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The third place finish for Andrea Iannone and Ducati was the minimum useful result at Mugello. Expectations for the Italian GP were high and the pace the rider from Abruzzo maintained in free practice was very fast. Once again, things didn’t turn out as they should have.
“I’m very disappointed with the start. I did a lot of testing but something always happens in the race – complains Iannone – The clutch always performs differently and fixing this problem is not so simple.”
There were also some positive points.
“I’m happy that I was able to beat Dovizioso and finish on the podium - he says - I made a great comeback and had a better pace than any other rider on the track. If I had started better I may have been able to make a play for the win: today there was nothing for anyone. When I caught up with Andrea we overtook one another a couple times and I lost a bit of time. At that point I was no longer able to catch up Lorenzo and Marquez.”
The fastest lap of the race is also a small satisfaction.
“With an empty tank and used tyres I ride better – he explains – Then it was nice to hear the fans shouting ‘Iannone uno di noi’ (Iannone, one of us) beneath the podium. I hope to be able to repay them in the future with important results.”
Things went worse for Dovizioso. The rider from Forlì came back from the 13th spot on the starting grid but then physical problems limited him.
“All told it is a positive result after a few races were I didn’t make it to the finish - he recalls - Starting from so far back could have penalised me, but I was able to start well and reach the lead group straight away. We had worked well on pace so I was fast enough, but I wasn’t able to ride smoothly.”
And that caused him some problems.
“From mid-race I had problems with my right forearm and I lost a lot of strength. This problem slowed my pace, but more than anything it cause a few mistakes, including running long at the San Donato turn and that kept me from staying in the battle to fight for the podium in the final laps – he explains – We are fast. The bike has good acceleration and is good in a straight line, but it still takes too much energy. I think the priority should be making it easier.”
