MotoGP Mugello Ducati Team Preview

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This week the Ducati Team arrives at the spectacular Autodromo del Mugello in the heart of the Tuscany hills for the Italian GP, which is always one of the most popular and prestigious rounds in the calendar.

For the two Ducati Team riders, it is a truly special event, seeing as it is the home race for the Borgo Panigale manufacturer and is sure to attract massive numbers of tifosi to the Ducati Grandstand at the Correntaio curve.

Andrea Dovizioso, in his second year on the Desmosedici, began his GP career in the 125cc class in 2001 at Mugello, while for Cal Crutchlow it will be the first time on a Ducati at the Tuscany circuit.

Ducati Test Team rider Michele Pirro will also be taking part in the Mugello race, running as a wild-card entry for the second time this season on the GP14 ‘lab’ bike.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04)

“The Mugello circuit suits the characteristics of our GP14 a bit better, so I think we can go quite well during the weekend. Our approach in any case is to get the most as possible out of the bike. Last year I scored a good fifth place and I hope to do a good race again this year. Before Le Mans we did a private test here with some positive feedback, and now I can’t wait to get to Mugello for our home race, where there is always a special atmosphere.”

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35)

“I think coming to Italy, the home of Ducati, and Mugello is a really great experience. The track was very kind to me last year, when I qualified fourth and finished on the podium with third. Me and Andrea will be pushing 100% to try and be competitive with the other guys on the grid, even though it’s not going to be easy. I’m also really looking forward to all the support from the Ducati fans at our home race, and I feel sure it’s going to be crazy!”

Michele Pirro (Ducati Test Team #51)

“It’s always really emotional to race here at Mugello, one of the most beautiful circuits in the championship. For us it’s also our home race, seeing as the Ducati factory is less than an hour away from here. It’s a track we know very well and as a result we hope to do well: me and the other two Ducati Team riders will do our best to give some satisfaction to our fans. In addition, about 50 members of my fan club will be joining the Ducati Grandstand and so for me it’ll be a special occasion, giving me more motivation to do well.”

Ducati Team Press Release

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Ducati Review Jerez MotoGP Day 2

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Andrea Dovizioso has qualified in sixth place for the Spanish Grand Prix, the fourth round of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship, which will take place tomorrow at the Jerez de la Frontera circuit. The Ducati Team rider, who had concluded the three free practice sessions that give direct access into Q2 in eighth place, managed to take another couple of tenths off his time in the final qualifying session, using two extra-soft rear tyres. The Italian’s second run powered him to sixth place, one second away from the top slot.

Day 2 of the Jerez action was not so positive for Cal Crutchlow, who only stepped back onto his GP14 yesterday after missing the Argentina GP due to an injury in his right hand he suffered at Austin. Battling against increasing pain due to effort and fatigue, the British rider tried to end the day with a decent performance, but had to settle for fourth in Q1, which meant that he did not go through to Q2. As a result Cal will start from row 5 in tomorrow’s race.

Michele Pirro, the Ducati Test Team rider, qualified in seventeenth place after a positive morning when he lapped just outside the top 10. The Italian rider will start from the sixth row.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 6th (1m39.222s)

“I am very happy with qualifying and the time that I did, even more so because I did it on my own. I think I really managed to get the best out of my bike in these very difficult conditions because the temperature is very high for the tyres we had available. I got an unexpected second row start and this will help us for the race, because Jerez is a narrow track, and in the early laps you can lose a lot of time if you don’t start up at the front. I’m a bit worried for the race, because our pace is not so quick and above all there is a performance drop after several laps: when it’s so hot, everything becomes more difficult for us. In my view, after the top 5 riders there will be a small group with a similar pace, and we’ll have to fight it out with them in the race: starting from row 2 will surely help us.”

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) – 14th (1m39.849s)

“I am a bit disappointed with the end result and the qualifying position, but I think it was as to be expected for this weekend. We really struggled with the grip at the front and the rear of the bike, and I didn’t have confidence to push with the bike as much as possible. When I tried I made some mistakes and was at my limit. However I tried my best but the times were very close and it was difficult to get through to Q1, I was disappointed about that. The hand is getting sorer every session so it’s becoming difficult, but thanks also to the assistance the Clinica Mobile are giving me, I will try my best to do a good race tomorrow.”

Michele Pirro (Ducati Team #51) – 17th (1m40.239s)

“This morning didn’t go bad because I was close to the top 10, only that this afternoon we tried some new solutions and I was unable to improve. I only used one extra-soft tyre and perhaps this penalized me; maybe if I had used another I could have shaved off a few more vital tenths. For sure my grid position is not an easy one. It’s a shame because throughout the weekend we had some pretty positive practice sessions. However my feeling with the GP14 is much better than it was in Argentina.”

Ducati Press Release

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Ducati Review Argentina MotoGP Race

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The third round of the 2014 MotoGP season in Argentina was a tough one for Ducati Team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Michele Pirro, who concluded the third GP of the season at the new Termas de Rio Hondo circuit respectively in ninth and seventeenth place.

