#ItalianGP Race Andrea Dovizioso “Winning at Mugello is the dream of every Italian driver”

After a horrible night following food poisoning, when Dovizioso headed to his stand on this Sunday morning, he was far from suspecting that a few hours later he would become the first transalpine driver to win the Grand Prix of Italy on a Ducati. And yet he achieved it through courage, as well as thanks to his talent and perfect race management. The last Italian victory on a local bike in their national GP was obtained by Gianfranco Bonera on MV Agusta in 1974 at the Imola Grand Prix.

The situation seemed compromised from the morning session, when Andrea was unable to complete a single lap during the warm up. Rather than straining to shoot for nothing, his team encouraged him to rest and not use up what little strength he had left. It was a wise decision that the Reds did not later regret.

Starting from the first row of the starting grid alongside Maverick Vinales et Valentino Rossi, Dovi was in fourth position at the end of the first lap. He fell one place on the next lap, overtaken by Marc Marquez. He then improved his position by passing Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, and Valentino Rossi who was then second. After a good fight with Vale, he consolidated his second place, then launched an attack on the leader Vinales to finally overtake him on the fourteenth lap. He opened up a small gap, but the Spaniard got closer towards the end of the race. Andrea, however, managed to maintain a sufficient gap to cross the finish line as the winner.

It was an excellent operation in the Championship for Dovizioso, who managed to move up to second position in the provisional ranking, ahead of Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez. It was the third victory of his career in MotoGP, after two successes obtained at the British Grand Prix in 2009 as well as at Sepang last year. He was on the podium for the second time this year after Losail completing his group shot with sixth place in Texas, fifth in Jerez and fourth at Le Mans.

According to Andrea Dovizioso, “ It was a strange day for me, but the strangest thing was winning. I had no energy so much that I had to skip the warm-up. But we had to try, because I knew there was a shot to play. Before the start I was worried, but I quickly saw that I could go fast, which was positive. My pace was higher compared to that of my opponents… so I took my chance. Winning here with Ducati is really special. I remember my first podium in MotoGP on this track, I cried, a bit like Danilo today. I would like to thank Ducati, my team and my fans, who believed in me. Being second overall is even better, but I'm not surprised. The most important thing is to have speed. We'll see what happens to Barcelona, ​​because our tests proved difficult. We will have to approach the weekend in a positive way. »

Andrea Dovizioso, can you describe your emotions during the last lap?

“I was desperate!” At the start of the last lap I was only eight tenths ahead of Maverick and that's a margin you can close. I didn't know if Maverick was on the limit or not. I was desperate, but I couldn't risk too much going forward. The doubt was to take the risk, but I could finish in the gravel on the last lap where I attacked with a margin but within the limit.

“I did a good lap (1'47.8), but it didn't set the record. Until the last brake, I didn't know how close he was. When I entered the last corner from the front, I started celebrating. Winning at Mugello is the dream of every Italian driver. I never won at Mugello and I won in MotoGP with a Ducati, it was fantastic.

What was the secret today?

“Drive aggressively but smoothly. I've been repeating this mantra to myself since Friday morning and it worked. I'm happy because in the race I could ride quickly but smoothly. This allowed me to stay behind Vinales, study him and finally overtake him, but without a strategy.

First Italian rider to win at Mugello on an Italian motorcycle. Three Italian winners in the three classes…

“Yes, what a strange day. Perhaps the strangest thing is winning! When a driver wins at Mugello, he cries. We saw Migno and Pasini today. It's a special place for an Italian driver and I cried too. I was on the podium here with Honda, but to win with Ducati is incredible.

“I honestly didn't know what to expect this morning, I guessed I woke up at 4am and I was sick. I had food poisoning and was very weak. I didn't do the warm up to save energy. Fortunately, we already had a good setup and it paid off.

You said you don't have any strategy, maybe you should just ride with your instincts?

“In many other races it has paid off well with strategy, but I didn't do it today. Every race weekend is a different story. Today the bike performed well and we were able to play with the positives of our machine.

Do you think this is a turning point for the season?

" I am realistic. The situation changes a lot from circuit to circuit, we must continue to work as hard as usual to improve the basis to be competitive on all circuits. It doesn't help if we win a race and take 20 seconds in the next one. Right now we can't fight for the championship. We must remain realistic and continue to work.

How important is this victory?

“Everything works but we haven't revolutionized the bike today.

You have been celebrated by fans of Valentino and many teams. How does this make you feel?

“It happens if you love people. Seeing this support is incredible.

To whom do you dedicate this victory?

“It was a very emotional moment. I enjoyed every moment. I want to dedicate this victory to Nicky. He was a great person and I was lucky to have him as a teammate.

Now you are the first Ducati rider and the second in the championship...

“Being second in the championship is great. The championship is still long and we must concentrate on improving the base.

Were you surprised to see Jorge Lorenzo at the bottom of the podium?

“I didn’t see it, but I was told afterwards. I was happy. This shows that there is respect and reflects the atmosphere in the stand. »

Grand Prix results:

1- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP

2- Maverick Vinales – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1.281

3- Danilo Petrucci – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 2.334

4- Valentino Rossi – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 3.685

5- Alvaro Bautista – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 5.802

6- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 5.885

7- Johann Zarco – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 13.205

8- Jorge Lorenzo – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 14.393

9- Michele Pirro – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 14.880

10- Andrea Iannone – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki GSX-RR – + 15.502

11- Tito Rabat – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V – + 22.004

12- Scott Redding – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 24.952

13- Jonas Folger – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 28.160

14- Hector Barbera – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 30.676

15- Jack Miller – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V – + 30.779

16- Karel Abraham – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP15 – + 42.306

17- Sylvain Guintoli – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki GSX-RR – + 46.294

18- Loris Baz – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP15 – + 50.731

19- Sam Lowes – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia RS-GP – + 50.740

20- Bradley Smith – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 – + 50.897

Provisional ranking of the World Championship:

1 Maverick VIÑALES-Yamaha 105 points

2 Andrea DOVIZIOSO-Ducati 79

3 Valentino ROSSI-Yamaha 75

4 Marc MARQUEZ-Honda 68

5 Dani PEDROSA-Honda 68

6 Johann ZARCO-Yamaha 64

7 Jorge LORENZO-Ducati 46

8 Danilo PETRUCCI-Ducati 42

9 Jonas FOLGER-Yamaha 41

10 Cal CRUTCHLOW-Honda 40

11 Scott REDDING-Ducati 30

12 Jack MILLER-Honda 30

13 Alvaro BAUTISTA-Ducati 25

14 Andrea IANNONE-Suzuki 21

15 Loris BAZ-Ducati 19

 

Photos © Ducati