News 8 Aug 2019

Dovizioso not reliant on strong Ducati form at the Red Bull Ring

Factory Ducati pilot acknowledges Marquez threat at Austrian venue.

Image: Supplied.

Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso isn’t relying on the Italian manufacturer’s dominance at the Red Bull Ring since the venue returned to the MotoGP calendar in 2016 as the Austrian grand prix looms this weekend.

While acknowledging Ducati’s success at the circuit, Dovizioso understands its stranglehold at the venue could be upset by a dominant Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), who actually defeated the Italian ace in 2018.

“We can’t deny that the Red Bull Ring is an excellent track for us, this is clear from the results achieved there in the last few years, but as I’m always saying, each race has its own story to tell,” Dovizioso explained.

“Last year Marquez finished ahead of me, so I’m sure that this year he will again be competitive. The most important thing is to focus on ourselves and maintain the feeling we found at Brno, both during the weekend and during the test, which was very positive. We’re going to try everything we can again, and for sure we’re not going to give up.”

Dovizioso sits second in the championship rankings, 63 points behind defending champion and points leader Marquez.

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