MotoGP News
Date: 15/January/2013
Andrea Dovizioso is confident he
and Ducati can drag the factory’s troubled Desmosedici motorcycle to the front
of the MotoGP field, but warned it won’t happen overnight.
The Italian, 26, is taking over
from countryman and MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who has cut his losses and
returned to Yamaha after two winless seasons at Ducati.
But former Repsol Honda race
winner Dovizioso, who has secured a return to factory status on the back of six
podiums and fourth in last year’s Championship for Tech 3 Yamaha, is undaunted
by the task ahead.
During his first official Ducati
appearance, at the Wrooom Press Ski Meeting in Madonna di Campiglio, Dovizioso
said: “Obviously, it will be up to us, the technicians and riders, to take the
right path on where to improve the bike.
“If we work well, I’m certain that
it will be possible in the future to fight for wins and the title. The
competition is very strong, but I believe we can achieve this aim. It won’t
happen right away, but we can do it.
“There’s no magic wand, so we have
to keep our feet on the ground and work methodically. The first year will be
challenging, but we mustn’t allow ourselves to be pressured to immediately get
good results.”
Rossi, winner of a record 79
premier-class races, managed just three podiums at Ducati - his shocking lack
of success prompting a major re-organisation by Ducati’s new owner Audi.
Out has gone former Ducati Corse
General Manager Filippo Preziosi, to be replaced by Bernhard Gobmeier, a former
Superbike director at BMW. Another notable new addition is Paolo Ciabatti, returning
to Ducati to occupy the role of MotoGP Project Director.
In terms of riders, Dovizioso’s
team-mate Nicky Hayden will be the only continuing Ducati competitor, with
Pramac Ducati running an all-new line-up of Ben Spies and Andrea Iannone.
2006 World Champion Hayden,
looking to rebound from his first season in MotoGP without a podium, said of
the winter changes:
“It’s a completely fresh start for
us, and although there’s clearly a big challenge ahead of us, it’s also an
exciting one. I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish. The
future looks very good.”
Ducati’s only MotoGP title came
with Casey Stoner in 2007. The newly retired Australian also took the factory’s
most recent win, in 2010, before switching to Honda.
The joint Ducati/Ferrari Wrooom
media event concludes on Friday.
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