Source: Ducati Corse.

Ducati Corse general manager Luigi Dall’Igna is certain the Ducati Team will achieve victory in the opening part of the season after a stunning double podium performance in Qatar over the weekend.

Italian duo Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone challenged for victory throughout the epic season-opener, but were forced to settle for second and third at the mercy of nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi under lights at Losail.

With race wins now finally within reach for the first time since Casey Stoner at Phillip Island in 2010, Dall’Igna has declared that the team wants its Desmosedici GP15 on the top step of the podium within the next few races.

“For sure it’s a great emotion to have two riders on the podium with the new GP15 and for this reason I am really pleased, especially for all the guys in Ducati Corse who have done a great job back home in planning, designing and building the new bike in such a short period of time over the last few months,” Dall’Igna reflected.

“Probably today we could have even come away with a victory and not having done so actually leaves me with a tinge of disappointment, but today’s result in any case is fantastic and I am sure that we will manage to achieve our aim in the next few races.”

Dovizioso, who has been part of the factory Ducati outfit since replacing Rossi in 2013, has applauded the factory staff for delivering a bike in contention for race wins following a troublesome number of seasons.

“This is a special result for Ducati and for me, after everything we have been through in the last few years, and it rewards the work that we have done together to arrive at this point,” Dovizioso said.

“I never expected to be so competitive in the first race and it really is an extraordinary result. I want to thank all the engineers and the people in Bologna, who managed to get the bike ready in time for the Sepang 2 tests, the mechanics who have worked so hard this weekend and all the guys in Ducati Corse for the commitment they have demonstrated with this project.

“Iannone and I managed to get two podiums for Ducati and that’s a great result, but above all now I believe that this is only a starting-point for the future.”

Ducati’s success was extended to its satellite teams, despite remaining on a GP14.2 Pramac Racing’s Yonny Hernandez ran as high as fourth in the opening laps, while Avintia Racing’s Hector Barbera was top of the Open class contenders in scoring a point for 15th on his GP14.