7 years separated Dovi's first MotoGP victory from his second. 7 months the second from the third, and 7 days the third from the fourth, that of the Catalan Grand Prix.
The former multiple American World Champion Freddie Spencer closely followed the start of the season of the Ducati official and noted in his attitude an evolution which can be the explanation of his results in clear progress.
“The best performances of this GP were those of Dovi. Not only because he had just won the week before, but also because of what was expected of him this weekend. It was a track that when they tested it didn't work very well and they didn't have high expectations. But after the race, he talked about his big improvement this year. If you look at what he's done in the past, after his first win it took him seven years to get the second, then seven months between the second and third and then this week it took seven days.
“It’s interesting with the numbers, but especially with his state of mind. He explained how one of his improvements over the past year was the way he approached his racing, the way he worked away from the track. It's also in his personal life, as he thinks about his riding and his ability to improve his concentration.
“That's one of the things I really love about riding motorcycles and working as a little kid in my backyard: being able to concentrate completely on what I was doing and being able to anticipate what would happen without having to distractions or no thought processes.
“Michael Phelps, the great swimmer, was asked a simple question after his 18 gold medals at the Olympics: What do you think when you get into position to start? He said " Nothing. Absolutely nothing ". Many people might find this strange, but it isn't. This shows that he is completely ready for what is happening, but in order to use and understand what will happen, he must have a completely clear mind without distractions. Dovi seems to be an example of this and is certainly an example in life.
“When we got to the race, Dovi came up and got to the position where he could see the Hondas were struggling. He then talked about how he felt the pace was very slow, which happens when you're completely focused and prepared. At this point, everything seems to be happening slowly. Dovi was certainly prepared for what happened next. He saw that he could double Dani Pedrosa, so he took the lead and Marc saw what was happening and passed Dani, but he couldn't close the gap. The race was pretty much settled from there.
" Concerning Jorge Lorenzo, it seemed that the same thing that happened at Mugello was going to happen again in Barcelona. After he got to the front, it looked like he was going to continue to collapse backwards, but he didn't. He got a second wind with about three quarters of the race remaining, to finish in a very good fourth place. We will see if this will continue in the following races. »
Photos © Ducati
Source: motorsportmagazine.com
