Source: Ducati Corse.

Italian Andrea Dovizioso says his maiden Ducati podium with third in the MotoGP round at Austin is the result of ongoing hard work, coming just over a year since his debut with the brand last season.

After a preseason which saw significant management changes and adaptation to the new Open rules, Ducati appear to be achieving progress with their hard work.

The changes being made by incoming Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna seem to be taking affect as Sunday saw Ducati score their first podium since Valentino Rossi finished second at Misano in 2012.

Dovizioso had a solid race, fighting to overtake Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda), Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3) and Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) at various points.

“I am very pleased with the way I managed the race because in the early laps I didn’t have the right pace,” Dovizioso said. “But I kept calm and kept up a constant pace, and this paid off because I didn’t stress the tyres too much.

“My performance dropped off a bit towards the end but obviously less than the other riders I was fighting with and this allowed me to do the final stages in a good condition. Then I pulled out a small gap over Stefan Bradl and Bradley Smith, which allowed me to take the chequered flag with an advantage of almost two seconds.

“We’ve been working hard for a year and suffering a lot, and we are still not as quick as we would like to be. Getting a result like this at this time of the season is very important, also for all the engineers and mechanics in the racing division back in Bologna, who are working very hard to improve the Desmosedici’s competitiveness.”

Previously, Dovizioso had finished a best of fourth last year at Le Mans in France.