The MotoGP season is entering its final phase, which will comprise three overseas races book-ended by a pair of stops in Spain, the first of which is set to take place this weekend at MotorLand Aragón, host of the calendar’s fourteenth round.
Situated in the northeast of the country, roughly midway between Barcelona and Madrid, the circuit is relatively new to the championship, and this will mark just its fourth time hosting MotoGP. It’s a modern facility with a track that runs in an anti-clockwise direction and includes a variety of corner types, as well as some modest climbs and descents.
The Aragón race will also mark the 200th Grand Prix start for Andrea Dovizioso, who finished on the podium last year and will be riding the track for the first time aboard the Desmosedici GP13. Dovizioso’s Ducati Team cohort Nicky Hayden also has a podium result to his credit at Aragón, having finished third in 2010, the track’s MotoGP debut.
Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team
“I don’t know if Aragón will suit us better than Misano. For me this year it’s always new and at every track the Ducati works in a different way. I don’t know what we can expect but normally Aragón is quite a good race for Ducati. I really didn’t know that I will reach the milestone of 200 GPs at Aragón! It’s really nice to do a lot of races in the world championship, and it’s something really important for the rider. When I was young, for me it was impossible to think about being a part of the world championship, so I’m really happy to have reached this milestone but it also means that I’m becoming quite old!”
Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team
“Aragón is definitely quite a bit different from Misano, the last track we raced at, as it goes left and has some elevation changes. It’s a fun track that has some nice corners, although it has gotten pretty bumpy since the first year we went there and had great results with the Ducati, which hasn’t helped us. It’s a track I enjoy, but we know that it’s not going to be an easy race for us. Still, I’m looking forward to going there. We’ll try to start the weekend strong and see if we can do something better than we have at the last few races.”
Vittoriano Guareschi – Team Manager
“Aragón is a race that brings back some nice memories for us. The first time we went there, we won the race and also put Nicky on the podium; it was my first win as team manager. The track is really nice, it usually has a good crowd and there’s a long straightaway where the power of our bike’s engine can be exploited. During the post-race test at Misano, we found a few little things that our riders liked—nothing extraordinary but they did help us to go a bit better. We hope to experience the same benefits at Aragón.”
Aragón Circuit Records
Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Honda – 2011), 1:49.046 – 167.643 Km/h (104.168 mph)
Best Pole: Casey Stoner (Honda – 2011), 1:48.451 – 168.562 Km/h (104.740 mph)
Circuit Length: 5.078 km (3.155 mi)
2013 MotoGP Race: 23 laps (116.794 km/72.565 mi)
2013 MotoGP Schedule: 2:00 p.m. local time
2012 podium: 1st Dani Pedrosa (Honda), 2nd Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), 3rd Andrea Dovizioso (Yamaha)
2012 pole: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 1:49.404 – 167.094 Km/h (103.827 mph)
Ducati Team Results at Aragón (best finish)
2012: 8th (Rossi)
2011: 7th (Hayden)
2010: 1st (Stoner)
Ducati Team – Rider Info
Andrea Dovizioso
Bike: Ducati Team Desmosedici GP13
Race number: 04
Age: 27 (born in Forlimpopoli, Italy, 23 March 1986)
Residence: Forlì, Italy
Number of GPs: 199 (101 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)
First GP: 2001 Italian GP (125cc)
Number of wins: 10 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
First GP win: 2004 South African GP (125cc)
Poles: 14 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc)
First pole: 2003 French GP (125cc)
World Championships: 1 (1 x 125cc)
Dovizioso’s MotoGP track record at Aragón
2012: Grid, 6th; Race, 3rd
2011: Grid, 5th; Race, DNF
2010: Grid, 8th; Race, DNF
Nicky Hayden
Bike: Ducati Team Desmosedici GP13
Race number: 69
Age: 32 (born in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA, 30 July 1981)
Residence: Owensboro (Kentucky, USA)
Number of GPs: 179 (179 x MotoGP)
First GP: 2003 Japanese GP (MotoGP)
Number of wins: 3 (3 x MotoGP)
First GP win: 2005 USA GP (MotoGP)
Poles: 5 (5 x MotoGP)
First pole: 2005 USA GP (MotoGP)
World Championships: 1 (6 x MotoGP, 2006)
Hayden’s MotoGP track record at Aragón
2012: Grid, 9th; Race, DNF
2011: Grid, 7th; Race, 7th
2010: Grid: 4th; Race: 3rd
