The MotoGP World Championship is about to enter its decisive phase, with a five-race sprint to the finish in less than two months. Two rounds in Spain – the Aragón GP and the Valencia GP on November 12th – bookend the three overseas races (Japan, Australia and Malaysia) in the month of October. This weekend the Spanish track will be the venue for the fourteenth round of the season.
The Ducati Team arrives in Spain with Andrea Dovizioso second in the standings after the last round at Misano, on equal points with the leader, Marc Marquez from Spain. Dovizioso has taken part in all seven editions of the Aragón GP, and his best result was a third place in 2012. In last year’s race Andrea fought with the leading group in the early stages, but then had to slow his pace and he finished the GP in eleventh place.
Coming off the back of a spectacular start to the race at Misano two weeks ago, Jorge Lorenzo will be trying to bring home a prestigious result at what is a favourable circuit for him. The Majorcan rider has in fact finished on the podium in six of the seven editions of the GP held at Aragón, including two wins in 2014 and 2015, while last year Jorge finished the race in second place.
Located near the town of Alcañiz, the Spanish circuit only joined the MotoGP calendar in 2010, and this year it hosts the eighth edition of the Grand Prix. MotorLand Aragón is a modern complex, with a difficult track that goes in an anti-clockwise direction and which includes two long straights and seventeen corners, as well as uphill and downhill sections.
The Aragón weekend schedule gets underway on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 9.55 am, while the 23-lap race is scheduled for Sunday at 2 pm local time.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2nd (199 points)
“MotorLand Aragón is a really nice but rather unusual track, completely different from Misano where I stepped onto the podium for the first time in my GP career two weeks ago. Now we know we are competitive on all tracks, and both me and my team are really excited about the last five races, so I’ll be aiming for a podium again this weekend.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 9th (90 points)
“Pity about my crash in the race at Misano, because I had a chance of winning my first race with Ducati, but it was important to take the positive aspects from this situation which can help us to improve. I was permanently in the lead of the race again and this confirms that we are on the right path and working in the right direction. Now we come to Aragón, one of the circuits where I feel most at home and where I have good memories, and so I hope to capitalize on the fact that I am racing at home to score a good result. It will be important to be quick right from the off on Friday.”
The MotorLand Aragón Circuit
The modern MotorLand Aragón facility had its roots firmly established with a solid history of street racing in Alcañiz, which hosted events between 1963 and 2003. The need for greater safety led to the proposal and construction of a sporting complex dedicated to motorsport in the area. With support from local institutions, renowned German architect Hermann Tilke was commissioned to design the facility. The circuit, which is 5.077 km long and has 17 turns, has always been a riders’ favourite since its first Grand Prix in 2010.
Fastest Lap: Marquez (Honda), 1’46.635 (171.4 km/h) – 2015
Circuit Record: Lorenzo (Yamaha), 1’48.120 (169.0 km/h) – 2015
Best Pole: Marquez (Honda), 1’46.635 (171.4 km/h) – 2015
Top Speed: Iannone (Ducati), 345.8 km/h – 2015
Track Length: 5.1 km
Race Distance: 23 laps (116.8 km)
Corners: 17 (10 left, 7 right)
Race Start: 14.00 CET
2016 Results
Podium: 1st Marquez (Honda), 2nd Lorenzo (Yamaha), 3rd Rossi (Yamaha)
Pole Position: Marquez (Honda), 1’47.117 (170.661 km/h)
Fastest Lap: Marquez (Honda), 1’48.694 (168.185 km/h)
Andrea Dovizioso
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 04
Age: 31 (born on March 23rd 1986 in Forlimpopoli, Italy)
Residence: Forlì (Italy)
Races: 271 (173 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)
First GP: 2001 Italian GP (125cc)
Wins: 15 (6 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
First Win: 2004 South African GP (125cc)
Pole Positions: 18 (5 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc)
First Pole: 2003 French GP (125cc)
World Titles: 1 (1 x 125cc)
Jorge Lorenzo
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 99
Age: 30 (born on May 4th 1987 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain)
Residence: Lugano (Switzerland)
Races: 263 (169 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
First GP: 2002 Spanish GP (125cc)
Wins: 65 (44 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First Win: 2003 Brazilian GP (125cc)
Pole Positions: 65 (39 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
First Pole: 2003 Malaysian GP (125cc)
World Titles: 5 (3 x MotoGP, 2 x 250cc)