At the start of the race Dovizioso was immediately in amongst the battle for the leading positions, and he crossed the line on lap 2 in second place, but then problems with his front tyre meant that he was overtaken by his rivals over the next few laps.

Pirro on the other hand was never able to find the right feeling with his Desmosedici GP14 during the weekend and struggled throughout the 25 laps of the Argentinean race.

After the first three GPs of the season, Dovizioso however is still in fourth place in the overall standings on 34 points.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 9th
“It was a very tough race, to be honest I didn’t think it would go like that. I was a bit unlucky because I also had a problem with the engine, when oil came out and led to a loss of some power. I also think I made the wrong choice of front tyre because I was unable to brake and put pressure on the front wheel, neither under braking nor in the curve, and turn-in was slow as well. The race sort of went a bit wrong for me today, and it just confirms that we still have to improve a lot to be able to stay with the others.”

Michele Pirro (Ducati Team #51) – 17th
“It was a disappointing result, after I had finally managed to find a good feeling with the bike during the warm-up. In the race unfortunately I made several mistakes and lost contact with the group that went from tenth to fifteenth place. It’s a pity, because my lap times towards the end were very close to theirs. Now I hope to make a big step forward at Jerez next week.”

Ducati Press Release

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Ducati Team Review Argentina MotoGP Day 2

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Andrea Dovizioso qualified in fifth place for the Argentina GP, third round of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship, which will take place tomorrow at the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo in the north of the country. His team-mate Michele Pirro, who is replacing the injured Cal Crutchlow, was unable to find a good feeling with his Ducati Team  Desmosedici GP14, and could only finish nineteenth.

In the early stages of Q2 Dovizioso set a time of 1m39.545s on his second lap out, which powered him close to the top of the times in the provisional standings. After returning to the pits to fit a second soft tyre, Dovi then managed to further improve by seven-tenths of a second, ending qualifying with a time of 1m38.856s, which earned him a row 2 start position for tomorrow’s race.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 5th (1m38.856s)

“I am very happy with my position: starting from row 2 tomorrow is fine. But I’m happy above all for the good work we did today. This morning we were quick over one lap, but rather slow over race pace because we were wearing out the rear tyre in a strange way. However we managed to improve the set-up of the bike a lot, this afternoon I was able to lower my pace by almost two seconds, and so now I can get a relaxing night’s sleep! I did a really good lap in qualifying, and when you do this the feelings are always great. Managing the tyres in the race will be very complicated; when you go to a new circuit, with a dirty track surface and no rubber, there are always these problems. I am sure that tomorrow in the race, as well as speed, the difference will be made by those who can ride smoothly and not aggressively.”

Michele Pirro (Ducati Team #51) – 19th (1m41.018s)

“I am pretty disappointed because I was not able to find a good feeling with my Desmosedici GP14. I don’t exactly know why, but I struggled a lot more than expected. This is in no way the position we should be with this bike, so now me and my engineers will try and find a solution for me to run a decent race tomorrow and repay my team for all the work they’ve done in these days.”

Ducati Press Releaseduc

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Ducati Review Argentina MotoGP day 1

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The first two free practice sessions were held today at the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina, a new circuit for almost all the MotoGP riders. After the two 45 minute sessions, Andrea Dovizioso set fifth quickest time, while his team-mate Michele Pirro, standing in for the injured Cal Crutchlow in this race, for the moment has been unable to go any higher than eighteenth place.

Dovizioso was particularly impressive in the afternoon session, immediately setting a good time on his third lap with a hard tyre, but his Desmosedici GP14 then had an engine problem on the following lap and he was forced to come back to the pits to finish the session on his second machine. Now on a soft tyre, Andrea put in an excellent time of 1m41.042s on the fifth lap, but was unable to complete more than 11 laps in total throughout the session and he finished in fifth place. Dovi however said he was optimistic regarding the rest of the weekend.

Michele Pirro, who stepped onto Crutchlow’s bike this morning, has not yet been able to establish a good feeling with his GP14, and he finished the day in eighteenth place. The Italian rider is convinced that he will be able to improve his position tomorrow.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 5th (1m41.042s)

“It was a bit of a lively session for me. We didn’t have the opportunity to do many laps because of my Desmosedici’s engine problem, and on a new track you always need to do so. Despite this I managed to be fast here, and I think I’ve been able to interpret this track pretty well. For sure the times will drop tomorrow, but we all have a big problem with tyre wear and at the moment it’s difficult to do 25 laps at the right pace. I hope the track conditions improve tomorrow. I set my time on a soft tyre, because when I was using the hard tyre I had a problem with the engine and had to change bikes.”

