Ducati Sporting Club UK > News Items > Ducati Press Releases > The Ducati Team ready to resume action at Montmeló Circuit for the eighth round

[webteam]

MotoGP | Round 8 - Catalan GP 2020 | Wednesday 23 September 2020

The Ducati Team ready to resume action at Montmeló Circuit for the eighth round of the 2020 MotoGP season

The Ducati Team is ready to return to the track for the third weekend in a row, to compete in the eighth round of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, at Montmeló in Spain. The track on the outskirts of Barcelona, introduced on the calendar in 1992, is a place full of good memories for the Borgo Panigale team. In 2003 they obtained here with Loris Capirossi the first of their 50 MotoGP successes, after only six races since the debut of the Bolognese company in the premier class with the Desmosedici GP bike. In addition to this success, Ducati boasts three other victories at Montmeló: in 2007 with Casey Stoner and, more recently, in 2017 with Andrea Dovizioso and in 2018 with Jorge Lorenzo.

Dovizioso, current Championship leader with a one-point lead over Quartararo and Viñales (tied in second and third respectively), arrives in Spain determined to redeem himself after two challenging races at Misano Adriatico.

Danilo Petrucci, tenth last weekend in Misano, is aiming for a good result on a track that has always seen him finish in the top ten in recent years and where he got his third podium of the season in 2019, closing the race in third place.

After the first seven GPs, Petrucci occupies the fourteenth position in the general standings. Ducati is second in the manufacturers' classification with 115 points, while the Ducati Team is fourth in the teams' standings with 115 points.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1st (84 points)
"In the last two GPs, unfortunately, we have not been competitive enough, but we try to see the positive side of the two races in Misano: we are on top of the Standings, even if the fight is all open. We still lack speed, and if we want to be able to fight for the Championship title, we can't waste time anymore. We will have to adapt to the asphalt of Montmeló, which will certainly have less grip than Misano's, and this could prove to be a determining factor for everyone. I am sure that if we continue to work as we have done in the last few weeks, better results will come soon."

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 14th (31 points)
"After two tough Grands Prix, we are back racing on a circuit where last year I managed to get on the podium. The season is definitely not going as we had hoped. Still, we won't give up: at Montmeló, we will try to improve the tenth place of Misano, but the conditions that we will find there will be very different: the asphalt and temperatures could prove decisive for our performance. The key will be to be able to interpret these two factors well."

The Ducati Team will take to the track on Friday, 25th September at 09:55 AM (GMT+2.00) for the first free practice session, while the race will be held on Sunday at 3:00 PM local time on 24-lap distance.

Circuit information

Country: Spain
Name: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Best lap: Lorenzo (Ducati), 1:40.021 (166,5 km/h) – 2018
Circuit record: Lorenzo (Ducati), 1:38.680 (168,8 km/h) - 2018
Top speed: Dovizioso (Ducati), 348,8 km/h – 2018
Track length: 4,627 km
Race distance: 24 laps (111,1 km)
Corners: 14 (6 left, 8 right)

2019 Results
Podium: 1° Márquez (Honda), 2° Quartararo (Yamaha), 3° Petrucci (Ducati)
Pole Position: Quartararo (Yamaha), 1:39.484 (167,4 km/h)
Fastest lap: Márquez (Honda), 1:40.507 (165,7 km/h)

Rider Information

Andrea Dovizioso
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Number: 04
Age: 34 (born on 23rd March 1986 in Forlimpopoli, Italy)
Residence: Forlì (Italy)
Races: 320 (222 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)
First GP: Qatar 2008 (MotoGP), Spain 2005 (250cc), Italy 2001 (125cc)
Wins: 24 (15 MotoGP + 4 250cc + 5 125cc)
First Win: Britain 2009 (MotoGP), Catalunya 2006 (250cc), South Africa 2004 (125cc)
Pole Positions: 20 (7 MotoGP + 4 250cc + 9 125cc)
First Pole: Japan 2010 (MotoGP), France 2006 (250cc), France 2003 (125cc)
World Titles: 1 (125cc, 2004)

Danilo Petrucci
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Number: 9
Age: 29 (born on 24th October 1990 in Terni, Italy)
Residence: Terni (Italy)
Races: 144 (MotoGP)
First GP: 2012 Qatar (MotoGP)
Wins: 1 (MotoGP)
First Win: Italy 2019 (MotoGP)
Pole Position: -
First Pole: -
World Titles: -

Championship information

Riders’ standings
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1º (84 points)
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 14º (31 points)

Manufacturers' standings
Ducati – 2º (115 points)

Teams' standings
Ducati Team – 4º (115 points)



.::.