After the two rounds at Indianapolis and Brno, this weekend the Ducati Team will be crossing the Channel for the third and final race in a busy month of August. The venue this time is the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit for Sunday’s British GP, the twelfth round of the 2015 MotoGP World Championship.
Andrea Dovizioso has stepped onto the Silverstone podium twice, thanks to a second place finish he obtained in both 2010 and 2011. Last year, the Romagna-born racer finished fifth overall after qualifying on the front row. Teammate Andrea Iannone has scored his best result at the British circuit in the Moto2 category, with a fourth place in 2012, while last year the rider from Abruzzo took the chequered flag in eighth place with a Pramac Racing Team Desmosedici GP14.
Both Ducati Team men come to the UK off the back of a one-day test at Misano at the start of this week, aimed at preparing for the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini GP which takes place at the same track in mid-September. Monday’s test was conditioned by the rain that fell in the morning, but both riders were able to lap on a dry track surface in the afternoon, carrying out a series of useful back-to-back tests.
The Silverstone weekend programme will begin on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 10.55 CET while the 20-lap race is scheduled for Sunday at 14.00.
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 4th (142 points)
“Even though I haven’t yet scored any decent results there, Silverstone is a track that I like a lot. It’s really a great circuit and it allows you to reach some really high speeds with the bike. It will be interesting to see how my Desmosedici GP15 will go there this year because in 2014 the weekend wasn’t bad at all, and so we hope to be better this time round.”
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 6th (104 points)
“Silverstone is one of my favourite circuits, it’s really beautiful and I am happy to go there for the race on Sunday. For sure I expect a lot from this race, but we still have to improve the feeling with the front before we can aim for a good result, especially because the top guys are in perfect form at the moment. I am however optimistic about the upcoming weekend in England.”
The Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone, situated half-way between Oxford and Northampton and a couple of hours drive from London, started life as an RAF military airport, and is the longest – as well as one of the fastest – circuits on the entire calendar. With more than sixty years of history behind it, it is one of the world’s most prestigious motorsport venues, with races held for all categories, both four wheels and two. Massive investments saw the completion of a first phase of improvement work to greatly improve the venue in 2010, when the track once again became the venue for the British Grand Prix.
Circuit Record: Pedrosa (Honda – 2013) 2’01.941 (174.1 km/h)
Fastest Lap: Marquez (Honda – 2013) 2’00.691 (175.9 km/h)
Top Speed: Dovizioso (Ducati – 2014) 328.6 km/h
Track Length: 5.9 km
Race Distance: 20 laps (118.0 km)
Corners: 18 (8 left, 10 right)
Race Start: 13.00 BST (14.00 CET)
2014 Results
Podium: 1st Marquez (Honda), 2nd Lorenzo (Yamaha), 3rd Rossi (Yamaha)
Pole Position: Marquez (Honda) 2’00.829 (175.7 km/h)
Fastest Lap: Marquez (Honda) 2’01.980 (174.1 km/h)
Andrea Dovizioso
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP15
Race Number: 04
Age: 29 (born on March 23rd 1986 in Forlimpopoli, Italy)
Residence: Forlì (Italy)
Races: 233 (135 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)
First GP: 2001 Italian GP (125cc)
Wins: 10 (1 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
First Win: 2004 South African GP (125cc)
Pole Positions: 16 (3 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc)
First Pole: 2003 French GP (125cc)
Titles: 1 (1 x 125cc)
Andrea Iannone
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP15
Race Number: 29
Age: 26 (born on August 9th 1989 in Vasto, Italy)
Residence: Vasto (Italy)
Races: 171 (44 x MotoGP, 51 x Moto2, 76 x 125cc)
First GP: 2005 Spanish GP (125cc)
Wins: 12 (8 x Moto2, 4 x 125cc)
First Win: 2008 GP of China (125cc)
Pole Positions: 9 (1 x MotoGP, 5 x Moto2, 3 x 125cc)
First Pole: 2008 GP of Malaysia (125cc)