Michele Pirro (Ducati Team #51) – 18th (1m42.898s)

“It was a bit of a difficult session, but we managed to get some good indications for tomorrow. Today I didn’t use the soft tyre because I needed to improve my feeling with the bike. I am confident because the GP14 is going well: I’m just missing a bit of rhythm but tomorrow I’m sure I can move up the timesheets. Cal’s bike has a slightly different set-up to the one I normally use in the tests: the track however is new for everyone and it’s me who has to adapt to the bike. Tomorrow in any case I count on being closer to the other Ducatis.”

Ducati Press Release

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Ducati Preview Argentina MotoGP

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After Andrea Dovizioso’s third place in Texas, the Ducati Team returns to the American continent this weekend for the third round of the 2014 MotoGP season. This time however, the destination will be the southern hemisphere, more precisely in Argentina at the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo.

Dovizioso, who scored the 84th podium in the world championship for the Italian manufacturer, will be tackling the overseas race with renewed optimism, convinced that the work the whole team is carrying out is going in the right direction.

Unfortunately Cal Crutchlow will not be present in Argentina. After the crash in the race at Austin, the Ducati Team rider had initially been diagnosed with a dislocated right little finger, but further checks at a specialized centre in San Diego (USA) revealed that the British rider had also suffered a tiny fracture of the finger and as a result it was decided that he should undergo a small operation to insert a stabilizing pin. Crutchlow, who already knows the Termas de Rio Hondo track after taking part in two days of testing last year, hoped to recover in time for the Argentinean race but unfortunately continuing intense pain in his right hand, which prevents him from using the front brake correctly, has forced him to abandon. He will now return to England to continue treatment and try and get ready for the Jerez race.

Crutchlow will be replaced in Argentina by Italian Michele Pirro, the test-rider for the Ducati Team.

It will be the tenth time the world championship races in Argentina (the last time was in 1999 with the win going to Kenny Roberts Jr.), and after the Oscar Galvez circuit in Buenos Aires, Termas de Rio Hondo becomes the second track in the South American country to host a round of the championship.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04)

“The result in Texas was fantastic both for me and for all the team. It was a really hard race, very tiring, and this third place gave me a special satisfaction. When you are able to obtain these results, which almost seem impossible, it is truly a great feeling. We are working really hard and we are always trying to get the best out of our bike. Now we are going to Termas in Argentina, which is a new circuit for almost all the riders. I have no idea what to expect, but I always like to race on new circuits and so I am curious and very motivated.”

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35)

“I am very sad to let the team down like this because I was really looking forward to racing in Argentina. On Tuesday I had some scans on my hand and we saw that my finger was still dislocated from the crash and also broken so Dr. Chao decided to put a pin in to stabilize it. Unfortunately I’m still feeling too much pain in my right hand, my knuckles are the most painful part and I’m not in condition to race this weekend. Now I’m going back to the UK to continue treatment and try and get ready for the race at Jerez.”

Ducati Press Release

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Ducati Review Austin MotoGP Race

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Today was a day of excitement at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, where the second round of this year’s MotoGP World Championship was held. Starting from tenth place on the grid, Andrea Dovizioso administered the 21 laps in a masterly way to conclude the Texan race in third place, his best result since he joined the Italian manufacturer. The last time a Ducati rider stepped onto the podium was in September 2012.

His team-mate Cal Crutchlow’s day was on the other hand more complicated. The British rider started from seventh on the grid, and three laps in was already up to fourth. After feeling a strong vibration in the rear of his Desmosedici GP14, Cal came into the pits to change the rear tyre. Two laps later and his race was over as he had a nasty high-side in Turn 2, crashing down heavily and injuring his right hand.

Taken immediately to the circuit’s medical centre, he was diagnosed as having a dislocated little finger of his right hand, together with some bruising. He will fly to San Diego tomorrow for a specialist visit, but there should be no problems regarding his return to the track at the next round in two weeks’ time, on the brand-new Termas de Rio Hondo track in Argentina.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 3rd

“I am very pleased with the way I managed the race because in the early laps I didn’t have the right pace. But I kept calm and kept up a constant pace, and this paid off because I didn’t stress the tyres too much. My performance dropped off a bit towards the end but obviously less than the other riders I was fighting with and this allowed me to do the final stages in a good condition. Then I pulled out a small gap over Bradl and Smith, which allowed me to take the chequered flag with an advantage of almost two seconds. I am very pleased with this result for my team. We’ve been working hard for a year and suffering a lot, and we are still not as quick as we would like to be. Getting a result like this at this time of the season is very important, also for all the engineers and mechanics in the racing division back in Bologna, who are working very hard to improve the Desmosedici’s competitiveness.”

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) – DNF

“I was very optimistic, but unfortunately I had a problem with the rear tyre of the bike immediately from lap 1, there were some very big vibrations and it was becoming worse so I thought it was better to pit and change the tyre. Because we were not even at half-distance, the team made the decision to put the soft rear tyre in and I took benefit from that but I was never going to get any points. I remember hitting a bump on the track that upset the bike. It was a fast corner and seemed like it was just going to be a normal crash, but I got caught up with the bike and it ended up highsiding me. I really hit my hand so hard that I dislocated the finger and the swelling of the hand was so bad that I couldn’t see the problem. I’m sorry for the team, but very pleased for Andrea to be on the podium after all the hard work the guys in Ducati Corse have put in over the winter.”

