Monthly Archives: October 2017

Fantastic 1-2 victory for Ducati at Sepang.

Fantastic 1-2 victory for Ducati at Sepang.

The two Ducati Team riders produced an outstanding performance today at the Sepang International Circuit, with Andrea Dovizioso winning the Shell Malaysia Grand Prix, held on a wet track, ahead of his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo. With this victory, his sixth of the season, Dovizioso keeps the title battle alive and at this point it will go down to the final round of the season at Valencia from 10-12 November.

Dovizioso, who started from row 3 in third place, didn’t get a perfect start and had to battle with

Pedrosa on the opening lap. The Italian then caught and passed Marquez on lap 5, before setting after the leading duo made up of Zarco and Lorenzo. On lap 9 both Ducati Team riders passed the Frenchman and then Dovizioso was able to overtake his team-mate five laps from the end and hold on to first place until the chequered flag.

Jorge Lorenzo also did a great race, the Spanish rider getting an excellent start from the second row and immediately setting after the provisional race leader Zarco. The rider from Mallorca took over at the front on lap 9 and when he was caught and passed by Dovizioso, he followed his team-mate home for the runner-up slot.

Thanks to today’s results, Ducati moves into second place in the Constructors’ standings with 303 points, two more than Yamaha.

The MotoGP riders will be back in action in two weeks’ time for the final and decisive round of the 2017 season, scheduled for 10-12 November, at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo Circuit.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1st

“It was a truly perfect weekend: we were quick in every session, both in the dry and in the wet, and today in the rain we dominated. Here at Sepang Jorge and I really had a bike advantage, because our Desmosedici was very fast, and we managed to administer the gap in the best possible way even though track conditions were very difficult because there wasn’t much grip. I’m very pleased for the win which keeps my hopes alive for the title, and even though I know it will be very difficult at Valencia because it’s a track where Marquez always goes well, we’ll be going to Spain with confidence to try and bring home the victory.”

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 2nd

“It was a great race that showed the progress we made throughout the weekend. I was really at ease on the bike, and even though I’d have preferred a dry race, when I saw it was raining I changed my mentality and tried to keep focussed, in order to avoid a mistake like Misano. I pushed hard but in the last few laps I was in a bit of crisis with the tyres, especially the front, and had a few scary moments in some corners. It wasn’t the right time to do anything stupid and when I almost crashed at Turn 15 and Andrea passed me I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to fight for the win. I know exactly how important a world title is for Ducati, Dovizioso has had a fantastic season and deserves to fight for the championship right down to the last race. In this weekend Andrea has always been faster and I’m pleased for the team for this first 1-2 win of the season, because it means we’re working really well.”

Luigi Dall’Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)

“I’m really pleased about today’s splendid result, which keeps the title battle open until the final round. Both Andrea and Jorge did a perfect race, without making any mistakes despite difficult track conditions and the Ducati proved to be the bike to beat on this track. It was a memorable team result: now we are going to Valencia with the knowledge that it will be a tough task but we will play our cards right down to the very end.”

Source: Fantastic 1-2 victory for Ducati at Sepang.

Honda secures 2017 Constructor Title in Malaysia

Honda secures 2017 Constructor Title in Malaysia

Honda secures 2017 Constructor Title in Malaysia, Rider Title to be decided in Valencia

In typical Malaysian fashion, the sun that had shone until half an hour before the start of the MotoGP race was replaced by a sudden heavy thunderstorm that did not last long but left the track completely soaked.

Marc Marquez, on a rain front Michelin tyre and a medium rear, got away brilliantly from the third row and completed the first lap in third place. He was passed by Andrea Dovizioso on the fifth lap, and when he realized that he could not match the pace of the three frontrunners, he settled for fourth place which, combined with the achievements of Dani Pedrosa and Cal Crutchlow this season, earned Honda the 2017 MotoGP Constructor title. It was the manufacturer’s 23rd such crown in history, and the sixth out of the last seven seasons.

With Dovizioso winning the race in front of Jorge Lorenzo and Johan Zarco, Marc will arrive at the season finale in Valencia leading the standings by 21 points over the Italian.

Pedrosa, who had been the fastest rider in Saturday’s dry conditions, wasn’t the happiest man when the rain started to fall, but a completely different setup prepared by his team, and the decision to use a soft rear tyre, allowed him to keep a decent pace and take fifth place, just behind his teammate.

Marc Marquez 93 – 4TH

“Today the race was the most difficult one we could have had for the Championship because we had rain conditions and the track was extremely slippery. Anyway, I got a good start, and I tried to push at the beginning because I didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of the group. Then I tried to find the feeling and the pace but I saw that both the Ducatis were very fast, so I decided to not take too many risks, to be calm, and to get good points for the Championship. I thought about trying to get Zarco but the risk was too big just to have an advantage of 24 points instead of 21. This wasn’t the race to win the Title but rather one to get closer to it. I’m happy because after a difficult weekend, at a track were we always struggle, we still managed to finish fourth. Of course now we need to keep focused, to train well this week, and to work to be at 100% on Sunday in Valencia without relaxing too much with the advantage we have. Today we won the Constructor Title, and that’s a first step!”

Dani Pedrosa 26 – 5TH

“Overall I’m happy with the result, and I’d like to thank my team for giving me a bike that allowed me to be competitive. Of course after earning the pole yesterday, the expectations would have been high if the conditions were dry, and when I saw the rain starting to fall I thought we might go from first to last. But in the end we changed the setting, trying something we had never used before in an effort to get more rear grip, and it worked! That and the choice of the soft rear tyre gave me confidence. The feeling still wasn’t perfect because the tyre was spinning on the straights, but at least it gave me edge grip and I was able to lean the bike. We’ve learned something that I think may also be helpful for the technicians in the future, so we can be satisfied. Today Honda won the Constructor Championship, and that’s important. It’s another title for the Company, and I’m happy about that.”

Source: Honda secures 2017 Constructor Title in Malaysia