“We started a big fight” - Andrea Iannone recalls historic Ducati MotoGP win

Today, 14 August, marks the tenth anniversary of Andrea Iannone’s landmark MotoGP victory for Ducati at the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix.

The Italian’s debut win was also the first MotoGP victory for Gigi Dall’Igna, who joined Ducati from Aprilia in late 2013, and broke the factory’s five-year losing streak dating back to Casey Stoner’s last Desmosedici win.

“In 2016, we achieved the first victory for Ducati after a long time. I think it started a new era, definitely, from this moment for Ducati,” Iannone told MotoGP.com.

“Everybody cried, everybody had big emotions.”

Team manager Davide Tardozzi adds: “We started to smile again. It became the new era of Ducati Corse.”

Although Ducati had taken frequent podiums since Dall’Igna’s arrival, victory remained elusive.

A string of retirements meant the factory team began the Austrian weekend just ninth and tenth in the world championship, with Iannone and team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, behind the more consistent satellite rider Hector Barbera (Avintia).

The Desmosedici was far from the well-rounded machine that would come to dominant the class, but it’s clear strengths in straight-line performance - hard braking and acceleration - meant the return of the stop-go Red Bull Ring played perfectly into its hands.

Ducati’s performance in a test to prepare for the first Austrian Grand Prix since 1997 underlined the golden chance available.

“We did some tests on that racetrack one month before. From that moment, we realised that we can catch the real prize at the end of the race,” said Dall’Igna.

Dovizioso was the quicker rider in practice, before Iannone snatched pole position, with Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi separating the Ducatis on the front row.

However, Iannone then surprised by making a late tyre change.

“We started a big fight”

“When we started to prepare for the race after warm-up, we started a big fight inside the garage because I wanted to use the soft tyre on the rear and everybody, also Michelin, wanted me to use the medium one,” Iannone explained.

Tardozzi confirmed: “It's true because during the test, we had some concern about using that tyre and we knew that the medium allowed us to be on the podium or try to win the race.”

Nonetheless, Iannone and crew chief Marco Rigamonti, now working alongside Marc Marquez at the factory team, decided to take a risk - which paid off.

“I prepared with Rigamonti a strategy,” Iannone said. “Marco told me, 'OK, Andrea, but we don't tell anybody. We take this risk. Only me and you are in this decision’.

 Rigamonti: “Four minutes before the start of the race, we decided to use the soft tyre to try to win and it was a great choice.

“Our teammate was the [only other] one that could win the race.”

Iannone managed the soft rear and rode to a narrow 0.9s victory over a disappointed Dovizioso, with Jorge Lorenzo’s Yamaha over three seconds adrift.

“For me, it was a pretty hard weekend because I expected to win. I felt I was ready to win, but it didn't happen, so I was angry,” Dovizioso admitted.

“I was ready that weekend. I was pretty fast, but at the end, he did the right choice in the race with the tyre and he did a perfect race. So he deserved that.”

"Dovi was really pissed"

Tardozzi: “[Dovi] was really pissed because he said, ‘Why don't you tell me that Iannone put the soft?’ And I told him, because he did it in the last minute.”

“Dovi really wanted to be the first Ducati rider to win a race again after a long period. I guess that Andrea Dovizioso recovered this with the 14 wins he had after!

“It was really important because it let us think we can do it. We always thought we can be there, we can fight with Marc Marquez, and with Yamaha that at that time was the reference bike.

“I remember that Marc told me, you're going to be a problem for the future, and he was right!”

Iannone, who moved to Suzuki for 2017 after losing his seat to Lorenzo and wouldn’t win again in MotoGP, concluded: “It's for sure always one of the best memories of my life.”