Ducati Team Press Release

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Ducati Review Austin MotoGP Day 2

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Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso qualified for the Grand Prix of the Americas, the second round of the MotoGP World Championship which will be held tomorrow at the Austin circuit in Texas, respectively in seventh and tenth place.

After encouraging form shown during the four sessions of free practice, both Ducati Team riders hoped to make further progress in qualifying, but unfortunately neither Crutchlow, who had a low-speed slide at Turn 11, nor Dovizioso, who is still suffering from the effects of flu, were able to improve their times and as a result the British rider and his Italian team-mate will start Sunday’s race respectively from rows 3 and 4.

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) – 7th (2m03.780s)

“This weekend our back’s been up against the wall a bit and we’ve had some issues, but the team has worked hard to sort them out. We improved the bike for the qualifying but seventh was all we got. I also came off at turn 11, spinning round in a circle at 28 k per hour for some reason! I’m not going to make excuses because I was pushing for the lap time. Today I had a lot less rear grip, maybe because of the track conditions, but for sure we need to analyze everything tonight to change the bike set-up a bit and make it work better with the harder option race tyre.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 10th (2m03.846s)

“I am a bit disappointed with tenth place on the grid, which for sure will not help me much in tomorrow’s race, especially in the early laps. Today I struggled a lot: physically I’m very weak because I’m taking antibiotics for my flu and my muscles feel pretty bad. It’s not ideal at all to race with a high fever in MotoGP, especially at a track like Austin, because it drains you of all your energy. Tomorrow I’ll try and do a good race: I’d say that with our pace in the early laps we can be quite close to the front, but we’ll have to see if we can keep it up for the rest of the race.”

Ducati Press Release

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Ducati Review Austin MotoGP Day 1

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Andrea Dovizioso put in a great performance in the first two free practice sessions at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, where the second round of the MotoGP World Championship is taking place this weekend. Despite not feeling 100% due to a flu virus, the Ducati Team rider had no problems running close to the top of the timesheets, and he finished the day in second place with a time of 2’04.495, with only Marquez ahead of him. Fifth in the morning session, Dovizioso improved in the afternoon by almost two seconds, when conditions were more favorable, and he was satisfied with outcome of the first day of activity in the Grand Prix of the Americas.

His team-mate Cal Crutchlow had a tougher time today. In the morning the British rider was hit by an electronic problem on his Desmosedici GP14 and in the afternoon he struggled to find an ideal set-up, finishing the first day in ninth place.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2nd (2m04.495s)

“I am very pleased with how this weekend has started despite the fact that physically I don’t feel well at all. We are quick, we’re working well, and I have managed to quickly dial into this track. It’s a really nice track and great fun to race here. We are very strong under braking and we can use our power on the main straight so we are able to lap well for this reason. To set these times I had to use the soft tyre at the end of the session because it’s always important to be inside the top 10 for the Q2. As well as our one-lap form, our race pace is not bad either and that’s positive.”

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) – 9th (2m04.981s)

“Unfortunately this morning we had an electronic problem at the start of the session and in the afternoon we took a different direction for the set-up and never took enough advantage in the last exit to make a good enough lap time. I felt we should have been a little faster; but we did make progress throughout the day even though we still have to find a lot in some different areas.”

Ducati Press Release

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Ducati Preview Austin MotoGP

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Following the opening round of the season in the Qatar desert, the Ducati Team is set to arrive in the United States for the first of two rounds this year on US soil. The second event in the 2014 MotoGP championship season will be taking place this weekend at the ultra-modern Circuit of the Americas, the Austin (Texas) track that joined the MotoGP calendar twelve months ago.

The two Ducati Team riders began the MotoGP season at Losail with a fifth and a sixth place. Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow then took part in a two-day test last week at Jerez and, in spite of the bad weather, they were able to verify that the ‘full-factory’ electronics fitted to their Desmosedici GP14 after the Qatar round were working correctly.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04)

“We have to be happy and positive about the fact that we reduced the gap to the leaders by half in Qatar and confirmed the improvements we made in the tests. We know we’ve still got a long way to go however to be competitive and I think that some of the next few tracks will be difficult for us this year, starting with Austin, but that track is so nice and I am really looking forward to racing there again this weekend.”

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35)

“We are looking forward to the race at Austin, because it was a track I did well at last year. I’d never even tested there and we finished strong with a fourth place, so I’m really looking forward to riding the GP14 on this track. The guys worked 100% in Qatar after my crashes, I gave them a little bit of work to do! It was a disappointing race because of the electronics problem that we had, but it was good that we finished the race in sixth.”

