More to come according to Dovizioso after back-to-back podiums.
In-form Italian Andrea Dovizioso has confirmed the potential of Ducati’s Desmosedici GP15 after another positive podium showing at the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
After second place in the opening round of the 2015 MotoGP season in Qatar, Dovizioso confirmed his current run of good form and the competitiveness of the GP15 when he again finished runner-up.
The Ducati Team rider rode an aggressive race, getting the holeshot from the starting grid and leading for the first four laps, before being passed by Marc Marquez who went on to win.
Dovizioso was then involved in an exciting battle with Valentino Rossi, who passed him on lap eight, but he remained right behind his compatriot, getting past on lap 16 and administering his advantage until the chequered flag. Thanks to this second successive runner-up slot, Dovizioso is now second in the championship, just one point behind Rossi.
“Today was a superb race and I take enormous personal satisfaction from it because here at Austin the races are always special – on this circuit you have to administer your energy, your tyres and your pace, something that does not happen in other circuits,” Dovizioso said.
“I am particularly pleased with the work of my team because on a completely different track from Losail we confirmed that the GP15 is competitive and we managed to improve during the weekend.
“This year we have already had two great races, but we must continue to work because we’re still lacking a bit of fine-tuning in braking and traction, small improvements that will make the difference when it comes to fighting for the top positions at every circuit.”
Ducati Corse general manager Luigi Dall’Igna said the result was even better than Qatar’s double podium: “For sure today was another great race for our team and Dovizioso’s runner-up position is even sweeter than the one in Qatar. Now we are going to Argentina where we will try and confirm the good performances of the first two rounds.”
Teammate Andrea Iannone, who started from row three, also had a good race, passed late by Jorge Lorenzo and had to settle for fifth. He now lies in fourth place overall in the riders’ standings.
Ducati are second in the Constructors’ table, just one point behind Yamaha, and the Ducati Team are equal first in the Teams’ classification.