonely ride for him. After Lorenzo’s fall, the Doctor took the chequered flag in seventh place, 19.086s from the front.
Today’s results see Rossi drop to third position in the championship standings with a 70-point margin to first and a 3-point gap to second. Viñales remains in fifth place with 97-point gap to first and a 6-point gap to fourth. Yamaha holds third place in the Constructor Championship after the race in Misano, with a 62-point margin to first, while the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team hold third position in the team standings with a 22-point gap to first.
The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back in action in two weeks’ time at the MotorLand Aragón track for the Gran Premio Movistar de Aragón, held from September 21st – 23rd.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR
After yesterday‘s qualifying session and also FP4 we were expecting completely different results. Already during the warm up the bike was behaving differently and the only thing that changed compared to yesterday was the temperature. Today‘s race had the exact same conditions as yesterday, but both riders suffered from a lack of grip. They couldn‘t stop the bike and get the right corner speed for the entire race duration. We have to understand what caused this problem that already happened several times before so we can improve and fight at the front again, where we belong.
MAVERICK VIÑALES
It was really difficult. After the start I was really happy, actually, in the second corner because I thought ‘Now I take the slipstream from the fast guys and I will keep it up until the end’, because I felt really strong in FP4 and I felt I could do it. But we had quite a big drop in feeling from the Saturday to the Sunday, so we have to check what happened on the bike better, but it’s still difficult. It’s been a year and a half that we have been suffering in the races and we still have to understand what the point is where we lose out. Aragon will also be difficult because it’s hot and slippery, but we have some ideas for improvement that we can try. One of them is braking areas, as today I suffered a lot with the front tyre, so let’s see.
VALENTINO ROSSI
It was a pity because I would have liked to have a good race here in Misano, in my home GP, in front of all my friends and fans. I expected to be faster in the race, because yesterday in FP4 we did a good session. But this morning we had more problems with the bike, and even this afternoon, despite the conditions being more or less the same as those of yesterday. The big problem is that at the moment we don’t understand why. We must be able to understand what happens to our bike in situations like this. I hope we can fix it very quickly, because I want to go back to doing good races.
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM:
CHALLENGING MISANO RACE STARTS IMPORTANT PHASE OF MOTOGP WORK FOR RED BULL KTM TEAM
RACE 13th Rd. MotoGP 2018 – Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli (RSM)
Red Bull KTM MotoGP Factory Racing Team saw Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaro give their maximum at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the second round of MotoGP on Italian soil this season. Smith rode to 16th position and just missed Grand Prix points while Espargaro felt the effects of his collarbone injury and pulled into the pits having completed 16 of the 27 laps. The factory team will now embark on an important two-day test at the same circuit.
MotoGP
The thirteenth round of MotoGP meant one of the trickier tracks for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team with the mix of fast and slow corners of the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli accentuating set-up and rider feeling across the flat layout. The crew also trialled a new configuration for the KTM RC16 instigating a busy weekend of analysis.
Bradley Smith started the Grand Prix from 17th place on the grid and after having sliced tenths away from his fastest lap-times through the weekend: he was almost two seconds quicker than the efforts recorded at the same venue by the team in 2017. The Englishman fought on the fringes of the top fifteen and the last MotoGP points until the second half of the sprint when tyre choice came into play. He managed to hold-off Jorge Lorenzo after the Spaniard had crashed and remounted from 2nd position but could only boast 16th place.
Pol Espargaro made a competitive return to action after his crash in the Czech Republic and having sat-out the aborted British Grand Prix two weeks ago. The former World Champion came through practice and qualification by slowly increasing his speed and level of comfort on the #44 racebike but the pace and demands of the 27 lap dash on the San Marino coastline was tough to handle. Pol managed more than half race distance before deciding to return to the pitlane and think of the coming days of work.
Smith: “The top five-six were separated by twenty seconds so the leaders really did a good job today with super-strong lap-times. This was always going to a weak track for us but we still improved a lot, especially when you look to last year. We turned up with new package this weekend, which was going to make life a bit more difficult. We tried the very best we could and I pushed so hard to stay with the points group in the first half of the race but towards the end I had nothing left when the tyre started to drop. We’ll learn from this weekend and let’s see when we turn up to Aragon. I’m excited for that track because we did two days testing so I think we’ll have more to show.”