Ducati Press Release

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Ducati Team Race Review Losail MotoGP

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The two Ducati Team riders, Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow, finished the Qatar GP at Losail, the opening round of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship, in fifth and sixth place respectively.

After starting from the second row of the grid, thanks to a fourth place obtained in yesterday's qualifying, Dovizioso lost a couple of places in jostling for position in the early laps but thanks to a constant run and a couple of riders ahead of him crashing out, he managed to finish the race in fifth place.

Team-mate Crutchlow, making his race debut with the Ducati Team's Desmosedici GP14, had a few problems. The British rider, who started from row 3 with eighth quickest time, had a problem with his bike's transponder after a few laps which affected his race. The problem got worse in the final stages and Cal had to struggle in the last few laps, but he did manage to cross the line in sixth.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) - 5th

"We have to look at the positive aspects of this result, because in view of the championship a fifth place is always important. But another important objective for us was to reduce the gap to the winner, and we managed to cut that down by half from last year, and that's another important fact. We still have understeer problems that condition our performance in the race, but I am pleased with the progress we've made so far, even though we still have to work hard to improve our bike."

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) - 6th

"It was a bittersweet race for me. Finishing in sixth place is a good result, I needed to repay the boys with a finish because they worked hard after the warm-up, when I crashed out. In the race, from lap 5 onwards, we had an electrical problem: the transponder wasn't working, the dash switched off and the bike began to behave strangely. I was pleased to be competitive until mid-way with Aleix and Dovi but I struggled to finish the race because the problem got worse towards the end. However it was important to get this race distance under our belt for Ducati and come away from here in not too bad a shape."

Ducati Team Press Release

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Ducati Team Review Losail MotoGP Day 3

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The second and third free practice sessions at the Losail circuit in Qatar saw Andrea Dovizioso put in a good run, the Italian ending up fourth quickest today. His team-mate Cal Crutchlow however had some problems in finding the right set-up on his Desmosedici GP14 and thanks also to a crash, was unable to go any higher than twelfth place.

Dovizioso’s day was positive right from the start, the Italian managing to get the best out of the soft tyre, which he tried today for the first time. Already in second free practice Andrea had notched up a time of 1m55.320s, which he then improved on slightly in the third session that was held two hours later.

Crutchlow instead had problems and was unable to find an ideal set-up: a far from perfect feeling with the front end of his bike contributed to him crashing out at turn 10 during the third session. The crash, luckily without any consequences for the rider, left him with very little time to try and clinch a top-10 position and go directly through into tomorrow’s Q2 session.

Tomorrow evening will see the final free practice session, which gets underway at 7.55pm local time, to be followed immediately afterwards by the two qualifying sessions for Sunday’s race.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 4th (1m55.250s)

“It’s always a great feeling to find yourself up near the front! Today I’m happy because I didn’t expect to improve so much with our hard tyre, which in my opinion is the one everyone will use in the race. I was quick, and even though a lot of riders are all within three-tenths of each other, this was one of our main aims. Then when we put the soft tyre on, I managed to do a good lap. In the first three sessions we’ve worked really well, but we must improve our race pace.”

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) – 12th (1m56.013s)

“It was a disappointing day and I’m not very happy at all. We didn’t find a good setting with the bike, and even though we made a lot of changes from the first session, it felt more or less the same. I also had a crash in the third session, but the positive thing is that we got up and went a little bit faster with the second bike. Unfortunately now we have to take part in Q1 tomorrow, and that’s unfamiliar territory for me because I’ve been used to qualifying close to the front for the last two years. Things are difficult at the moment, but there’s no doubt the team are working hard to sort things out.”

Ducati Press Release

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Ducati Team Review Losail MotoGP Day 2

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The second and third free practice sessions at the Losail circuit in Qatar saw Andrea Dovizioso put in a good run, the Italian ending up fourth quickest today. His team-mate Cal Crutchlow however had some problems in finding the right set-up on his Desmosedici GP14 and thanks also to a crash, was unable to go any higher than twelfth place.

Dovizioso’s day was positive right from the start, the Italian managing to get the best out of the soft tyre, which he tried today for the first time. Already in second free practice Andrea had notched up a time of 1m55.320s, which he then improved on slightly in the third session that was held two hours later.

Crutchlow instead had problems and was unable to find an ideal set-up: a far from perfect feeling with the front end of his bike contributed to him crashing out at turn 10 during the third session. The crash, luckily without any consequences for the rider, left him with very little time to try and clinch a top-10 position and go directly through into tomorrow’s Q2 session.

Tomorrow evening will see the final free practice session, which gets underway at 7.55pm local time, to be followed immediately afterwards by the two qualifying sessions for Sunday’s race.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 4th (1m55.250s)

“It’s always a great feeling to find yourself up near the front! Today I’m happy because I didn’t expect to improve so much with our hard tyre, which in my opinion is the one everyone will use in the race. I was quick, and even though a lot of riders are all within three-tenths of each other, this was one of our main aims. Then when we put the soft tyre on, I managed to do a good lap. In the first three sessions we’ve worked really well, but we must improve our race pace.”

