#JapaneseGP MotoGP J.3 Andrea Dovizioso “It will be very difficult to beat Marquez in the championship but we will try until the end”

The message delivered by Andrea to his Iberian opponent was completely clear in Motegi: the Championship will end in the last corner of the last lap of the last Grand Prix, and not before. Dovizioso drew on his resources of talent and energy in Japan to counter an imperial Marc Marquez, and he dominated him in the final meters in fantastic fashion.

Beating Honda at home at Twin Ring Motegi, especially when the Championship is at stake, and Danilo Petrucci adds a little layer by climbing onto the third step of the podium, is always a gourmet treat for Ducati. Where is the second RC213V, Mr. Honda? Fifteenth.

However, the weekend was not easy for Dovi, soaked like his colleagues from head to toe for three days. The best followed the worst and the worst followed the best. During free practice, Andrea achieved the best combined time of the three sessions. So far everything was going well, but the building was cracking in qualifying with a modest ninth time, synonymous with third row (and what's more on the clock behind the two KTMs).

Dovi managed not to get stuck at the start in the middle of the sprays of water and he was fifth on the first lap, then fourth on the second, and third on the fourth. When at the halfway point the leader Danilo Petrucci dropped his pace with his rear tire too soft, Dovizioso climbed into second position behind Marquez. The Spaniard took a small advantage at the end of the race, which he lost on the last lap by making a slight error.

Andrea then attempted a mind-blowing attack, braking at the bottom of a long straight line (762 m) downhill under the deluge. Staying on your wheels was an achievement, overtaking Marc Marquez a miracle. Dovi succeeded, and not only did he come closer to the Championship by scoring valuable points, but he boosted his morale for the next races, as much as he insinuated a doubt in a corner of his rival's brain.

According to Andrea Dovizioso, “At first, I couldn’t see anything, there was a lot of water. I had to pass a lot of drivers and it was almost impossible to see the braking marks. I did the first two laps pretty well, but the rear tire wasn't up to temperature yet and it was quite difficult to be aggressive. But the front tire worked very well and I was able to brake very hard. During the tests we worked very well and we were ready for these conditions. 

“At the start of the race, I didn't feel very good but I didn't give up and that was the key to the Grand Prix. Lap by lap we got faster and faster, I saw my positives and negatives, and in the end we put up a great battle. 

“It is always difficult to fight with Marc and we attacked very hard. In the last six laps our tire was worn out, we were spinning in sixth and it was very difficult to be precise. It was difficult to brake hard and we had to change line, it was really difficult. 

“I saw him struggling and he was struggling a lot. He tried to attack again during the last two laps but he was perhaps over the limit and he made a mistake. 

“I was able to catch him again and I knew that at turn 11 it was my chance, so I was able to come out behind him from turn 10 and then I braked very hard – my bike braking was better than hers. But there were two corners left and I knew anything could happen because I was slow in these corners and Marc was behind me. 

“I tried to make a wide left turn, it was the right decision because I closed the door, and for him it was very difficult to try to pass me and when he did , he couldn't change direction fast enough. 

“Today we didn't think about the championship because our speed was incredible, the battle was at the limit, these are the beautiful things of this sport and our mentality today. I'm really happy with the way we approached the race: we managed the GP and we were very focused. 

“It was very exciting to win this race and it was so important for the championship. We know it is very difficult to beat him in the championship but we will try until the end. »

Japanese Grand Prix standings:

1 Andrea DOVIZIOSO-Ducati Team-Ducati

2 Marc MARQUEZ-Repsol Honda Team-Honda +0.249

3 Danilo PETRUCCI-OCTO Pramac Racing-Ducati +10.557

4 Andrea IANNONE-Team SUZUKI ECSTAR-Suzuki +18.845

5 Alex RINS-Team SUZUKI ECSTAR-Suzuki +22.982

6 Jorge LORENZO-Ducati Team-Ducati +24.464

7 Aleix ESPARGARO-Aprilia Racing Team Gresini-Aprilia +28.010

8 Johann ZARCO-Monster Yamaha Tech 3-Yamaha +29.475

9 Maverick VIÑALES-Movistar Yamaha MotoGP-Yamaha +36.575

10 Loris BAZ-Reale Avintia Racing-Ducati +48.506

11 Pol ESPARGARO-Red Bull KTM Factory Racing-KTM +56.357

12 Katsuyuki NAKASUGA -Yamalube Yamaha Factory Racing-Yamaha +1'00.181

13 Sam LOWES-Aprilia Racing Team Gresini-Aprilia +1'00.980

14 Hector BARBERA-Reale Avintia Racing-Ducati +1'03.118

15 Tito RABAT-EG 0,0 Marc VDS-Honda +1'03.514

16 Scott REDDING-OCTO Pramac Racing-Ducati +1'04.162

17 Bradley SMITH-Red Bull KTM Factory Racing-KTM +1'06.271

18 Hiroshi AOYAMA-EG 0,0 Marc VDS-Honda +1'13.250

Provisional ranking of the World Championship:

1 Marc MARQUEZ-Honda 244 points

2 Andrea DOVIZIOSO-Ducati 233

3 Maverick VIÑALES-Yamaha 203

4 Dani PEDROSA-Honda 170

5 Valentino ROSSI-Yamaha 168

6 Johann ZARCO-Yamaha 125

7 Jorge LORENZO-Ducati 116

8 Danilo PETRUCCI-Ducati 111

9 Cal CRUTCHLOW-Honda 92

10 Jonas FOLGER-Yamaha 84

11 Alvaro BAUTISTA-Ducati 70

12 Aleix ESPARGARO-Aprilia 62

13 Jack MILLER-Honda 56

14 Scott REDDING-Ducati 56

15 Andrea IANNONE-Suzuki 50

16 Loris BAZ-Ducati 45

Photo © Ducati