After two rounds in the Czech Republic and Austria, the MotoGP World Championship now moves over the Channel for the third appointment in the month of August at the fast and challenging Silverstone circuit. Coming off the back of two splendid back-to-back wins by Andrea Dovizioso at Brno and Jorge Lorenzo at Zeltweg, the Ducati Team is already gearing up for the twelfth round of the season.
Dovizioso has stepped onto the Silverstone podium a total of four times, including a spectacular victory last year as well as two second places obtained in 2010 and 2011 and a third place in 2015. Lorenzo’s record at Silverstone is also an impressive one, the Spanish rider scoring three wins in 2010, 2012 and 2013, while last year he finished the race in fifth place.
Before leaving for Silverstone, both Ducati Team riders took part in a one-day test on Sunday 19th August at the Misano Adriatico circuit, where they mainly worked on preparation for the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini GP on 9th September, obtaining excellent results with their Desmosedici GP machines.
The Silverstone weekend programme gets underway on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 9.55 local time (10.55 CET), while the 20-lap race is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 13.00 (14.00 CET).
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 3rd (130 points)
“The third GP in August comes after my win in Austria, which was surely the most difficult race of the season, especially because we continued to make some important improvements throughout the weekend. I believe we are working well and that we can be competitive at every circuit. Silverstone is a track that I like a lot and I have some great memories there, but there’s always the unknown factor of the weather conditions we will encounter during the weekend. For sure it will be an important element, and obviously I prefer it to be a dry race, but in any case it’s always great to race here in England, a country with a great motorsport tradition and many fans.”
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 4th (129 points)
“I believe we will also be very competitive at Silverstone. Last year we won because I was able to race with an excellent strategy, always being in the right position to try and win, even though probably we weren’t the fastest on the track. The British circuit is challenging for lots of reasons: tyre wear, energy required, especially in your forearms, the always changeable weather conditions and so it’s impossible to predict the outcome. In addition, you have to take account of the track conditions and I hope that with the new surface they have been able to eliminate the bumps from last year.”
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. This year the entire track has been resurfaced in time for the GP in an attempt to eliminate the bumps.
Fastest Lap: Marquez (Honda), 1’59.941 (177.0 km/h) – 2017
Circuit Record: Marquez (Honda), 2’01.560 (174.7 km/h) – 2017
Best Pole: Marquez (Honda), 1’59.941 (177.0 km/h) – 2017
Top Speed: Iannone (Ducati), 332.4 km/h – 2015
Track Length: 5.9 km
Race Duration: 20 laps (118.0 km)
Corners: 18 (8 left, 10 right)
Race Start: 1pm (BST), 14.00 (CET)
2017 Results
Podium: 1st Dovizioso (Ducati), 2nd Viñales (Yamaha), 3rd Rossi (Yamaha)
Pole Position: Marquez (Honda), 1’59.941 (177.087 km/h)
Fastest Lap: Marquez (Honda), 2’01.560 (174.728 km/h)
Andrea Dovizioso
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 04
Age: 32 (born on 23rd March in Forlimpopoli, Italy)
Residence: Forlì (Italy)
Races: 287 (189 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)
First GP: 2001 Italian GP (125cc)
Wins: 19 (10 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
First Win: 2004 South African GP (125cc)
Poles: 19 (6 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: 31 (born on 4th May 1987 in Palma di Mallorca, Spain)
Residence: Lugano (Switzerland)
Races: 279 (185 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
First GP: 2002 Spanish GP (125cc)
Wins: 68 (47 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First Win: 2003 Brazilian GP (125cc)
Poles: 66 (40 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
First Pole: 2003 Malaysian GP (125cc)
World Titles: 5 (3 x MotoGP, 2 x 250cc)