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) – 12th (1m56.013s)

“It was a disappointing day and I’m not very happy at all. We didn’t find a good setting with the bike, and even though we made a lot of changes from the first session, it felt more or less the same. I also had a crash in the third session, but the positive thing is that we got up and went a little bit faster with the second bike. Unfortunately now we have to take part in Q1 tomorrow, and that’s unfamiliar territory for me because I’ve been used to qualifying close to the front for the last two years. Things are difficult at the moment, but there’s no doubt the team are working hard to sort things out.”

Ducati Press Release

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Ducati Team Review Losail MotoGP Day 1

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The first free practice session for the opening round of the 2014 MotoGP World Championship was held this evening at the Losail circuit in Qatar. As has now become tradition, the free practice sessions, qualifying and the race itself on Sunday all take place after dusk, on a track illuminated by floodlights.

In the first forty-five minutes of free practice action, which was briefly interrupted by the red flags following a crash by Pramac Racing Team's Yonny Hernandez, Crutchlow and Dovizioso completed sixteen and seventeen laps respectively. At the end of the session, the two Ducati Team riders had recorded thirteenth and fourteenth quickest times, and were separated by just a few hundredths of a second.

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) - 13th (1m57.046s)

"Today was more or less what I expected, and it was difficult because of the track conditions. Obviously a lot of the other guys had already tested here at Losail, and it looks like this made a bit of a difference. We figured some things with the Ducati that we need to improve, but I'm happy with the way the guys worked. We worked in a methodical way, and we are taking baby steps at the moment with the bike, so I look forward to coming back tomorrow with two more free practice sessions. It's great to get back on track in Qatar, I like this circuit and I'm sure things will steadily improve over the weekend."

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) - 14th (1m57.100s)

"It was a bit of a strange session today, you could see that coming to test at this circuit made a big difference for many riders, especially in this first free practice session. In fact, all those who did the test here at the start of March are ahead in the timesheets, and above all they managed to find the right rhythm to lap at a constant pace. The Losail circuit is a bit strange as well, it's hard to get dialled in at the start and in fact we struggled a bit. To be honest, I had hoped to begin a bit better than what I did, but in any case we will have time tomorrow to work to improve the bike and especially to get into a good rhythm on this track for Sunday's race."

Ducati Press Relase

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Ducati Preview Losail MotoGP

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After winter testing in Malaysia and Australia and the presentation of the Ducati Team in Germany last week in the Audi Forum at Munich Airport, the spotlights are now about to go on again for all the protagonists of the MotoGP World Championship, which kicks off this weekend with the opening round at Losail, in Qatar.

More than four months have gone by since the final round of the 2013 season at Valencia, and at Ducati headquarters in Borgo Panigale this period has been marked by a number of important changes, with the arrival of Luigi Dall’Igna as Ducati Corse General Manager, as well as the entry into the team of British rider Cal Crutchlow alongside Andrea Dovizioso, who starts his second season with Ducati.

Two tests at Sepang and a third at Phillip Island saw the two Ducati Team riders make significant progress in lap times, but the main aim in this first part of the season will still be to develop the new Desmosedici GP14 in order to turn it into a competitive machine in the races.

Andrea Dovizioso

“I am very satisfied with how the winter tests went, because we managed to improve more than we expected. Now the GP14 is easier to handle and by making a few changes to the bike, we managed to set some interesting times. The Losail circuit is very strange, because of the wind that often blows sand onto the track, and in addition it’s a night race. The track is long and fast and it’ll be interesting to see how well we go there with the new bike. I’m sure I can be quick over one lap, especially because last year I managed to go well in qualifying. Maybe the race will be a bit more difficult than practice, but I think we can be quite competitive at Losail. For sure we have reduced the gap to the others we had last year.”

Cal Crutchlow

“I’m starting my fourth season in MotoGP and my first as a Ducati factory rider, so I’m really looking forward to getting on the bike in a few days’ time and begin this new chapter. I think Qatar is going to be quite good for us: the team have been working fantastically hard, and I think we’ve progressed a lot since I first got on the bike in November. I think we will be at a little disadvantage because we never tested there, but we will still be at 100%. I’ve been very busy these past three months and in January I got married to Lucy, but once we start the season we can settle down into a rhythm. I can’t wait to start the season.”

Ducati Press Release

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Ducati Team Review Phillip Island MotoGP Tyre Test

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Today was the third and final day of testing for the Ducati Team at the Phillip Island circuit. The Australian session had been organized by IRTA and Bridgestone with the specific aim of developing the Japanese tyres in view of the Australian Grand Prix in October, and it was reserved for the official teams of the three manufacturers taking part in the MotoGP World Championship.

