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MotoGP, Ducati doesn't stop. Dovizioso: Everyone at work, even in August

Andrea: “News from the tests in Misano. Better sensations with the new fairing than with the previous one." Danilo: "I lost  a lot of speed on the straights with the old one."

MotoGP: Ducati doesn't stop. Dovizioso: Everyone at work, even in August

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Just a regular day at work for the Ducati team in Brno. There are no new frames or engines, like Yamaha and Honda, but more focus on comparative tests. This is the case with Andrea Dovizioso.

"To do these things, like the Honda that brought a new frame, it takes time. You can't decide things overnight or on a weekend. Ducati is working as fast as possible to give us the material available. We might have something new in sight for the Misano tests, knowing that the time available is rather tight. But Ducati is putting lots of pressure on suppliers. We don't have a precise plan. They'll definitely also work during the Italian holiday of Ferragosto at Borgo Panigale."

Andrea then explains what was done.

"We compared the two fairings, and they were very similar. Although, I have to say, some aspects were positive compared to the previous one ," he explained. "I also tried the tire brought by Michelin, and it performed well. The sensations were good. Everything went as planned, even if wasn't easy, since I wasn't consistent like I wanted to be. Unfortunately, the wear was too high, and when we compared the used tire with the new one, there was too much of a difference. That's why it wasn't easy."

His last thought was about the tires.

"I worked with the soft and the medium, and did well on the flying lap. So, I have sto ay that the ideas are quite clear. In the end, the sensations were the same as yesterday. Unfortunately, it's not easy to make big changes, also because the foundation itself is already good, so it's not easy to make specific changes. Our goal was to understand as much as possible for 2019."

On the day Andrea was out of the top ten, Danilo Petrucci turned out to be the fastest on the GP19.

"We had a lot of things to test, especially with regard to the set-up ," Danilo said . "The goal was to look for speed, and I'm happy for the answers I got today after yesterday's Grand Prix. But I would have preferred for certain things to happen yesterday, given that I was slow in the race and that Monday is of little importance. This arrangement will still be useful for Austria, and I'll aim to remain among the top five."

Petrucci then explains the difficulties that don't seem to give him respite.

"I struggled a lot with the grip over the weekend. When there's lots of traction, I can be among the fastest. The FP3 is an example. The fact is that, when there's no grip, I have problems, even if today I improved entering corners, looking for the right stability. We, therefore, tried different solutions, especially for the rear tire."

Lastly,about the fairing.

"We only focused on the set-up, trying different things. In the end, the fairings are similar although I must say that, with the new one, it has more speed than with the old one, since the latter could be a problem on a track like Brno, where the gap from Dovi and Miller was a good three tenths. With the old fairing, I struggled especially in fourth gear, so I have to work on braking, bringing the tire to wear. This is a problem I'm aware of, and it depends on my size. Instead, the new fairing allows me more speed."

Audio recorded by Matteo Aglio

Translated by Leila Myftija
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