Andrea Dovizioso closes his last race on the Desmosedici GP bike in sixth place, recovering from twelfth on the grid

Today was Andrea Dovizioso’s emotional last race aboard the red machine from Borgo Panigale after eight seasons, which saw him finishing second in the Championship for three years in a row (2017-2018-2019), and taking a total of 14 wins, 40 podiums and six pole positions with the factory team. At Portimão, a track introduced on the MotoGP calendar this year, Andrea was the protagonist of a good performance: starting from twelfth on the grid, the rider from Forlì found immediately a good pace that allowed him to rejoin the battle for fifth towards the end of the race. Dovizioso crossed the finish line in sixth place, scoring important points for the Standings which see him closing the 2020 season in fourth place, just 4 points behind Rins in third place.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 6th; 4th in the Championship
“It certainly wasn’t an easy race today starting from twelfth on the grid, but I’m happy because we managed to make a good comeback and finish ahead of some of our direct rivals in the Championship, reaching fourth place in the standings, which was our main goal. It was my last race with Ducati: in the last four years we have been able to do something extraordinary, and I never thought I would be so excited to see the joy that our results have been able to produce in our fans! It’s the magic of our sport, and I’m happy to have experienced it! After these eight seasons, there have been wonderful relationships within my team, which I will surely miss very much!”

Andrea Dovizioso, fourth at the end of FP3, set the twelfth fastest time in Q2 and will start from the fourth row of the grid in the last Grand Prix of the 2020 MotoGP season

Andrea Dovizioso will start from the fourth row of the grid in the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix which, for the first time, will be held tomorrow at the spectacular Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão. The rider from Romagna, who gained access directly to Q2 by finishing fourth in this morning’s FP3, was unable to go beyond the twelfth fastest time in qualifying, stopping the clock at 1:39.587, only 695 thousandths of a second off Oliveira’s pole position.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:39.587 (12th)
“I am a little disappointed with the result achieved today in qualifying: compared to yesterday we had managed to take several steps forward. It won’t be an easy race starting so far back, as here, in Portimão, there are not many overtaking spots. In any case, our pace for the race is good, and our direct rivals in the championship are not far off. Tomorrow it will be crucial to get a good start off the grid”.

Andrea Dovizioso sets the seventh fastest time overall at the end of the first day of free practices at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve

The MotoGP riders were back on track today for the first day of free practices of the final Grand Prix of the 2020 season, the Portuguese GP, which will be held for the first time this Sunday at the spectacular Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.
Andrea Dovizioso, twelfth at the end of FP1, was able to break the 1:40 barrier in the FP2 session, ending Friday’s free practices with the seventh time overall in 1:39.741, just 340 thousandths off the best time set today.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:39,732 (7th)
“It has been a hectic day: Portimão is a particular and narrow track, which does not allow you to make the most of the MotoGP engine. We struggled to find a good setup right from the start. After several laps, my feeling with the bike has finally improved, but there are still some aspects we need to focus on to be ready for Sunday’s race. The goal now will also be to understand how the tyres will behave on this track”.

Dovizioso is ready to face the last round of the 2020 MotoGP season at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão and last race together with Ducati after eight seasons

Andrea Dovizioso is ready to get back on track this weekend for the fourteenth and final round of the 2020 season. For the Ducati Team rider, this will not be his very first experience on the Portuguese track as he took part last October in a day of testing to familiarize with the circuit layout on a Ducati Superleggera V4 machine.

The Portuguese GP will be Dovizioso’s last race together with Ducati after eight seasons which saw him collecting 14 victories, 40 podiums and six pole positions, and ending as runner-up in the Championship with the Italian squad in MotoGP for three consecutive years in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Dovizioso, who currently sits sixth in the overall standings on equal points with Quartararo fifth, still has a chance to fight for second and third place in the Championship and will aim to achieve this goal in the last round of the season.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 6th (125 points)
“I am eager to get back on track this weekend in Portimão. Even though it will be tough, we can still challenge for second or third place in the championship, and it would be great to be able to end my adventure with Ducati and such a difficult season by achieving this goal. It will be my last race on the Desmosedici GP bike, and it will certainly be touching. We will race on a new circuit for MotoGP, and this will make the weekend even more special. I hope it will be fun!”

Andrea Dovizioso, closes the Valencia GP in Cheste in the top ten, in eighth place, after recovering from seventeenth on the grid

Andrea Dovizioso was the protagonist of a good comeback, as he crossed the finish line in eighth place, despite having started from the sixth row of the grid. After a good start, which allowed him to recover some positions immediately, the Romagna rider was able to lap consistently managing to pass several riders to cross the line in eighth place, just 26 thousandths behind Joan Mir, crowned 2020 World Champion today.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 8th
“I am quite satisfied with today’s result, considering that I started from seventeenth on the grid. Today we could have done more, seeing that Jack Miller was able to bring his Ducati on the podium, but unfortunately in the final laps, I had a problem with the left handlebar, and I couldn’t ride as I wanted. I’m disappointed, because now the fight for the remaining positions on the championship rostrum becomes more difficult, but there’s still one race left, and we’ll fight till the end. I want to congratulate Joan Mir on winning his first MotoGP World Title because he 100% deserved it!”

