Laguna Seca and the Corkscrew await the Ducati Team With the German Grand Prix having just been completed this past Sunday, the Ducati Team has already made the Transatlantic trip to California for this coming weekend’s United States Grand Prix, which marks the 2013 MotoGP season’s halfway point and its second of three rounds to be held on American soil. One of the championship’s oldest circuits, Laguna Seca has a rich history in Grand Prix racing and has hosted a number of exciting events, including Nicky Hayden’s maiden MotoGP victory in 2005 (when the track returned to the GP schedule following an eleven-year break), and his follow-up win the following year, his championship season. Andrea Dovizioso doesn’t count the track among his favourites, but he has posted three fourth-place finishes there in the premier class, along with a fifth position. The shortest track on the calendar, Laguna Seca is twisty and technical, offering very little opportunity for a break, and its signature section is of course the legendary Corkscrew. Ducati sells more motorcycles in the USA than any other country, and the brand’s fans are expected to flood to Ducati Island, where a number of promotional initiatives are planned over the weekend. Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team “It’s nice to be going home to Laguna, which is a race that I love and that’s obviously very special to me. The circuit is quite unique, and it’s not easy, as you need to be confident and attack the corners. It’s quite a demanding, technical track and a lot of the corners are linked together. You really have to hit your marks there in order to be fast. I wish we were headed there with more speed and confidence, but the reality is this. Up until now, we certainly haven’t been getting the results we’d like by any means, but with the summer break coming up, it would be nice to go there, have some fun, and leave with a good taste in our mouths.” Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team “I don’t know what we can expect at Laguna with a completely different bike for me this year. Unfortunately, I think it’s a similar track to the Sachsenring in many ways. Maybe we’ll have fewer problems with turn-in since the corners are tighter, but all the bikes tend to pump a lot at Laguna because it’s very particular with its uphills and downhills. I don’t particularly enjoy the place, but as always we’re going there with the aim of getting the best possible result.” Vittoriano Guareschi – Team Manager “Laguna Seca is a track with a lot of elevation change, so in some ways, it’s similar to the Sachsenring. It’s Nicky’s home track, so he’ll surely be hoping to redeem his disappointing result in Germany. It’s a race that he has won twice in the past, so we know that he can do well there.” Laguna Seca Records Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati – 2010), 1:21.376 – 159.703 Km/h (99.235 mph) Best Pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha – 2012), 1:20.554 – 161.332 Km/h (100.247 mph) Circuit Length: 3.610 km (2.243 mi) 2013 MotoGP Race: 32 laps (115.520 km/71.781 mi) 2013 MotoGP Schedule: 14:00 p.m. Local Time 2012 podium: 1st Casey Stoner (Honda), 2nd Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), 3rd Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 2012 pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1:20.554 – 161.332 Km/h (100.247 mph) Ducati Team Results at Laguna Seca (best finish) 2012: 6th (Hayden) 2011: 6th (Rossi) 2010: 2nd (Stoner) 2009: 4th (Stoner) 2008: 2nd (Stoner) 2007: 1st (Stoner) 2006: 8th (Capirossi) 2005: 10th (Capirossi) Ducati Team – Rider Info Andrea Dovizioso Bike: Ducati Team Desmosedici GP13 Race number: 04 Age: 27 (born in Forlimpopoli, Italy, 23 March 1986) Residence: Forlì, Italy Number of GPs: 194 (96 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc) First GP: 2001 Italian GP (125cc) Number of wins: 10 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc) First GP win: 2004 South African GP (125cc) Poles: 14 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc) First pole: 2003 French GP (125cc) World Championships: 1 (1 x 125cc) Dovizioso’s MotoGP track record at Laguna Seca 2012: Grid, 6th; Race, 4th 2011: Grid, 6th; Race, 5th 2010: Grid, 3rd; Race, 4th 2009: Grid, 5th; Race, NC 2008: Grid, 9th; Race, 4th Nicky Hayden Bike: Ducati Team Desmosedici GP13 Race number: 69 Age: 31 (born in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA, 30 July 1981) Residence: Owensboro (Kentucky, USA) Number of GPs: 175 (175 x MotoGP) First GP: 2003 Japanese GP (MotoGP) Number of wins: 3 (3 x MotoGP) First GP win: 2005 USA GP (MotoGP) Poles: 5 (5 x MotoGP) First pole: 2005 USA GP (MotoGP) World Championships: 1 (6 x MotoGP, 2006) Hayden’s MotoGP track record at Laguna Seca 2012: Grid, 8th; Race, 6th 2011: Grid, 9th; Race, 7th 2010: Grid, 7th; Race, 5th 2009: Grid, 8th; Race, 5th 2008: Grid, 3rd; Race, 5th 2007: Grid, 4th; Race, DNF 2006: Grid, 6th; Race, 1st 2005: Grid, 1st; Race, 1st