Espargaro: “I was weak and I had some pain in my collarbone but at least I was able to be here. I got through practice, qualifying, warm-up and after sixteen laps of the race I saw I was not performing or riding well. I preferred to stop and think about the two test days ahead now and then to be closer to 100% for Aragon. We will stay here and try as many things as we can. I cannot do many long runs but I can do short runs and test some new pieces. I can make some good laps but the problem is when I try for more than five-six together because I get too tired and my collarbone doesn’t resist. It was good to be out there but I’m still not ready to fully race against those guys on a track like this. We’ll cross our fingers for more improvement and more work ahead.”
Mike Leitner (Team Manager MotoGP): “We knew when we brought Pol here it would be a difficult mission. Even though it was good to have him back on the bike we found that he couldn’t finish the race in the way he wanted without the risk of a crash. It was better to stop and that was 100% clear. It was the correct decision and we are glad he made it: we know he will be in much better condition in Aragon. On Bradley’s side he was working a lot with the settings during the sessions and the race was quite difficult. He just missed the points, but looking at other riders we are easily reminded that this is a demanding track. We now have a two-day test and I think we can work quietly and with short runs for Pol to make an improvement for the next race.”
Espargaro and stand-in test rider Randy De Puniet will now begin a test programme through Monday and Tuesday to assess further modifications and components with a view to the future version of the KTM RC16.
Moto2
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Miguel Oliveira secured a well-earned 2nd position behind title rival Francesco Bagnaia in the Moto2 race and after a close scrap with Marcel Schrotter that was decided on the last lap. The Portuguese sits just eight points behind Bagnaia in Moto2 table. Teammate Brad Binder was 8th on his KTM Moto2 bike and gaind one position in the championship with now on third place.
Oliveira: “Pecco (Bagnaia) was very strong today and we paid the price for not having qualified on one of the front two rows, but I’m happy, since I was riding comfortably and the bike performed very well during the race. At some tracks it is very difficult to lower your lap times, and this is one of those circuits. On the first few laps I couldn’t run a strong pace, and as Pecco and Mattia (Pasini) could do that, we struggled. They broke away a little; I caught back up with Mattia but it was very difficult to reach Pecco.
I eventually took second position and only lost five points in the title fight, so I’m happy with how this Grand Prix has gone. Now we are going to Aragon, a track that I like, so I will be ready to fight again and start to recover points. Only eight points separate us, so anything can happen.”
Moto3
In Moto3 Marco Bezzecchi was bitterly disappointed to crash out of the multi-rider battle for victory on the final lap and lost control of the championship standings to Jorge Martin as a result. RBA BOE Skull Rider’s Gabriel Rodrigo was 4th past the chequered flag while Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Darryn Binder socred his second best finish of the season on the KTM RC250 GP with strong eighth place.
D. Binder: “I’m quite happy with today’s race. We fought back from 23rd to 8th, partly because of some crashes in front of us. Our pace was good and consistent compared to what we had yesterday. We didn’t make any big changes from Friday or Saturday, only small details; it’s just that today in the race I felt better when I pushed. I’m happy because I think we are taking steps in the right direction and I feel that I still have a lot more to offer. I think that I can take the fight to the front group soon. We need to take away all the positives from this weekend and apply them at Aragon, to start there in the same way that we have ended the weekend at Misano.”
MotoGP heads back to the Iberian Peninsula for the third Spanish fixture of four in 2018. The Grand Prix of Aragon at the expansive Motorland Aragon circuit takes place in two weeks time.
