MotoGP: Dovizioso win at Donington: “harder after Rossi crash.” The Italian race winner relied on series leader for early lines

MotoGP Press Release

A maiden win for Andrea Dovizioso in the premier class could not have come at a better time for the Italian. Following three races without claiming World Championship points, a month in which speculation about his future has been debated and some tough times chasing a first podium as a Repsol Honda rider, the sophomore star gave an assured display when some of the more experienced names in MotoGP fell foul of the Donington Park conditions.

The first new MotoGP race-winner since last year’s Portuguese round (won by persistent 250cc rival Jorge Lorenzo) Dovizioso now has a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. However, while he may have looked confident when leading the British Grand Prix, things were still tough for “Dovi” on Sunday afternoon.

“This race was very difficult. With these conditions the temperature of the tires was too low, and the light rainfall for the whole race meant that it was probably the worst scenario for riding on this tire. We couldn’t change the bikes either, so it was really difficult to manage,” said the Honda factory rider after an ecstatic celebration on the podium. He had led the race since lap nineteen, when reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi went in too hot on the Fogarty Esses, but the lack of a close rival actually made the final eleven laps harder for the eventual winner.

“Before Valentino crashed it was easy, because I just followed him; after that I needed to understand the track better,” he explained. “Wearing a light visor also meant that I couldn’t see clearly which lines were the driest. At the end Randy (De Puniet) and Colin (Edwards) were riding at 100% and catching me, which was difficult to manage. I think maybe for the last two laps I was pushing so hard that they couldn’t risk reaching me.”

And has the win changed Dovizioso’s goals for the year? Not exactly. Speaking pragmatically, he declared that “Today wasn’t a normal situation, so we still have to understand how we can use all the potential of the package. We still need to find some solutions.”