Following the Thailand GP held two Sundays back which saw Dovizioso take the flag as runner-up, the Grand Prix of Japan will take place at Motegi and it will be the sixteenth round of the 19-race 2018 MotoGP season and the second leg in a challenging series of four overseas rounds, which will continue the following weekends with races in Australia and Malaysia.
The excellent results for the Bologna-based squad have resumed in the last two years, with a second place for Dovizioso in 2016 and his superb win last year after an exciting battle with Marquez right down to the final corner.
The Motegi weekend programme will get underway on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 9.55 am local time (2.55 CET), while the 24-lap race is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 2 pm (7.00 CET).
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2nd (194 points)
“After the Buriram result I think that the title battle is almost over, and even though it’s not yet a mathematical certainty, we will of course be fully committed in the next few races. Together with my team, we are able to understand some new important details in every race, and so we’ll continue working this way also at Motegi, where our aim is to win. I like the Japanese track a lot and our Desmosedici is always efficient in braking and acceleration there, so I can’t wait to get out on track and try and get payback on Marquez.”