Next Race: September 23, 2018 – Motorland Aragon (ESP)
Results MotoGP Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli 2018
1. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA), Ducati, 42:05.426 min
2. Marc Marquez (ESP), Honda, +2.822 sec
3. Cal Crutchlow (GBR), Honda, +7.269
4. Alex Rins (ESP), Suzuki, +14.687
5. Maverick Vinales (ESP), Yamaha, +16.016
KTM
16. Bradley Smith (GBR), KTM, +46.500
DNF Pol Espargaro (ESP), KTM, +10 laps
Standings MotoGP 2018 after 13 of 19 rounds
1. Marquez, 221 points
2. Dovizioso, 154
3. Valentino Rossi (ITA), Yamaha, 151
4. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP), Ducati, 130
5. Maverick Vinales (ESP), Yamaha, 124
KTM
15. Espargaro, 32
19. Smith, 15
22. Mika Kallio (FIN), KTM, 6
Results Moto2 Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli 2018
1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA), Kalex, 41:02.106 min
2. Miguel Oliveira (POR), KTM, +3.108 sec
3. Marcel Schroetter (GER), Kalex, +4.094
4. Mattia Pasini (ITA), Kalex, +6.320
5. Joan Mir (ESP), Kalex, +6.728
KTM
8. Brad Binder (RSA), KTM, +12.134
Standings Moto2 2018 after 13 of 19 rounds
1. Bagnaia, 214 points
2. Oliveira, 206
3. Binder, 119
4. Lorenzo Baldassarri (ITA), Kalex, 116
5. Mir, 114
Results Moto3 Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli 2018
1. Lorenzo Dalla Porta (ITA), Honda, 39.38.684 min
2. Jorge Martin (ESP), Honda, +0.058 sec
3. Fabio Di Giananntonio (ITA), Honda, +0.122
4. Gabriel Rodrigo (ARG), KTM, +0.822
5. Jakub Kornfeil (CZE), KTM, +6.731
KTM
6. Albert Arenas (ESP), KTM, +6.859
7. Dennis Foggia (ITA), KTM, +7.315
8. Darryn Binder (RSA), KTM, +7.380
9. Andrea Migno (ITA), KTM, +8.608
Standings Moto3 2018 after 13 of 19 rounds
1. Martin, 166 points
2. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA), KTM, 158
3. Di Giannantonio, 137
4. Aron Canet (ESP), Honda, 118
5. Enea Bastianini (ITA), Honda, 117
KTM
6. Rodrigo, 97
7. Kornfeil, 91
9. Migno, 67
10. Marcos Ramirez (ESP), KTM, 67
22. Darryn Binder (RSA), KTM, 28
More, from a press release issued by Dorna:
Master craftsman: Dovizioso plays it to perfection at Misano
The Italian makes it three in a row for Ducati and three Italian winners on race day with his first Misano win
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) took an expertly-crafted victory in the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, picking his way into the lead and unleashing incredible pace to secure only the second ever win for Ducati at the venue. His win also makes it three in a row for the Borgo Panigale factory, having won at Brno and teammate Jorge Lorenzo following that up with victory in Austria. Lorenzo was the man on the chase at Misano, too, but there was late drama as the five-time World Champion slid out on the penultimate lap after dueling Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). Marquez took second at the flag, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) putting in an impressive ride to take third and come home as top Independent Team rider.
It was polesitter Lorenzo who shot out ahead and got the holeshot – as the number 99 is oft to do – but Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) kept second from second on the grid as the Aussie got a good start. Marquez was the biggest winner off the line, moving up from fifth after a crash in qualifying to slot into third, but he wasn’t there long…
Dovizioso struck quickly against the reigning Champion before picking off Miller, pushing hard to tag on to the back of his teammate as Marquez then sliced past the Aussie too – intent on keeping tabs on the Ducati duo at the front. Unfortunately, disaster struck a lap later for Miller as he slid out at Turn 14.
Back at the front, ‘DesmoDovi’ was honing in on Lorenzo and looking to make a move. With 22 laps to go the Italian did just that, slicing past at Turn 7. He then began to pull away as Marquez tagged on to Lorenzo in the battle for second, before the number 93 then shot past with 14 to go as the number 99 headed a little wide. The gap? 1.4 seconds to the Ducati ahead.
Marquez, however, wasn’t able to cut down the gap – and a number of laps later, he was under attack. Lorenzo made it through at Turn 8 and lit the touch paper on a few spectacular exchanges between the two, but to no avail and he settled back into third to prepare another attack. Trying again a lap later but not making it through, the ‘Spartan’ then switched tactics and went for it at Turn 12.
He’d prepared the move with a couple of feints beforehand, but this time he made it stick. From there it was time to put the hammer down and Lorenzo set about cutting the gap to his teammate. Tenth by tenth, the Spaniard was reeling him in – and the gap went back down to 1.3 seconds. Dovizioso began to respond, but drama suddenly hit the front on the penultimate lap. Pushing and pushing, Lorenzo suddenly slid out of second.
