We haven’t seen a formal press release yet (we will update this story when we get one), but Ducati has announced at Le Mans that it has reached an agreement with rider Andrea Dovizioso to extend his contract with the factory MotoGP team for two years … through the 2020 season. Dovizioso and Ducati have been negotiating for months – with Ducati initially making a “low ball” offer that was rejected. As an aside, Dovizioso broke the lap record at Le Mans earlier today to lead all other riders during practice for Sunday’s race.
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I can not think of a more deserving rider. Dovi and Stoner are the only two people to successfully ride the Ducati on a consistent basis.
Let’s see… Casey – 23 wins in 4 years with Ducati (missed part of a season for health reasons). Dovi – 8 wins in 5+ years with Ducati (3 years without a win). So maybe not quite as consistent as Stoner.
Dovi’s had a respectable career in MotoGP, but nothing particularly impressive until last year. At this level, they are all good riders/racers.
2018 should be a good year for racing.
Quit picking nits. Ducati has learned the hard way that it is a colossal challenge to find a rider that suits their bike. Now that Dovi’s patience and persistence has paid off in that department, they will only let him go when he is pried from their cold, dead fingers.
What is impressive about Dovi is that he has done what exactly one other rider in Ducati’s modern GP history has done, and that is to be successful in a way that allows front-running expectations to be a real thing. If they elevate Petrucci to the factory team, and he displays the same dedication to improvement that Dovi has, they might have another. Maybe.
“I’m young, I’m healthy, I have the coolest job in the world, and now also I’m filthy rich! Yeah!”