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MotoGP Aragon: Rossi, Marquez identify Dovizioso as ninth winner

According to Giacomo Agostini a world championship with eight different winners in eight races is unusual, if not exceptional. New MotoGP rules - the introduction of the common software and the switch to Michelin tyres - have reduced the gap among the manufacturers and given the private teams the opportunity to shine.

Jack Miller’s Assen victory was the first win by an independent team rider since Toni Elias won in Portugal in 2006. Cal Crutchlow was able to repeat few GPs later. It was a triumph of the new MotoGP era and the rules introduced by the Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta. In addition, the rain and the unpredictable, mixed conditions affected the races, allowing the bravest rider and smartest team to bag the glory.

Jorge Lorenzo was the last rider to win two consecutive races this year. It happened at Le Mans and Mugello. Since then, Valentino Rossi dominated at Barcelona, Miller surprised at Assen, claiming his first MotoGP win, Marc Marquez at Sachsenring, Andrea Iannone gave Ducati the first win of the Gigi Dall’Igna era, a result missing since 2010. Cal Crutchlow took victory at Brno, the second private rider to claim the success this year. Then Maverick Viñales at Silverstone, bringing back Suzuki on the first spot of the podium after 10 years.

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Last time out at Misano, experienced Honda rider Dani Pedrosa made it eight. Who will win the ninth one?

A victory for Andrea Dovizioso will be popular. The rider, of course, but also Ducati and the sponsors. Also his rivals point at him, starting with championship leader Marquez. “Why not Dovizioso? He is always very close”, he said at Aragon. “Yes, Dovizioso”, echoed Rossi. “Andrea is the closest, but in case of mixed conditions or flag-to-flag race, maybe other new faces may come.”

At Aragon, a racetrack that traditionally suits Honda, Dovizioso scored a fifth place last year with Ducati and a podium finish back in 2012 when he was riding for Yamaha Tech3. But this year the story is difference since the Michelin tyres have opened new scenarios in every track. Tyres have probably been the biggest factor that affected the races. So we asked Dovi what he reckons:

After Pedrosa, many people are thinking at you as ninth winner…
“I’m the first one to want this victory and I’m happy that people think at me. But I know that it won’t be easy. I had the chance to win two times this year: at Assen on the wet and in Austria, where we were really competitive. At the Red Bull Ring I didn’t win for the tyre.

“What is sure is that we are not too far from winning and we have to keep thinking in this way. We will try till the end of the season. We did several races with rain and mixed conditions where everything can happen, but we are very strong in these conditions. On the contrary, we still miss something on the dry.”

Can it be your turn this weekend at Aragon?
“It is a track where the speed in the middle of the corner and the acceleration count. But this is on the paper. As we have seen every race weekend, in the end, tyres remain the variable. They change a lot and they incredibly affect the performance of the bike, so I cannot make predictions. Except from Austria, I cannot pick any track and say that we can win there.”

Is only about the front tyre?
“No, for us it is important also to have a good grip on the rear.”

What do you miss to claim a victory?
“If we didn’t win, for sure we miss something. I would say a few things… If I look back at the beginning of the season, I have had bad luck, otherwise I could have had many more points. The current position in the championship does not reflect our potential. The base of the bike is good, but we are still not able to fight for the podium every weekend. What we miss? The speed! It has to be easier to be consistently fast.”

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