Photo: motogp.com
The spies of the Swiss magazine Speedweek have returned with interesting news after their last outing. According to them, it appears like Andrea Dovizioso will be wearing Ducati factory’s livery for at least one more year. Reportedly, the manufacturer of Borgo Panigale and Dovi’s manager Simone Batistella have reached an agreement, apparently declaring at Sachsenring that a final decision and official statement could arrive around a week after the German GP.
Dovizioso is currently on the 4th place in the world standing, with 99 points and a 2-poit lead on Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo. With no podium presence in 2013, Dovi has had a much better year, with a 3rd at the Circuit of the Americas and a runner-up position at Assen. Even more, it looks like he is in fact starting to feel the GP14 Desmosedici bike, while Ducati is making a slow but steady progress to make the machine more competitive.
The extended contract between Dovi and Ducati is no surprise, as he obviously was regarded as the main rider of the works team, with Cal Crutchlow’s half-season being utterly disappointing due to various mechanical and electronic problems with his bike, coupled with an injury. However, Suzuki has been eyeing Dovizioso for some time, as the house of Hamamatsu was (and still is) looking for the best riders it can afford for the 2015 comeback, but it looks like Gigi Dall’Igna was convincing enough.
Dall’Igna and Ducati Corse are already working hard on a new motorcycle for 2015, a bike retaining the basic cues of the actual machine, but with a smaller V4 engine and multiple frame revisions which should maintain the power, but increase handling and provide better tire management.
With less than two weeks until the time limit Cal Crutchlow can make a decision whether he will continue with Ducati through 2015 or pull out, Andrea Iannone is favored as the best team mate for Dovi, especially as the younger of the two has showed both amazing speed in the Mugello tests and is also performing better and better in the current championship.
The extended contract between Dovi and Ducati is no surprise, as he obviously was regarded as the main rider of the works team, with Cal Crutchlow’s half-season being utterly disappointing due to various mechanical and electronic problems with his bike, coupled with an injury. However, Suzuki has been eyeing Dovizioso for some time, as the house of Hamamatsu was (and still is) looking for the best riders it can afford for the 2015 comeback, but it looks like Gigi Dall’Igna was convincing enough.
Dall’Igna and Ducati Corse are already working hard on a new motorcycle for 2015, a bike retaining the basic cues of the actual machine, but with a smaller V4 engine and multiple frame revisions which should maintain the power, but increase handling and provide better tire management.
With less than two weeks until the time limit Cal Crutchlow can make a decision whether he will continue with Ducati through 2015 or pull out, Andrea Iannone is favored as the best team mate for Dovi, especially as the younger of the two has showed both amazing speed in the Mugello tests and is also performing better and better in the current championship.
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