Danilo Petrucci has turned to Ducati’s Esports rider Andrea Saveri for guidance and tips as he looks to get up to speed before making his MotoGP Virtual Race debut this weekend.
Not much is certain about the 2020 MotoGP season at the moment, with the opening four rounds cancelled/postponed due to the coronavirus and growing doubts about the planned start in early May.
Jack Miller may have been the only Ducati rider in the top nine on the final day of MotoGP pre-season testing in Qatar but fellow GP20 riders Danilo Petrucci, Andrea Dovizioso and Francesco Bagnaia were all buoyed by the results of a race simulation.
- In an interview with Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, he reveals Kawasaki requested a MotoGP wildcard entry for its Superbike team but were turned down by the series organisers. Ezpeleta also expects to retain its six current MotoGP manufacturers in the next round of factory contracts.
Factory Ducati riders Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci struggled to hide their disappointment at the end of the opening 2020 MotoGP test at Sepang. The pair were ranked sixth (Petrucci) and 14th (Dovizioso) on the ultra-close timesheets, but their biggest worry was race pace.
Francesco Bagnaia believes upgrading to the Ducati GP20 will not only benefit his weaknesses but is also an improvement on the Italian manufacturer’s own key areas.
The almost annual rise in MotoGP top speeds is a cause of concern for some, but from a rider perspective it’s the safest way to improve their lap time.
Andrea Dovizioso averaged 14.15 points per race across the 2019 MotoGP season, a feat he has only bettered once in his premier class career, but his pursuit for the world title felt further away than in his previous two championship challenges.
With the 2019 MotoGP season predicted to trigger a year of changes in a frantic rider market, it is also likely to become a pivotal campaign for some the sport’s biggest names.
Ducati’s sporting director Paolo Ciabatti says the entire team has faith in Danilo Petrucci rediscovering his early 2019 season form and dismissed his downturn in results as connected to his 2020 contract renewal.
With preparations ramping up for the 2020 MotoGP world championship season, teams are beginning to confirm launch dates ahead of the start of pre-season testing and the opening round.
While late rider switches dominated the MotoGP headlines towards the end of 2019, it means focus on the 2021 silly season has sharpened and could erupt earlier than ever.
With the 2019 MotoGP world championship over and all riders heading off for their winter breaks before next season’s preparations really ramp up, it gives an ideal time to add up all the Rider Ratings to see who comes out on top.
With Danilo Petrucci ending his post-Valencia Grand Prix test after just 10 laps on Tuesday, Jack Miller has been given the bulk of his testing programme for Ducati as he got to grips with the Italian manufacturer’s prototype GP20.
Jack Miller says he has not held talks with the Ducati management about a rumoured promotion to the factory team for 2020 at the expense of Danilo Petrucci.
Marc Marquez has the opportunity to close out a perfect MotoGP campaign in 2019 if he can help Repsol Honda seal the world teams’ title and duly complete its Triple Crown.
If Andrea Dovizioso claims six points or more in this weekend's Valencia season finale, 2019 will have been his highest-scoring season in MotoGP (helped by a 19th race).
In the latest round-up of MotoGP Gossip, Pramac Ducati has played down a rumoured rider swap for 2020 while Giacomo Agostini feels Marc Marquez can beat his own world title record.
Danilo Petrucci finished the Malaysian MotoGP where he had been at the end of the opening lap, in ninth, after suffering a bizarre vibration in the closing stages.
Danilo Petrucci expects Fabio Quartararo to surpass his unofficial lap record at Sepang in tomorrow’s FP3 ahead of the Malaysia MotoGP as he voices concerns over his own pace on fresh tyres.