TIM Italian GP at Mugello. Andrea Iannone scores an excellent second place. Dovizioso forced to retire, while Pirro finishes eighth

Andrea Iannone scored his best-ever finish in MotoGP, taking the runner-up slot in the TIM Italian GP held at Mugello. The Ducati Team rider, who started from pole position, rode a great race on the undulating Tuscany circuit to take the 20 points for second. After crossing the line at the end of the opening lap in third place, Iannone was then passed by Marquez one lap later and he remained fourth until lap 9. On the tenth lap Andrea then passed both Dovizioso and Marquez to move into second, and he held onto that place until the chequered flag despite coming under attack from Marquez, who crashed out, and a rapidly recovering Rossi. Thanks to this result, Iannone has now moved into fourth place overall in the standings with 81 points.

Andrea Dovizioso, who also started from the front row after setting third quickest time in qualifying, instead had an unfortunate race. After a good start, the Italian crossed lap 1 in second and then began a terrific scrap with Marquez. Unfortunately a problem with the rear sprocket of his GP15 first caused him to slow and then enter the pits on lap 14. Despite retiring from his home race, Dovizioso holds onto third place in the championship with 83 points.

Michele Pirro had a good run after starting from row 2 thanks to a sixth fastest time in yesterday’s qualifying session. The Ducati Test Team test-rider, making his first wild-card appearance of the year on a GP15, finished the TIM Italian GP in eighth place.

Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 2nd
“I am so pleased with today’s result: it was incredible, because today it was not easy to score a podium finish. My team did a great job, the bike worked really well and the Clinica Mobile gave me a big hand throughout the weekend. This GP15 is a really great bike, and I was able to administer the race really well. At the start I wanted to try and stay with Jorge: he didn’t have a better pace than me, but he did manage to keep that pace by taking fewer risks. When I realized that I was pushing too hard, I tried to maintain my speed, do my own race and keep one eye on my shoulder, which from mid-race onwards was showing signs of tiredness. I want to thank everyone because this is the result of great team-work and is something that we have built up together.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – DNF
“Today went wrong right from the start with my mistake in this morning’s warm-up. I got a good start in the race and I was in amongst the frontrunners but I had to retire because my GP15 had a problem with excessive wear of the rear sprocket. It was a real pity, because I reckon I could have fought for the podium, and seeing as we were at Mugello, I was really banking on doing so. But above all I didn’t score any points for the championship, which for me is the most important thing.”

Michele Pirro (Ducati Team #51) – 8th
“I am satisfied with the way my Italian GP went, but I’m sorry for Dovizioso’s retirement and congratulations to Iannone for getting a podium finish. As for me, it was a really emotional weekend: I was fourth yesterday morning, I was on the second row of the grid with sixth quickest time, and in the end I finished in eighth place. My aim was to finish less than 30 seconds down on the winner and I managed to do so, so I’d like to thank Ducati, the guys in the test team and everyone working back in the factory. We have gathered some useful indications, and so I hope to be able to do better in the next race because we have a lot of potential”.

Claudio Domenicali (CEO, Ducati Motor Holding)
“It was a great Italian GP, with a lot of fans in the grandstands and all around the Mugello circuit. This is for sure a sign of the vitality and passion that surrounds our sport, and we can only be happy about it. Setting pole position, with an outright circuit record, and a fantastic second place in the race is further confirmation that our bike is competitive and that the talented Andrea Iannone is maturing fast. The technical problem that caused Andrea Dovizioso to retire and which bothered him right from the early laps of the race is a real shame, because without this Andrea would have surely been in with a chance, judging by the speed he showed throughout the entire weekend. Michele Pirro’s race was also a satisfying one, sixth in qualifying and eighth in his debut race this year. My congratulations go to Gigi Dall’Igna and all the guys in Ducati Corse, who are making this dream possible with their extraordinary commitment and dedication.”