Aragón GP: The Ducati Team returns to Spain for the tenth round of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship


MotoGP | Round 10 - Aragon GP 2020 | Wednesday 14 October 2020
Aragón GP: The Ducati Team returns to Spain for the tenth round of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship

Just a few days after the last race held last Sunday at Le Mans, the Ducati Team is ready to return to the track this weekend to compete in the first of the two consecutive Grands Prix scheduled at the MotorLand Aragón circuit in Alcañiz, Spain.

The first of the two events, the Aragón Grand Prix, reaches its eleventh edition this year, and it was in the inaugural event held back in 2010 that Ducati achieved its only MotoGP success on the Spanish race track with Casey Stoner. Apart from to the victory taken by the Australian rider, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer boasts another five podiums at Aragón, with the last one the second place obtained by Andrea Dovizioso last year. On that occasion, the rider from Forlì, who has three podium finishes at Aragón under his belt, was the protagonist of an extraordinary comeback, which saw him finish second after starting from tenth on the grid.

After a solid weekend in France, which saw him finish fourth after a fierce battle for the victory with teammate Petrucci, Dovizioso is aiming to be equally incisive in the event scheduled in Spain. The goal will be to be able to add other important points for the championship standings, which after the race in Le Mans see him third just 18 points from the leader.

Danilo Petrucci, fresh off the back of his success at Le Mans after a masterful race in the wet conducted entirely in the lead, arrives in Spain determined to continue his growing progression and to fight again for the top positions even at the Aragón race track.

After Le Mans, the rider from Terni occupies the tenth position in the championship with 64 points. Ducati is second in the manufacturers' standings, while the Ducati Team is currently third in the teams' standings.

Andrea Dovizioso, (#04 Ducati Team) – 3rd (97 points)
"We immediately moved forward after the race in Le Mans, and now we are already focused on the next two Grands Prix in Aragón, that will be crucial at this stage of the season. Last year I managed to get on the podium at MotorLand, and even if on paper we are not the favourites on this track, I am sure that we will also have some opportunities by using the strengths of our Desmosedici GP bike at its best. The championship is still open, and we have to keep working race after race to try to achieve our goal."

Danilo Petrucci, (#9 Ducati Team) – 10th (64 points)
"The victory in Le Mans has certainly served to instill a lot of confidence, and I arrive at MotorLand with high morale. Every race is a world unto itself, but after overcoming such a difficult start to the season, now I want to keep improving. I hope to be able to continue with the same positive feelings we had in France, and I am confident that we can also have our say in the last five races that remain in the championship. Let's see what the conditions of the track at Aragón will look like when we arrive: we will have to be good at interpreting the behaviour of the Michelin tyres. It will be crucial to be able to start on the right foot from Friday's free practice."

The Aragón Grand Prix will officially kick off this Friday starting at 9:55 AM. local time (GMT +2.00) with the first free practice session.

Circuit information

Country: Spain
Name: MotorLand Aragón
Best lap: Lorenzo (Yamaha), 1:48.120 (169,0 km/h) – 2015
Circuit record: Márquez (Honda), 1:46.635 (171,4 km/h) – 2015
Top speed: Dovizioso (Ducati), 346,1 km/h – 2019
Track length: 5,1 km
Race distance: 23 laps (116,8 km)
Corners: 17 (10 left, 7 right)

2019 Results
Podium: 1° Márquez (Honda), 2° Dovizioso (Ducati), 3° Miller (Ducati)
Pole Position: Márquez (Honda), 1:47.009 (170,8 km/h)
Fastest lap: Márquez (Honda), 1:48.330 (168,7 km/h)

Rider Information

Andrea Dovizioso
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Number: 04
Age: 34 (born on 23rd March 1986 in Forlimpopoli, Italy)
Residence: Forlì (Italy)
Races: 322 (224 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)
First GP: Qatar 2008 (MotoGP), Spain 2005 (250cc), Italy 2001 (125cc)
Wins: 24 (15 MotoGP + 4 250cc + 5 125cc)
First Win: Britain 2009 (MotoGP), Catalunya 2006 (250cc), South Africa 2004 (125cc)
Pole Positions: 20 (7 MotoGP + 4 250cc + 9 125cc)
First Pole: Japan 2010 (MotoGP), France 2006 (250cc), France 2003 (125cc)
World Titles: 1 (125cc, 2004)

Danilo Petrucci
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Number: 9
Age: 29 (born on 24th October 1990 in Terni, Italy)
Residence: Terni (Italy)
Races: 146 (MotoGP)
First GP: 2012 Qatar (MotoGP
Wins: 2 (MotoGP)
First Win: Italy 2019 (MotoGP)
Pole Position: -
First Pole: -
World Titles: -

Championship information

Riders’ standings
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 3º (97 points)
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 10º (64 points)

Manufacturers' standings
Ducati – 2º (151 points)

Teams' standings
Ducati Team – 3º (161 points)