At first, we took this as one of the popular People events at the moment where it is fashionable to be seen in a discipline other than your own. This is how Andrea Dovizioso announced that he would participate, thanks to the bridges between Ducati and Audi, in the DTM round which takes place this weekend in Misano.
But the Borgo Panigale official proved to be a studious and diligent student, able to give the best of himself at the wheel of the 5 horsepower RS 600 as he does on his GP 19 19 times during the course. of the year. His progress was constant throughout the sessions and, ultimately, the native of Forlimpopoli qualified in 15th position.
“I did 2 days of testing” said Andrea Dovizioso, “one at Audi's private track and one at Misano. Fortunately I was advised by Ekström, a former Audi DTM driver friend and instructor. The car is impressive because it is very powerful, but it is difficult to drive because it has so much power down low, and power that is difficult to harness. My experience with motorcycles is of no use here. In MotoGP you have to take the corners smoothly and you have time to prepare for the exit and then accelerate hard. Here everything is different because you have to cut directly on the vibrator and open wide immediately. I also need to learn how to use DRS. It took me 6 laps to learn how to go all the way through the fast corner at Misano. At first your throat feels tight and I had a hard time feeling confident. Not exactly fear, but more like anxiety.”
Little by little, things fell into place and the gap with the best was reduced. Then came the first race of the weekend, the full in-board video of which you will find below. A video that is both captivating and impressive…
Obviously, Andrea Dovizioso appreciated this experience: “So much fun today at the first race! Let's try to do better tomorrow! ".