Andrea Dovizioso will start from the sixth row of the grid in the Valencia GP scheduled for tomorrow in Cheste

Qualifying for the Valencia GP, scheduled for this weekend at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Cheste, was affected by the light rain that had started to fall again right before the start of the two sessions without completely wetting the surface of the Spanish track this afternoon.
Andrea Dovizioso was also forced to take part in Q1 today after closing thirteenth overall the first three free practice sessions. As the rain intensified during the final stages of qualifying, the rider from Forlì wasn’t able to make the most of his last flying lap, closing with the seventh-fastest time in Q1 and getting to start from the sixth row of the grid, from the seventeenth spot, in tomorrow’s race.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:31.606 (17th)
“I am quite disappointed with today’s qualifying. We worked a lot for the race during these days, and we were able to find a good pace. Unfortunately, I expect a very tough race tomorrow, as we will be starting from far back on the grid. In qualifying, with the new tyre, my feeling wasn’t that bad, but towards the end of the session, the rain started to fall heavier, and I couldn’t push harder”.

Positive start of the weekend for Andrea Dovizioso, sixth overall at the end of Day 1 of free practices for the Valencia GP at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Cheste

Resuming from where he left off and working on his Desmosedici GP bike basing on the data collected last week, Andrea Dovizioso has had a positive start to the weekend as he steadily improved his pace during today’s sessions. After finishing seventh in FP1 in 1:31.410, the rider from Forlì was almost half a second quicker during FP2 this afternoon, as he set the sixth time overall at the end of Friday.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:30.926 (6th)
“It’s been a good day. Compared to last week, my feeling with the bike has improved, and we were able to understand why I couldn’t be competitive in the early stages of the race on Sunday. We also identified some sectors on the track where we can still improve, and if we can do that, I’m sure we can have a good qualifying tomorrow and a good race. There are several fast riders with a similar pace to ours, so it will be crucial to be able to enter Q2 and get a position on the front rows of the grid”.

“Over the last few months, I have received several offers to work as a test rider in developing MotoGP projects and I am grateful for the consideration received by the manufacturers. However, I have decided not to make any commitments and to remain free from formal agreements for now.

I have an immense passion for racing. I still have the ambition to compete and fight to win. I will return to MotoGP as soon as I find a project driven by the same passion and ambition that I have and within an organization that shares my same objectives, values ​​and working methods.

Now I am focused on finishing the World Championship in the best possible way, and I have already started developing some projects with my partners.”

Eighth Andrea Dovizioso at the end of the European Grand Prix in Valencia

After two days of rain and uncertain weather, the sun finally returned to shine at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Cheste, allowing the MotoGP riders to face both this morning’s short warm-up session and the European Grand Prix held this afternoon in dry track conditions.
Starting with the twelfth fastest time set yesterday in a wet qualifying session, Andrea Dovizioso managed to recover some positions immediately after the start, passing eighth across the line on the first lap. As he dropped back into tenth place again after a few laps, the rider from Forlì managed to recover two positions towards the end of the race eventually crossing the finishing line in eighth place.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 8th
“I wasn’t feeling very well physically today, but fortunately, I managed to be consistent in the race. In the first laps, I recovered several positions, but in the beginning, my feeling with the bike wasn’t good. Only towards the end of the race, I was able to have a good speed, and this is an interesting aspect that we will have to focus on. I’m not happy with today’s result, but now we have some interesting data to work on ahead of the next GP, which will take place here in Valencia again next Sunday”.

Fourth-row start for Andrea Dovizioso, twelfth in qualifying for the European Grand Prix in Valencia

The mixed wet-dry conditions of the Spanish race track complicated the Ducati Team rider qualifying and he will start from the twelfth position on the grid in tomorrow’s European Grand Prix in Cheste.
The official qualifying of the European MotoGP Grand Prix, scheduled this weekend at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Cheste, near Valencia, was held in semi-dry conditions as the track gradually began to dry when the sun returned to shine before FP4, after the heavy rain that fell in the morning.
Eighth at the end of the first three free practice sessions Andrea Dovizioso took part directly in Q2 this afternoon but, with the mixed conditions of the track, he couldn’t go beyond the twelfth fastest time in 1:42.249, and will start from the fourth row of the grid in tomorrow’s GP.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:42.249 (12th).
“Qualifying didn’t go as we had hoped. In some areas, the track was quite dry, while in others we had to slow down a lot due to the lack of grip. Unfortunately, with these particular conditions, I couldn’t find the right feeling with my Desmosedici machine, and this prevented me from finding the rhythm and setting a good lap time. Hopefully, the weather will improve for tomorrow’s race”.