Following a great start to the season with a second place for Andrea Dovizioso in Qatar, the Ducati Team has arrived in Argentina, where on Sunday the second leg of the 2016 MotoGP World Championship will be held at the Termas de Río Hondo circuit in the province of Santiago del Estero.
The race debut of the new Desmosedici GP was certainly positive, and throughout the weekend the Italian team’s riders, Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone, proved that they were capable of fighting at the very top, on a level playing-field, both in qualifying and in the race.
In the two editions of the Argentina GP held at Termas, the best result for Dovizioso came last year, when he secured a podium place with a great ride to second, while Iannone in 2015 was the top Ducati man on the grid with third place in qualifying, going on to finish the race in fourth place.
The Termas de Río Hondo weekend gets underway on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 9.55 am (14.55 CET), while the 25-lap race is scheduled for Sunday at 4 pm local time (21.00 CET).
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2nd (20 points)
“The Termas track is completely different to Losail, but judging by our current performance I think that now we have a good base for the next few races. This year it’s always a bit of an unknown factor to go to a track where we have never tested with the Michelins, but after Qatar I am aware that the Desmoedici GP has already reached an excellent competitive level and so I am sure that we can also fight for the top positions at Termas.”
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 19th (0 points)
“I’m still pretty disappointed about the race in Qatar, because I was very fast, I had the right race pace and the potential to score a prestigious result. Now I can’t wait to race in Argentina, at the Termas circuit which has different characteristics to Losail and where it’s sure to be a totally different race. It’s a great circuit, and we will be going there with a lot of optimism: that’s how we have to work this year and always try and be competitive.”
The Termas de Río Hondo Circuit
The circuit is about six kilometres away from the spa town, from which it takes its name, in the province of Santiago del Estero in the north of the country. It was officially inaugurated in May 2008 with a Touring Car race. In 2012 it underwent a series of interventions to modernize the facilities and with the aim of turning it into the safest, most modern and most spectacular circuit in South America. It is 4.806 km in length, has 14 corners (five left and nine right), and the main straight measures just over one kilometre.
Fastest Lap: Marquez (Honda), 1’37.683 (177.1 km/h) – 2014
Circuit Record: Rossi (Yamaha), 1’39.019 (174.7 km/h) – 2015
Best Pole: Marquez (Honda), 1’37.683 (177.1 km/h) – 2014
Top Speed: Bradl (Honda), 334.1 km/h – 2014
Race Distance: 25 laps (120.2 km)
Corners: 14 (5 left, 9 right)
Race Start: 4 pm (21.00 CET)
2015 Results
Podium: 1st Rossi (Yamaha), 2nd Dovizioso (Ducati), 3rd Crutchlow (Honda)
Pole Position: Marquez (Honda), 1’37.802 (176.9 km/h)
Fastest Lap: Rossi (Yamaha), 1’39.019 (174.7 km/h)
Andrea Dovizioso
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 04
Age: 30 (born on March 23rd 1986 in Forlimpopoli, Italy)
Residence: Forlì (Italy)
Races: 241 (143 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 GP
Race Number: 29
Age: 26 (born on August 9th 1989 in Vasto, Italy)
Residence: Vasto (Italy)
Races: 179 (52 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)
