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Once again there were sparks inside Ducati, where the air is already tense with the situation regarding Dovizioso. At Jerez Andrea replied to the declarations by Paolo Ciabatti, Ducati Corse sporting director, who spoke of a possible lack of motivation in Dovi.
“There are some things I could say but this is not the time, it would not help anyone. I have never had any problems with motivation and I will never have any, I don't think that will ever be my limit: I live for sport, so much so that I asked to do a motocross race where I broke my collarbone, so the lack of motivation is not the case with me".
Better to go back to what happened on the track then... Also because the situation is much better there than at the negotiating table. A few weeks ago it would have been difficult to predict, but at the end of the first days of testing at the Jerez track Andrea Dovizioso is Ducati's best man in the standings. All this despite a poor physical condition and, above all, a rear tyre that continues to be indigestible to the Desmosedici GP.
“Compared to the test day, we improved - Andrea said - so we hit our target today. We are not far from the top guys and in the afternoon, I had a good pace with used tyres. The point to focus on are the tyres, which seem to act differently on each bike: from the outside it seems that the Suzuki and the Honda are able to work better with these tyres than we do ".
The issue of the tyres is crucial, and Dovi delves into it with the usual scrupulousness that distinguishes him.
"It is difficult to manage the rear tyre. In each phase of the curve there is a different behaviour to interpret: it is complicated to slide the bike as and how much you want both in corner entry and exit, and in the latter case there is always a high risk of losing the rear. Each track gives different ideas and different sensations, for example in Qatar we were in difficulty but after three days we solved the problem, while Jerez is a more difficult track for us ".
For a tyre that offers a negative answer, however, Andrea’s physical condition is responding well, despite the Andalusian desert-like heat.
"Physically I'm fine. As always, the first day is the most difficult and having a day off afterwards, which we usually don't have, was a dream. Today I felt much better from all points of view, the real problem remains the heat: doing a few laps in a row is not a problem but covering the race distance will be tough. I would like the start of the race to be slow, but I don't think all the riders think the same way (laughs). "
Dovizioso: "I dream of a slow race start, but I think other riders think differently"
So the thoughts turn to Sunday, and a race that seems to be indecipherable until the lights go out…
“It will be difficult to understand my goal even just before the race, because 25 laps in these conditions are an extreme situation and difficult to predict. At the moment, however, it seems that Vinales, Marquez, Quartararo and Rins have something more in terms of pace, different from pure speed, which is not lacking for me either ”.
The heat in itself is not an ally and added to all this is the fact that the Jerez track has never been particularly kind to the man from Forlì, who will have to race again in Andalusia next Sunday as well.
“The great thing about racing once on the tracks is that when you have raced at a track you don't like, then you don’t need to think about it for a year, but this is not the case. Next week the gaps will be even smaller, both because the track is small and because everyone will improve. Maybe all this can help us, because we have work to do and doing a race gives a lot of answers. "