That left ‘DesmoDovi’ in free air at the front to take his first ever win at the venue, having managed the race to perfection. Marquez took second and extended his Championship lead, with Crutchlow’s impressive pace and race rewarded by a podium after the late drama.
Crutchlow had pulled free of a squabble and sliced past Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) to get into the position to try and close in on the then-leading trio, and more than made amends for a late crash in qualifying. Rins, meanwhile, impressed on the softer compound rear tyre to get well in the initial fight and then hold great pace to the flag, not able to stay ahead of Crutchlow but nevertheless holding station in the top five until Lorenzo’s late crash saw him take fourth.
Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) took fifth after dropping back slightly from a front row start and suffering a more difficult race, holding off some steady pressure from Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team), who took sixth.
For Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), it was a difficult Sunday at home. Missing the race through injury last season – as his special edition ‘Back to Misano’ helmet attests – the ‘Doctor’ had higher hopes for the race that takes place so close to his home town of Tavullia. He took P7, retaining his qualifying position by the flag. Compatriot Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) also had a tough weekend, and came home eighth.
Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team) continued his good run of recent form and took P9, with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) completing the top ten ahead of Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing). Petrucci had a difficult race day and was also given a 1.1 second penalty for cutting a corner early on.
Franco Morbidelli (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) beat Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) to the honour of top rookie and P12, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) taking points for Noale factory Aprilia on home turf in P14, just ahead of Ducati Test Team wildcard Michele Pirro.
Behind them? Lorenzo had remounted and dueled Bradley Smith (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to the line, but the Brit was just able to stay ahead by a tenth.
That’s it from a dramatic weekend at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Next we return to MotorLand Aragon and home turf for Marquez, Lorenzo and Viñales, leaving Dovizioso and Rossi behind enemy lines. After three Italian wins over the three classes at Misano, can the Spaniards fight back? Find out in a fortnight.
MotoGP™ Race Results
1 – Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) DUCATI 42’05.426
2 – Marc Marquez (SPA) HONDA +2.822
–
First Independent Team Rider
3 – Cal Crutchlow (GBR) HONDA +7.269
Runaway race win for perfect ‘Pecco’
Bagnaia takes victory on home soil ahead of Oliveira, with Schrötter taking his first podium in P3
Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46) converted pole position into his sixth Moto2™ win of the season at the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini to extend his Championship lead over Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) to eight points, with the Portuguese rider fending off Marcel Schrötter (Dynavolt Intact GP) on the final lap as the German secured his maiden Grand Prix podium in third.
Bagnaia got the launch off the line and grabbed the holeshot, from which he never looked back. Compatriot Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) was his closest challenger in the opening exchanges, keeping the gap to around one second, but the older Italian couldn’t maintain the pace and eventually fell into the grasp of the chasing duo of Oliveira and Schrötter – the two locked together for the entirety. By this time, Bagnaia had a three second gap at the front and that’s the way it remained until the chequered flag – perfection from ‘Pecco’ on home soil.
Despite the best efforts from Schrötter, including an ambitious lunge up the inside at Turn 14 on the final lap, Oliveira minimised the damage done in the overall standings to take a vital P2. Schrötter finally got the podium monkey off his back in P3, with Pasini holding off a late challenge from Joan Mir (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) to take fourth on home soil and the Spanish rookie rounding out the top five. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) fought back from P13 on the grid to take sixth at his home GP, with Fabio Quartararo (+ Ego Speed Up Racing) taking seventh, just a slender 0.066 ahead of Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brad Binder in eighth. Jorge Navarro (Federal Oil Gresini Moto3) looked set for a top six at Misano but the Spaniard was forced to drop one position to Baldassarri after exceeding track limits. The Italian was over three seconds behind at the time, ultimately making it P9 for Navarro at Misano.
As he continues to recover from injury, Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) earned a fantastic top ten in P10, with 11th place Simoe Corsi (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2) leading Remy Gardner (Tech 3 Racing), Dominique Aegerter (Kiefer Racing) and Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) over the line in P12, P13 and P14 respectively. Replacement rider Jesko Raffin (Temporary Lavorint SAG Team) managed to grab the final point scoring position in P15, a solid result for the current FIM CEV Repsol Moto2™ European Championship leader.
Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Augusto Fernandez (Pons HP40) crashed at Turn 14 on the opening lap, the latter tagging his compatriot. Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors) also crashed out of the race – riders ok.
Romano Fenati (Marinelli Snipers Team) was shown the Black Flag for irresponsible riding in an incident with Stefano Manzi (Forward Racing Team). Following a later hearing, Fenati was subsequently suspended from the next two races. Manzi, meanwhile, was also penalised for irresponsible riding but in an earlier incident with Fenati at Turn 4. Manzi has a six-place grid penalty for his next event.
Bagnaia extends his lead in the Championship after a sublime win on home soil, but Oliveira is still right there with him as the Moto2™ title race amps up on the road to MotorLand.
Moto2™ Race Results
1 – Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) KALEX 41’02.106
2 – Miguel Oliveira (POR) KTM +3.108
3 – Marcel Schrötter (GER) KALEX +4.094
Dream debut win for Dalla Porta in dramatic Moto3™ race
Italian claims first Grand Prix victory on home soil as Bezzecchi crashes out of the lead
In a drama-filled Moto3™ race at the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) secured a phenomenal debut Grand Prix victory, beating the two Del Conca Gresini Moto3 machines of Jorge Martin and Fabio Di Giannantonio on the run to the line. They completed the podium as the Championship got another shake up when Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrüstelGP) surrendered his lead, crashing on the penultimate lap.
The lightweight class race started in dramatic fashion as a huge crash unfolded on the exit of Turn 16 on Lap 2. After being passed by Martin, Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) highsided, leaving Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0), Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing), Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46) with nowhere to go as the five riders all went down. All walked away, with Canet and Sasaki going to the Medical Centre for a checkup. Both were declared unfit, Canet for a left shoulder injury Sasaki for a broken arm.
This left a group of five at the front, led by Bezzecchi, with Dalla Porta, Martin, Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider) and Di Giannantonio in hot pursuit. The paint swapping then commenced, with Dalla Porta showing his strength was down the back straight and into the fast sweep of left handers, getting the better of his compatriot Bezzecchi there on numerous occasions. ‘Diggia’ made his way to the front from fifth, but none of the top five could make the break or hold the lead for much more than a single lap.
With little over two laps to go, Di Giannantonio misjudged the braking zone heading into the tight T14 – narrowly avoiding Bezzecchi and Dalla Porta as he ran in too hot up the inside – but drama was avoided there until race leader Bezzecchi was too eager on the gas coming out of Turn 15. The Italian was flicked off his KTM as he crashed out of contention with a just over a lap to go.
This left Dalla Porta in charge on the final lap and despite the best efforts of Di Giannantonio at the final corner, lunging up the inside of his compatriot, the Leopard rider won the drag to the finish line to take his maiden Grand Prix win, made ever sweeter on home soil. Martin managed to out-run teammate ‘Diggia’ to the line to take a vital second, the latter settling for third at his home GP, with Rodrigo finishing 0.822 off the win in fourth.
Fifth was Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PrustelGP), the Czech rider doing an incredible job to avoid the pile up on lap two to lead sixth place Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team Moto3) over the line. Sky Racing Team VR46’s Dennis Foggia crossed the line seventh on home soil, his best result of the season, with Darryn Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) getting his second top ten of the year so far in eighth. Andrea Migno (Angel Nieto Team Moto3) grabbed his best finish since Mugello in ninth, with Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) rounding out the top ten in front of his home fans.
Fellow Italian Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) was P11, with Adam Norrodin (Petronas Sprinta Racing), Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia), Vincente Perez (Reale Avintia Academy 77) – his maiden Grand Prix points – and rookie Kazuki Masaki (RBA BOE Skull Rider) completing the point scoring positions at the San Marino GP.
After a dramatic Moto3™ race, it’s advantage Martin by eight points in the title hunt as we head MotorLand Aragon for Round 14. Can he hang onto it on home turf?
Moto3™ Race Results
1 – Lorenzo Dalla Porta (ITA) HONDA 39’38.684
2 – Jorge Martin (SPA) HONDA +0.058
3 – Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA) HONDA +0.122
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Corse:
Splendid victory by Andrea Dovizioso in the San Marino Grand Prix. Jorge Lorenzo crashes out from second place two laps from the end. Michele Pirro fifteenth at the flag
Andrea Dovizioso dominated the San Marino GP, round 13 of the MotoGP World Championship, which was held today at the Misano circuit in Italy. At his home race, the rider from Forlì started from row 2, then overtook his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo to move into the lead on the sixth lap. He held the position right until the end of the race, taking the chequered flag 2.8 seconds ahead of Marquez.
