The two Ducati Team riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo finished an exciting Dutch Grand Prix held today at the Assen TT circuit in fourth and seventh place respectively.
The Italian rider, who started from the second row, fought in the leading group throughout the entire race and also held the lead of the GP for three laps after the mid-point. In the final stages however Andrea was passed by Marquez, Rins and Viñales and he finished the race in fourth place after holding off the attacks from Rossi.
Team-mate Jorge Lorenzo also ran a good race, and despite starting from the fourth row, he managed to storm into second place at the first corner. The Spanish rider then passed Marquez and crossed the line in the lead at the end of the opening lap. After being passed by his Honda rival, Jorge took control of the race for a further 12 laps, but then lost touch with the leading group on lap 18 and he took the chequered flag in seventh place.
In the overall Riders’ standings, Andrea Dovizioso moves up to fifth place with 79 points, while Jorge Lorenzo, with 75 points, is now in seventh place. Ducati maintains second in the Constructors’ standings with 145 points.
The next round of the championship will be the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring circuit from 13th to 15th July.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 4th
“It was an awesome race, for sure more for the fans than the riders because it was really difficult! We were fast and competitive and we worked well throughout the entire weekend, but in the last eight laps the rear tyre unfortunately let up on me so I tried to defend my position until the end and I finished fourth. I had hoped for a podium, but to be honest today we couldn’t do anything more and so in the end I’m happy, even though we must be in a position to manage the tyres better because we arrived at the end of the race with very little grip. In any case we did a good job and for this I’d like to thank my team.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 7th
“Today the wind made the track conditions difficult and I knew it was going to be a complicated race, but I made a very good start, one of my best with the Ducati, and I was able to gain a lot of positions and conclude the opening lap in the lead. The pace wasn’t very fast and I stayed in the lead for a lot of laps. Then, when Dovizioso passed me, I lost a bit of rhythm, I began to feel the gradual deterioration of the rear tyre, and several riders were able to pass me. The positive part of this weekend is that, even though we didn’t have the best pace, we were able to do a great race in any case and be competitive for lots of laps, although I’m not very satisfied with the final position at the flag.” |
