Andrea Dovizioso seized 4th place in the GP of the Americas at Austin (U.S.A.), reclaiming the championship lead after three rounds with 54 points in the standings. After qualifying in fifth row in 13th position, the Mission Winnow Ducati rider got off to a strong start and immediately recovered several positions. With a strong and consistent pace, the Italian rider then progressively cut the gap from Jack Miller, finishing the race just nine tenths of a second behind the Australian, third on the finish line with the Desmosedici GP 19 of the Pramac Racing Team.
Danilo Petrucci also enjoyed a solid comeback despite a difficult start from P8 and was able to progressively climb his way back through the field to claim sixth position half-way through the race. The Italian rider then increased the gap from the riders behind him and defended the position until the checkered flag. With 30 points, Petrucci is still fifth in the Riders standings.
After three rounds, Ducati leads the Constructors standings with 57 points while the Mission Winnow Ducati team leads the Team standings with 84 points.
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 4th
“I’m happy with this result, especially considering that I was 13th on the grid, even though if I had one half lap more to ride I would have probably finished on the podium. It’s been a very tough race. Early on, I was struggling with the front and I didn’t have the pace to stay with the leading group, but I managed to stay calm and collected. Lap after lap, I regained confidence and my rhythm in the final stages was very competitive, so much that I almost managed to catch Miller. We’ve also been lucky because there were some crashes, but those things happen when you ride on the limit. We’re back on top of the Riders and Constructors standings, and my feeling with the bike has improved compared with last year, but it’s not enough because there are many competitive rivals so we need to keep improving.”
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Mission Winnow Ducati) – 6th
“Finishing sixth, given all the issues we encountered during practice, can be considered a good result for us here in Texas. Clearly I want to do better, but we still took some important points, keeping fifth place in the standings. It’s been a long, grueling race. At one point I was recovering ground on Dovizioso and Morbidelli and I even thought I could catch them, but the front locked a couple of times and I preferred not to take too many risks. At any rate, I’m happy. My team really did a fantastic job. This wasn’t a friendly track for us, but I think we managed to obtain the best possible result today. Now we’ll head to more favorable circuits and I can’t wait to be back on track at Jerez and start the European leg of the season.”
The Mission Winnow Ducati team will resume action at Jerez de la Frontera (Spain) for the fourth round of the MotoGP World Championship, scheduled for May 3-5.
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