Ducati Team concluded the last MotoGP preseason test in Qatar

with Dovizioso tenth and Petrucci sixteenth

The final 2020 MotoGP preseason test concluded this evening at Losail, in Qatar. The same race venue, situated just a few kilometers away from the capital city of Doha, will host the opening Grand Prix of the new season in less than two weeks.

During the three days of testing available, the Ducati Team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci were able to work consistently on the development of the Desmosedici GP20 bike as they kept testing the new tire solutions brought by Michelin this year.

The last day for the two riders was mostly dedicated to making the final arrangements ahead of the upcoming race weekend. In the late afternoon, they headed back out on track together to complete a long run that gave positive feedback.

Andrea Dovizioso ended the day with the tenth fastest time, in 1:54.312, closing in tenth position also in the combined classification of the three days.

Danilo Petrucci ended the last day of testing in the tenth position with the fastest lap time in 1:54.752 that he posted on his 36th lap out of 56 put in today. In the combined rankings, the rider from Terni also sits in the same position with his fastest lap time on Day 1 in 1:54.634, 0.776 seconds off today’s pacesetter.

After completing the preseason test, the Ducati Team riders will resume action at Losail Circuit from 6th-8th March for the first MotoGP Grand Prix of the season.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:54.312 (10°)
 “I am really satisfied with the work done today. We were able to try different setups that helped us understand that we still have some room left for improvement. The most positive aspect of today was the race simulation. With used tyres, I was able to cover the race distance without problems. On top of that, I did a few laps behind Danilo, which helped me to understand how to manage better the tyres. My race pace is good, and I am sure that if we can be fast as the front guys, then we will be able to fight for the top positions during the race weekend”.

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1:54.752 (16º)
 “I am happy about this final day of testing here in Qatar. We tried to manage our last session well without focusing on lap times and giving priority to the long run. We were able to cover the same distance as the race and to remove the doubts that we still had. Now we need to work well during the race weekend to be able to secure a good starting position for the race. As we were fast during the race simulation, I am sure that we will be able to be competitive also in the race”.

Work continues for the Ducati Team at Losail

Dovizioso eighth and Petrucci twelfth in the second day of testing in Qatar

The Ducati Team was back in action again today at Losail in Qatar for the second of three days of the last Official MotoGP Test ahead of the 2020 season opener scheduled in less than two weeks at night at the same race venue.

Following the first positive feedback from yesterday, Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci got back at work this afternoon resuming the respective development programs of their Desmosedici GP20 bikes. Thanks to the favorable weather conditions, both the Ducati Team riders were able to take full advantage of the track time available as they found also good track conditions.

With a total of 60 laps on his tally, Dovizioso ended the day in eighth position thanks to the fastest lap in 1:54.662, half a second faster than his personal best of yesterday. The rider from Forlì has declared to be satisfied with the progress made today as he was faster and closer to the top of the timesheets in a test day featured with a quick pace and no less than 13 riders closed in less than a second.

It has been a busy day of work also for his teammate Petrucci. The rider from Terni, who was the fastest on track at the midpoint of the day, was able to find a good race pace using a rear medium compound tire. Petrucci ended the day in the twelfth position overall with the fastest lap in 1:54.852, 0.814 seconds behind today’s pacesetter.

The Ducati Team riders will still have tomorrow to complete the development of their Desmosedici bikes in the final day of pre-season testing in Qatar.

 Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:54.662 (8°)
“I am happier compared to yesterday because we were able to move forward with a huge part of our testing program, and now we have a clearer idea about the situation. We are fast, and our pace is good, but so are our opponents. For sure there are details that we will be able to understand only during a race weekend, while in a test, as we are riding alone, we can only get an idea of on which area we need to focus in order to improve. Today we did a few consecutive laps to understand the effects on the tyre life. In general, I am satisfied, and now we will continue with our program also tomorrow”.

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1:54.852 (12º)
“Today, we were able to take better advantage of the track time available, and I am delighted with the work we have done. We did a few tests with a rear medium tyre compound, and we were able to keep a good pace for several laps. Compared to fastest riders we are still missing a few tenths of a second, but today we didn’t focus on the lap times, and I am confident that we have the potential to battle at the front with them. Unfortunately, we had some small issues that didn’t allow us to continue until the end of the session. But despite that, I am happy, and I hope we will able to make a further step forward, as the program sees a race simulation also scheduled for tomorrow”.

