This weekend is coming Japanese Grand Prix of MotoGP which is to be considered by Ducati as an opportunity to relaunch its rider Andrea Dovizioso in the title race. The Motegi has often smiled on the red motorcycles and on Dovi, much more than the last meeting in Aragon where the Italian had to resolve to drop 16 points to the overall leader Marc Márquez. And that's exactly the gap that separates him from the official Honda in dazzling form.
The 2017 season of Dovizioso is that of his installation among the best drivers in the world. Until then, he was recognized as serious and experienced, since he has already driven for Honda and Yamaha. But despite an interesting CV, he was rated as the best of the rest. And not as a permanent member of the tenors.
A change in his way of approaching races and the arrival of a Lorenzo which paradoxically more than served him by confirming his analysis of the Desmosedici since 2013 already made him a declared candidate for the title. That being said, the Italian is the first to recognize that this change came late… “ We must admit that until the victory at Mugello, we had no idea about our chances of playing in the championship ».
« I certainly wasn't in the best psychological conditions in Italy, but when things go well you have to be ready to win. And that's what we've done. From there, everything started to get better. ».
Dovizioso now has four successes this year compared to five in Márquez. In Japan, he finished second last year after starting from fourth position and he won a pole in 2014. Enough to play his card at Motegi. But adversity will be tough, including on your own side…