Following the good results obtained at Sepang last week, in Australia the two Ducati Team riders were able to carry out the work requested by Bridgestone, which included an appraisal of compound, construction and profile technology, and race simulation, as well as a continuation of development work on the Desmosedici GP14 in ‘Open’ configuration. The tyres available for the three teams present at the tests were however the same for all.

After three days of intense work, Andrea Dovizioso concluded the test with an overall third fastest time of 1m29.387s, three-tenths of a second away from the quickest rider, while his team-mate Cal Crutchlow ended up fifth with a best time of 1m29.576s.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 3rd (1m29.387s)

“Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling at 100% these days, but when I was able to lap my feeling with the bike was good and so I’m pretty satisfied with this test at Phillip Island. We continued development work on the GP14 and on this track, which is very different to Sepang, we were again able to obtain results that make us feel confident for the future. Our pre-season tests have been quite positive and now I can’t wait for the championship to start.”

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) – 5th (1m29.576s)

"The team worked great at Phillip Island. We had a lot of stuff to try for Bridgestone over the three days to evaluate the rear tyre. I’m happy enough to go away from here feeling positive at this circuit. At no point did I push for a one-off lap time over the three days, so I’m confident we could have made an improvement if we’d needed to but the test was about evaluating the tyres for Bridgestone and I wasn’t taking any unnecessary risks.”

Luigi Dall'Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)

“For us it was important to show that we could also make progress at Phillip Island, on a track that is so different from Sepang in Malaysia. We also tried to do a race simulation, which is always very useful. I am quite pleased with the results, but in any case we still have a lot of work to do before becoming really competitive.”

Ducati Press Release

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[Press Release] Ducati Team Swtich to Open Option for 2014 MotoGP World Championship

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- Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso will race their Desmosedici GP14 in the Open configuration.

- Open option gives more freedom for development during the year.

- Ducati Corse to keep developing their bikes during the championship to improve competitiveness.

Ducati Team has announced today that they will compete in the 2014 MotoGP Championship,  taking advantage of the Open option.

The new MotoGP regulations, introduced this year, give each manufacturer the possibility to choose between two technical options: Factory and Open.

While in 2014 all bikes in the championship – Factory and Open - must use exactly the same Magneti Marelli ECU, the Open option also includes the obligation to use the standard DORNA software, however allowing more freedom in terms of engine development.

Ducati, after carefully considering the two options, has decided that the most suitable one for the current needs of the Bologna-based manufacturer is the Open one, which gives the possibility to the race department to continue the development of the bike and the engine throughout the entire season.

Recent tests carried out in Sepang by the Ducati Team riders, Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso, gave a positive feedback to the Ducati engineers and therefore, on the deadline of February 28, both riders have been entered into the championship with their Desmosedici GP14 bikes selecting the Open option.

The other Ducati contracted rider, Andrea Iannone, will also race for Pramac Racing Team with the same bike and option as the Ducati Team riders.

Luigi Dall'Igna, Ducati Corse General Manager, commented: "We have carefully studied the new technical regulations and have concluded that the Open option is the most interesting for Ducati, in the current situation. This year we have to keep developing our bikes throughout the season to improve our competitiveness, and the Factory option appears to be too restrictive for our needs. We are confident that the electronics package provided by Magneti Marelli and DORNA has very good quality and will allow the correct management of all the main functions of the bikes".

Ducati Press Relase

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Ducati Review Sepang 2 MotoGP Test Day 1

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With less than one month to go before the opening round of the MotoGP World Championship in Qatar, a second IRTA test session for the Ducati Team has been getting underway today, again at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, where the first test of the 2014 season took place at the start of February. Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow took to the track on their Desmosedici GP14 machines to try out the updates brought to Malaysia for these tests and continue development work on the bikes.

After evaluating a number of different set-ups in his 47 laps on the track, Dovizioso found a comfortable feeling towards the end of the day. The Italian rider was then able to record his quickest time of 2m01.029s just a few minutes before the end, concluding today’s session with an encouraging fourth place.

His team-mate Cal Crutchlow completed a total of 48 laps and his gap from Dovizioso was more than one second at the end of the day. The British rider however had a technical problem that did not allow him to take advantage of the new rear tyre he had just fitted.

The priority of the Ducati Team in this test is in any case to continue with the development of the GP14, and today’s results, especially Dovizioso’s improvement on a track that is not performing as well as three weeks ago, helped to confirm that the Italian team is working in the right direction.

Track time was also shared by Ducati Test Team rider Michele Pirro, who was able to try out some new components and electronics solutions. The best time of the Italian rider was not particularly significant as he was not aiming for quick laps, and he focused on his scheduled work programme.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 4th (2m01.029s)

“We started the day when the grip on the track was not particularly good. We did some laps in the morning, but then worked better in the afternoon when the track improved. The first day was positive, because with what we tested we were able to improve the bike, both in the electronics and in set-up. Today we didn’t have much new stuff to try, just different set-ups that seemed to work well. I had a really good feeling towards the end of the day, when I put on a good tyre on my final exit and managed to set a good time. Even though the times are not to be considered a reference point, I’m still pretty pleased with the improvement we made today.”

