With a difficult Malaysian Grand Prix having been completed just days ago, the Ducati Team is now in Australia, where they hope for a more positive weekend at Phillip Island Circuit, site of Round 16 in the MotoGP World Championship and the middle leg of a busy overseas tripleheader.
Situated on the Bass Straight in the state of Victoria, the popular track features an anticlockwise layout that includes a number of thrilling high-speed corners. Unpredictable weather conditions notwithstanding, the event is popular with teams, riders and fans alike, and with the track surface having received a fresh layer of asphalt last December, this year’s Australian Grand Prix promises thrilling racing.
Since joining the championship in 2003, the Ducati Team has tallied four victories at Phillip Island, all at the hands of Casey Stoner, although the last two years have been more difficult. Nicky Hayden loves the circuit and in fact still holds the race-lap record he earned aboard a Honda in 2008, although he and his team face a challenging situation with the five-engine limit following his mechanical problem in Malaysia. Meanwhile, Andrea Dovizioso has garnered three podium results across three classes, including a 2004 victory in the 125cc division.
Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team
“Phillip Island is a really challenging track for everyone. Normally, the conditions are very difficult with the wind and cold. The circuit is completely different from Sepang in terms of temperature, track layout and grip. The tyre wears a lot on the left side, so I’m not sure what to expect from my Ducati on a track like this. As far as my results here are concerned, unfortunately they’re nothing too special: just one win in the 125 class.”
Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team
“Phillip Island is one of the best tracks in the championship. It’s been repaved for this year, so we’ll see how much smoother and faster it is now. In the past, I’ve gone really well there, but we’re not on our best form or catching many breaks at the moment. We’ll see what the weather’s going to be like. The mornings can be quite cool and a lot different than the race, which makes it challenging for bike setup. There are a lot more lefthanders than right, so tyre wear on the left is very important, but at the same time, getting heat in the tyres in the mornings is a problem. I love Australia and look forward to it.”
Vittoriano Guareschi – Team Manager
“Phillip Island is a track that has surprises in store nearly every year because the weather is really difficult to predict. We hope it won’t be too cold as we’ve experienced on some occasions, because that makes things hard to manage for both the riders and us. We also face an additional challenge in that we have to manage Nicky’s engine situation after the problem at Sepang. Still, both riders like the track, so we hope to have a decent race.”
Phillip Island Circuit Records
Circuit Record: Nicky Hayden (Honda – 2008), 1:30.059 – 177.803 Km/h (110.482 mph)
Best Pole: Casey Stoner (Ducati – 2008), 1:28.665 – 180.598 Km/h (112.218 mph)
Circuit Length: 4.448 km (2.764 mi)
2013 MotoGP Race: 27 laps (120.096 km/74.624 mi)
2013 MotoGP Schedule: 4:00 p.m. local time
2012 podium: 1st Casey Stoner (Honda), 2nd Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), 3rd Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha)
2012 pole: Casey Stoner (Honda) 1:29.623 – 178.668 Km/h (111.019 mph)
Ducati Team Results at Phillip Island (best finish)
2012: 7th (Rossi)
2011: 7th (Hayden)
2010: 1st (Stoner)
2009: 1st (Stoner)
2008: 1st (Stoner)
2007: 1st (Stoner)
2006: 4th (Gibernau)
2005: 3rd (Checa)
2004: 3rd (Capirossi)
2003: 2nd (Capirossi)
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: 201 (102 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 Phillip Island
2012: Grid, 6th; Race, 4th
2011: Grid, 4th; Race, 3rd
2010: Grid, 9th; Race, DNF
2009: Grid, 10th; Race, 6th
2008: Grid, 8th; Race, 7th
Dovizioso’s 250cc track record at Phillip Island
2007: Grid, 7th; Race, 3rd
2006: Grid, 4th; Race, 4th
2005: Grid, 7th; Race, 5th
Dovizioso’s 125cc track record at Phillip Island
2004: Grid, 5th; Race, 1st
2003: Grid, 8th; Race, DNF
2002: Grid, 9th; Race, 10th
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: 181 (181 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 Phillip Island
2012: Grid, 10th; Race, 8th
2011: Grid, 6th; Race, 7th
2010: Grid, 6th; Race, 4th
2009: Grid, 7th; Race, 15th
2008: Grid, 3rd; Race, 3rd
2007: Grid, 4th; Race, DNF
2006: Grid, 1st; Race, 5th
2005: Grid, 1st; Race, 2nd
2004: Grid, 14th; Race, 6th
2003: Grid, 5th; Race, 3rd
