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Now he really has a taste for it. It's another perfect ten for Andrea Dovizioso at Montmelò. One week after his Mugello win, the Borgo Panigale rider triumphs at Barcelona, after a race that saw him combine speed and intelligence.
Just as seven days ago, #4 waited, saving the tyres during the first half of the race. Then, nine laps from the end, he set out to attack the Honda of Pedrosa, who was leading the race at that stage. Once he'd secured the lead, the Italian didn't held on to it tightly, building a gap and winning the race comfortably. The red bike hadn't won two consecutive races since 2010 with Stoner: “I think it's been a strange weekend - commented Dovizioso - I realised the rear tyre performance was continually dropping, but I was able to manage it. I think that working on the details this weekend paid off”.
Behind him Marc Marquez. The Spaniard tried to match the Italian's pace once past Pedrosa but it proved impossible: “I never stopped believing - revealed #93 - at first I tried to get into the right rhythm. I thought I could stick with Dovi, but he was really fast”. Rounding out the podium is Dani Pedrosa. Many considered him the favourite, but in the last ten laps he suffered from a drop in tyre performance: “It was a tough race – he explained - I struggled with the tyres from the start, and couldn't push as I wanted. When Andrea passed me, he had an extra gear”.
Lorenzo closes fourth with the Ducati, he seemed to have the pace early on but then suffered with the tyres. In the final stages, he regained confidence to close fourth, applauding his team-mate from beneath the podium. Behind him Zarco, who benefited from Petrucci's crash two laps from the end to finish fifth, followed by Folger and Bautista.
A bitter Sunday for Yamaha. Both Rossi and Vinales suffered with the medium rear tyre, closing respectively in eighth and tenth place, 20 seconds from the front. Barbera crossed the line between the pair. Sixteenth for Iannone.