Jorge Lorenzo, who started from the front row after yesterday’s pole in qualifying, had an unfortunate race. The Spanish rider led for the first five laps and after being passed by Dovizioso, was involved in a terrific battle with Marquez. Two laps from the end, while lying second, Jorge crashed at the Quercia corner, after which he got back on his Desmosedici machine to finish the GP in seventeenth place.
It was a tough day for Michele Pirro on the third Desmosedici GP of the Ducati Test Team. Michele, who started from row 5, finished the race in fifteenth place.
Thanks to today’s win, Andrea Dovizioso moves up to second place in the Riders’ standings with 154 points, 67 from Marquez, while Lorenzo drops to fourth with 130 points. Ducati remain second in the Manufacturers’ standings with 233 points, cutting the gap to Honda to 23 points.
The next MotoGP round is the Aragón GP, scheduled to take place on 21-23 September at the Motorland Aragón circuit on the outskirts of Alcañiz.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1st
“I wanted this win so badly, because here at Misano Ducati and I have always struggled in recent years. In the test in August however we realized that we had made an important step forward and we could be competitive in the race. We worked really well during the weekend, in very different conditions, but both Jorge and Marc are very strong here so to win I had to do a perfect race. I started off in the right frame of mind, fully focussed on the race strategy, and when I took the lead, I pulled out a small advantage and then managed the situation until the finish. I’m really pleased, because winning here at Misano was very important for Ducati but also for me. Years ago it seemed like an impossible dream, but now we’ve done it and it fills me with so much satisfaction.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 17th
“It wasn’t the race we were expecting, even though we were competitive, and I think that we could have fought for the win. Today it was much warmer than the last few days and the grip wasn’t ideal, so we had to chose harder tyres than what I usually like. I suffered a lot under braking because I was unable to stop the bike, the front was turning in on me and the situation was very difficult to manage. This was the main reason why I crashed: I had to push more than usual because I had lost too much time battling with Marquez and Andrea had taken advantage to break away. Now we have to analyze the data well to understand how to improve the bike and be even quicker in the next races.”
Michele Pirro (Ducati Test Team #51) – 15th
“The positive thing about today is that Andrea won the race and Jorge fought for the win until the very end, so a Ducati 1-2 was surely on the cards. As for me, I think I ruined my race with a bad start and I crossed the line at the end of the opening lap in twentieth place. From then on it was all difficult and even though I was able to make up a few places, I began to suffer physically in the last few laps. In the end I’m pleased to see that after my Mugello crash, I’m still fast and I think that in the future we can again fight for the top places.”
Claudio Domenicali (CEO of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.)
“Winning here at Misano has a special flavour, because we are just down the road in Bologna and we can count on fantastic support. We’re going through a fantastic period at the moment because we’ve won the last three races with both our riders. Today Andrea was simply irresistible and clear-headed on the track: he was capable of managing the race well, kept an excellent pace and pushed hard when it was necessary. It’s a pity about Jorge, who did a great race and who deserved a podium. We were close to another Ducati 1-2, with just a few kilometres to go before the finish, but in any case today we’re very happy and I’d like to thank all those who support us from home as well as all the fans who help us get through the difficult moments and everyone working at Borgo Panigale to produce this truly extraordinary bike. We hadn’t won at this track since the Stoner days, proving that Misano has always been a difficult circuit for our bikes, which are very strong in acceleration and braking. Winning here shows what a complete and mature rider Dovizioso is, but it also demonstrates the excellent overall set-up of our bike. Finally, I’d like to compliment all our engineers, and give a big consolation hug to Jorge, who for sure is pretty disappointed at this moment, as well as one to Dovi who did a really extraordinary race.”
Luigi Dall’Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)
“We have to be happy both with this result and the performance of our bike. We did a great job over the weekend both on a technical level and with our riders. Dovizioso won after disputing a great race, and Lorenzo, despite his crash, did a wonderful race that thrilled me because he made some spectacular passes on other riders. To win both in Mugello and at Misano in the same season is something really special.”