The Ducati Team has arrived at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello for the Italian Grand Prix, the sixth round of the 2018 MotoGP World Championship – and always one of the most spectacular and popular rounds on the calendar.

For the Ducati Team riders it will certainly be a special occasion, seeing as it is the home race for the ‘red bikes from Borgo Panigale’. As they head out to tackle the challenging ups and downs of the beautiful Tuscany circuit, Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo, together with Michele Pirro, entered for the first time this year as a wild-card with the third Desmosedici GP of the Ducati Test Team, will certainly be able to count upon the extra support from the numerous supporters who are packed into the Ducati Grandstand at the Correntaio curve.

Andrea Dovizioso, who has taken part in ten editions of the Italian GP, is familiar with the passionate support from the Mugello fans and last year he was finally able to score his first home win after a splendid race. His team-mate Jorge Lorenzo holds a simply incredible record at Mugello, having won five of the last six editions of the GP and finishing second on three more occasions.

The Italian GP schedule gets underway on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 9.55 am, while the 23-lap race will start at 14.00 CET on Sunday afternoon.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 9th (46 points)

“It’s difficult to make any predictions for the Italian GP, because this year every race is different, but even though our chief rivals were very quick in the test a couple of weeks back, we have shown that we are always fast in the race and for sure we will be competitive at Mugello. Last year Petrucci and I made all the difference in staying up at the front and I’m very confident because this year we have shown that we are fast on almost every track. It’s a pity about all the points we’ve lost in the last two races, but it’s best not to think about it because there is still a long way to go in the.”

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 14th (16 points)

“I come to the Italian GP with a lot of enthusiasm to score a good result that confirms the right direction in which we’ve been working recently. We are not far away from fighting for the podium, and we only need another little step forward to be really competitive: I think that we can do it at Mugello. Last week’s Barcelona test went really well and we’ll have something new here to improve the ergonomics of my bike, which I think can help me be more consistent throughout the race. Mugello is a special place, one of my favourite circuits and I’ve got a lot of great memories at this track. I’m ready and really excited about this weekend.”

Michele Pirro (Ducati Team #51)

“Finally, after many months, the moment has come for me to get out on track in MotoGP: racing in this championship is what I like most doing and as always I’d like to thank Ducati for giving me the opportunity to race with the third factory bike here at Mugello. It will be a very important race for us, from all points of view, and so I’ll be trying to do my best and give maximum support to the team, also regarding feedback of information. I’m really pleased and can’t wait to take to the track, because it’s always really emotional to race in front of your home crowd and the Ducati fans.”

The Mugello circuit

Located 30km north-east of Florence in the beautiful Tuscany countryside, Mugello is a modern circuit with excellent facilities. Bought by Ferrari back in 1988, the 5.245km track has been renovated to a high standard and has a reputation for being one of the world’s most up-to-date, scenic and safest race circuits. A blend of slow and fast turns with sweeping curves, long straights and off-camber corners make Mugello one of the most challenging circuits for riders and engineers. Having hosted its first MotoGP event back in 1976 the venue became a permanent fixture in 1991 after extensive refurbishment.