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) – 11th (2m02.319s)

“I’m not as pleased as Dovi, that’s for sure, but we had a technical issue at the end of the day, and I was unable to capitalize on having a new rear tyre, unlike everyone else. If I had taken off one second like Dovi, I would have been very happy but at the moment we have a lot more issues than that. We’re struggling to find a setting at the moment but we did confirm a few things from the last test. Tomorrow we really need to work on finding some rear grip because the track is worse than last time; the front doesn’t feel too bad, but we need some more time to understand the bike in these different conditions. I’m not too worried, because we know we should be going faster with the new tyre.”

Ducati Team Press Release

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Ducati Team Review Sepang MotoGP Test Day 1

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After a two-month winter break, the 2014 season got underway for the Ducati Team today with the first of three days of IRTA testing at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. Following a restructuring during the winter months with the arrival of Luigi Dall’Igna as Ducati Corse General Manager and British rider Cal Crutchlow alongside Italy’s Andrea Dovizioso, the Bologna-based manufacturer now has to archive a disappointing 2013 season and look to the future with confidence and renewed commitment.

In this pre-season test, the first of three scheduled for Sepang and Phillip Island in the months of February and March, the Italian team’s work will revolve around back-to-back comparison tests between the Desmosedici GP14 and the GP13; visually the new model presents revised aerodynamics, both in the front and rear fairings, in addition to improved rider ergonomics and more possibilities for chassis adjustment, as well as several new electronic solutions.

Dovizioso and Crutchlow spent the first day of activity comparing the two bikes and working on general set-up. In particular Dovizioso, entering his second season on the Desmosedici, continued to try the two versions, while the British rider, who stepped aboard the GP13 for the first time at Valencia last November, opted to continue his learning curve in the afternoon solely with the new bike.

The Ducati Test Team was also out on track with Michele Pirro, once again back in his role as test-rider. During the year however the young Italian will also have the chance to take part in at least four rounds of the world championship as a ‘wild-card’.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 12th (2m02.497s)
“Today was a bit of a strange day, the first day of testing in Malaysia should not be taken with too much importance because you have to find the right feeling again after months of inactivity. We had a different bike to test, but we were not able to do a lot of laps and test everything we had scheduled. Luckily we’ve got another couple of days here in Malaysia so it won’t be too much of a problem. It was the right decision to start with the 2013 bike to resume where we left off last season, then we immediately switched to the new bike to see the difference, but unfortunately I only managed 27 laps today. I feel sure that things will go a lot better tomorrow.”

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team #35) – 14th (2m02.860s)
“First and foremost, it was good to be able to get back onto a bike after two and a half months off. We rode the GP13 in the morning and the GP14 in the afternoon, and it’s clear we have some work to do because the bikes are not too dissimilar at all. Most of the changes are cosmetic, but the feeling of the bikes is similar. The GP14 enters the corner a bit better, which is what we were looking for. We only used two sets of tyres all day so now it’s about  building confidence to go faster with this bike. We also had a lot of electronics stuff to try so I never did too many runs in the afternoon. Ducati are definitely working hard and I’m excited about that.”

Ducati Team Press Release

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Ducati Team Review Valencia MotoGP Test

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The day served as Cal Crutchlow’s debut with the Ducati Team, where he joins Andrea Dovizioso for the 2014 season. After the track opened at noon in perfect weather conditions, the Briton exited the garage at 1:26 p.m., and when the track closed at 5:00 p.m., Crutchlow had turned 39 laps, focusing on getting the feel of the Ducati.

Meanwhile, Andrea Dovizioso did 36 laps on a Desmosedici GP13 that was largely similar to the bike he rode in yesterday’s race, though he did try a new fairing as well as some changes to the setup.

Ducati Test Team rider Michele Pirro did 32 laps while working on the setup of some components of the laboratory bike.

This was also the first day for Luigi Dall’Igna working at the track in his new role as Ducati Corse General Manager.

Andrea Dovizioso

“Today we tried the new front fairing, and the outcome was positive because the bike wheelies less than before. We also did two tests with the setup to give some feedback to Gigi on several aspects that he wanted to check. For today, we focused on those things, and tomorrow we’ll continue checking some other stuff.”

Cal Crutchlow

“Obviously the situation is completely different to what I was used to before today, but anyway, I’m very happy to come and work with the factory Ducati team. I’ve done everything you should on a first day at work and I think we can safely say that we’ve had a positive day learning everything: the bike, the electronics, the team. There are so many new things to get your head around, but it’s also interesting. In the next two days, we’ll try to focus and improve. The team have been great at listening to my feedback, while I take advantage of their advice and experience. It helps to be able to count on Daniele Romagnoli, as he’s Italian like most of the Ducati technicians. I’m pleased with the way we’re working. We’re not going to change things overnight, but today was a positive first step.”

Ducati Team Press Release

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