Andrea Dovizioso scored his second GP win in seven days with another superb performance in the Catalan Grand Prix. Just one week after winning the Italian GP at Mugello, the Ducati Team rider powered to victory, for the fourth time in the premier class, in front of almost 100,000 spectators at the Montmelò circuit outside Barcelona.

Starting off well from row 3, Dovizioso crossed the line at the end of the opening lap in third, and he moved up to second on lap 8 after passing his team-mate Lorenzo and then Marquez. Andrea hounded Pedrosa until lap 17, when he attacked his Spanish rival to take the lead, which he maintained until the chequered flag and finishing with a gap of more than three and a half seconds over Marquez.

Jorge Lorenzo was also on great form today, the Spanish rider taking the lead almost immediately from the front row after qualifying second. The man from Majorca stayed up at the front for five laps, before losing a few places and slipping down to eighth. He then began a storming recovery that took him back up to fourth place with four laps remaining and he crossed the line in the same position.

In the overall standings, Andrea Dovizioso confirmed his second place but he has closed the gap on leader Viñales to just seven points, while Lorenzo lies seventh with 59 points.


Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1st

“I’m so happy but also a bit surprised by this win! I had a great feeling before the start because I knew that we could be very competitive, not because we were the fastest out there on the track, but because yesterday we worked well to prepare for the race. It was a strategic race more than anything else and we were good at interpreting the limits of the track and the tyres. The track was very difficult and all the riders had problems with grip, which dropped off a lot and so we concentrated on administering tyre consumption and on consistency, and this decision paid off. In the race I was able to be very fast without pushing hard when I found myself behind Pedrosa and this helped me a lot in the last ten laps, when I passed him and then pulled out a small gap over the two Hondas. I can truly say that today we were on really great form!”

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 4th

“This second win in a row for Ducati is another fantastic result for the team. As for me, it’s the first time that I have finished the race less than ten seconds away from the winner, as well as being the first time that I have started from the front row and have been in the lead for a few laps: this means that we are constantly improving. Pity that today I lost a bit of pace from lap 6 onwards and I was passed under braking a few times, losing a lot of time at the mid-race point when my pace was slower than the leading group’s, but towards the end I managed to gain a few places to finish the GP in fourth. Now we have to continue to work to be more consistent in the race and try and improve soon on my third place at Jerez.”

Claudio Domenicali (CEO of Ducati Motor Holding)

“Being on the top step of the podium once again, just one week after our extraordinary win at Mugello, confirms that we have been working really well and so we don’t only feel the thrills of the win, but also the determination that pushes us on to do even better. Once again I want to thank all the men and women who work in Ducati Corse and everyone who supports us and spurs us on, including our fans, because now we are much closer to first place in the championship. Until a few months ago all this would have been unthinkable and so it has been vitally important to keep a cool head even in the difficult moments we have gone through!”

Luigi Dall’Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)

“Today we have obtained another magnificent result just seven days after our splendid win at Mugello! We knew that the Montmelò track was a tough one for us: last year we suffered a lot and it was for this reason that recently we did two days’ testing which surely helped, seeing as here our bikes were in good shape, even those of our satellite teams. Andrea rode intelligently and did a really great race, but also Jorge finished the GP well in fourth after a great start. I’m really very happy, and I want to thank everyone in Ducati Corse for their great commitment!”

1    - DOVIZIOSO Andrea 4 ITA 25 Ducati Team Ducati 44'41.518
2    - MARQUEZ Marc 93 SPA 20 Repsol Honda Team Honda 3.544
3    - PEDROSA Dani 26 SPA 16 Repsol Honda Team Honda 6.774
4    - LORENZO Jorge 99 SPA 13 Ducati Team Ducati 9.608
5    - ZARCO Johann 5 FRA 11 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 13.838
6    - FOLGER Jonas 94 GER 10 Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha 13.921
7    - BAUTISTA Alvaro 19 SPA 9 Pull&Bear Aspar Team Ducati 16.763
8    - ROSSI Valentino 46 ITA 8 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 20.821
9    - BARBERA Hector 8 SPA 7 Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 23.952
10  - VINALES Maverick 25 SPA 6 Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 24.189
11  - CRUTCHLOW Cal 35 GBR 5 LCR Honda Honda 28.329
12  - BAZ Loris 76 FRA 4 Reale Avintia Racing Ducati 33.281
13  - REDDING Scott 45 GBR 3 Octo Pramac Racing Ducati 35.200
14  - ABRAHAM Karel 17 CZE 2 Pull&Bear Aspar Team Ducati 39.436
15  - RABAT Tito 53 SPA 1 Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 40.872
16  - IANNONE Andrea 29 ITA 0 Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 43.221
17  - GUINTOLI Sylvain 50 FRA 0 Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 44.655
18  - ESPARGARO Pol 44 SPA 0 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 48.993
19  - LOWES Sam 22 GBR 0 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 55.492
20  - PETRUCCI Danilo 9 ITA 0 Octo Pramac Racing Ducati 2 laps
21  - MILLER Jack 43 AUS 0 Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS Honda 12 laps
22  - ESPARGARO Aleix 41 SPA 0 Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Aprilia 18 laps