Andrea Dovizioso has arrived in Malaysia for the third event in the challenging series of three end-of-season overseas rounds, which will see the MotoGP teams notch up about 35,000 km of flight time in less than one month.
The penultimate round of the 2016 season takes place at the Sepang International Circuit, a track that most of the riders like, and which can boast a series of characteristics that make it ideal for modern-day MotoGP bikes: long straights, a wide track surface and numerous overtaking points. All the teams came to Malaysia for the IRTA test in February, but as well as the usual hot sticky weather in the tropical country over the weekend riders will also have to deal with other unknown factors such as the recent resurfacing of the whole track, with several modifications to the run-off areas and the replacement of four new kerbs.
In MotoGP Andrea Dovizioso has stepped onto the podium in Malaysia twice, the last time in 2010, in his seven races there. Last year “Dovi” retired following a crash on lap 11 after qualifying in seventh for the race.
With two rounds remaining until the end of the championship, Dovizioso lies seventh in the standings with 137 points.
The Sepang weekend schedule gets underway on Friday morning with the first session of free practice at 9.55 am (03.55 CET) while the 20-lap race is scheduled for Sunday at 3 pm local time (08.00 CET).
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 7th (137 points)
“We come to Malaysia very satisfied with fourth place at Phillip Island. Sepang is one of my favourite tracks and this year, with the new asphalt and the banking modified in several corners it will surely be more interesting and fascinating. As always we will have to understand how the bike and above all the tyres will behave with all these changes, but I’ve always gone well at Sepang and so I can’t wait to get out on track.”