Another race, another 25 points. After taking back-to-back wins for the second time this season at Austria and then Silverstone, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) became the first man to win four races this year – and took back the Championship lead. No one other than Casey Stoner had won more than three races in a single season for the Borgo Panigale factory before ‘DesmoDovi’ began his assault on 2017.
Now it’s back onto home turf for the rider from Forli, as the paddock heads for the Adriatic and the Riviera di Rimini. On paper, Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli shouldn’t suit the Italian rider on the Italian bike as well as some of their rivals – but the same was true of Silverstone and Dovizioso and Ducati once again ripped up the form book to write a new one. And there’s another chunk of history at stake as well as the title fight – if Dovizioso wins, he’ll be only the second Italian rider to win both races on home turf in one season, matching Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). If he comes home in the top three, he’ll move up from equaling Kenny Roberts on premier class podiums and level with Barry Sheene.
All in all, it’s not going too badly. And not since 2007 has a Ducati rider arrived at this stage in the season leading the Championship, with the home crowd surely ready to give Dovizioso another boost at Misano.
Andrea Dovizioso: “Coming to Misano as leader of the Championship is fantastic, even though I’m really sorry that Rossi will not be there, as it would have been great to also battle against him. In the past the Misano circuit hasn’t been too favourable for Ducati, but a couple of weeks back we did a very positive test at this circuit and we are on good form, and so we’ll be trying to take home the best possible result.”