The first day of testing in Qatar for the Ducati Team

Ends with Petrucci fourth and Dovizioso eleventh.

Completed the first official 2020 MotoGP test at Sepang in Malaysia two weeks ago, the Ducati Team riders were back in action today at Losail for the last three days of testing ahead of the start of the Championship, at the same race venue in Qatar in fifteen days.

The opening day of the last pre-season test that featured bright skies and temperatures around 25 degrees allowed the Italian squad to resume the development program of the Desmosedici GP20 focusing mainly on testing new components and improving the bike setup for the race.

The first Ducati Team rider to hit the track, right a few minutes after the opening of the pit line at 1 PM local time, has been Danilo Petrucci, the fourth fastest today. The rider from Terni put in a total of 41 laps and clocked his fastest lap time in 1:54.634 on the last minutes of the day using a soft tire.

Andrea Dovizioso closed in 11th position with the fastest lap in 1:55.308, only 0.654 seconds off his teammate. The rider from Forlì, who suffered a small crash at Turn 8 towards the end of the day, has declared to be satisfied with his first day of testing in Qatar, as he was able to find a good feeling with his Desmosedici GP20 and a solid base to continue his preparations for the opening MotoGP Grand Prix of the year.

Tomorrow Petrucci and Dovizioso will be back out on track for the second day of Qatar Test with the other seven hours of free practices available from 1 PM till 8 PM local time (CET +2.00).

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1:54.634 (4º)
“It has been a first complicated day of testing. Unfortunately, some small issues prevented us from taking full advantage of the track time available today. Despite that, the feeling with the bike is good, and now we only need to run constantly to get further confirmations on our work. I am quite happy with the behaviour of the Desmosedici even if there are still a few aspects that we need to improve, but I hope tomorrow we will be able to take a further step forward”.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:55.308 (11º)
 “I am quite satisfied with today because we were able to find a good feeling with the bike, which was better than the one I had in Malaysia. We did a few tests, and all of them were positives. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to complete the program that we had for today, but in general, we had a good pace, and we were able to set the fastest lap time with a medium compound tyre that had already done seventeen laps. Shame only, that I had a small crash towards the end of the session, that didn’t allow us to complete an interesting test”.

THE DUCATI TEAM ENDED THE SECOND DAY OF TESTING IN MALAYSIA

The Ducati Team riders took to the track once again today for the penultimate of three days of Official MotoGP Test at Sepang Circuit, in Malaysia. 

After a first day deeply affected by the changeable weather conditions, Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci were finally able to take full advantage of the 8 hours of free practices available in which they found a dry surface of the track and acceptable but still scorching temperatures. 

With just one month left before the opening Grand Prix of the 2020 season in Qatar, both the riders of the Bologna-based squad resumed their programs from where they left off yesterday, working on different aspects of their Desmosedici GP20 while also improving yesterday’s lap times. 

Danilo Petrucci made a big step forward, taking 0.682 seconds off his personal best from yesterday. The rider from Terni ended the second day of testing in the thirteenth position overall with the fastest lap in 1’59.257, close to the top of the timesheets.

In the afternoon, Andrea Dovizioso slid out at Turn 6, but the small accident didn’t really compromise his working program. The rider from Forlì was fifteenth overall with a personal best lap in 1:59.342 at the end of Saturday.

Now that the most challenging part of the testing program is completed, the Ducati Team will head back on track tomorrow for the final day of the Sepang Test.

Danilo Petrucci (#9, Ducati Team) – 13° (1:59.257) “I am not completely satisfied with my ranking today. But still, I am happy because compared to yesterday we were able to make a big step forward and again we are really close to the top. Today we tried different new components, amongst which we also tried a new fairing: we did many laps, and my feeling with the used tires is good. Tomorrow we will focus more on improving the bike setup, and we will also work with the new tires to understand what we can do to take full advantage of them”. 

Andrea Dovizioso (#04, Ducati Team) – 15° (1:59.342) “It has been another busy day. We were able to test several new components, like a new fairing, while in the afternoon I had a small crash and we couldn’t end our setup work on the Desmosedici. Now I have some pain in my hand and neck, but fortunately, we could get on with an important part of our program. I hope to feel better tomorrow and be able to take great advantage from the final day of testing”.