Dovizioso: “It was embarrassing”

A disastrous weekend for Andrea Dovizioso at the Pramac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix ends in further disappointment.

Phillip Island has always been  a difficult circuit for Andrea Dovizioso, while many other MotoGP™ World Championship riders list it as one of their favourite tracks, the Italian has never enjoyed it. Since joining the premier class in 2008 he has only once finished on the podium at Phillip Island. Starting from tenth, the Ducati Team rider battled hard in the opening laps but was quickly passed by a variety of riders and dropped back steadily. Dovizioso would cross the line in a disappointing 13th and lose more points to Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) as they battle for sixth in the championship.

No one was more disappointed with the race than Dovizioso himself, branding it an embarrassment. A destroyed rear tyre at the end of the race didn’t help matters. Consistent problems throughout the weekend saw him struggle and unable to progress while teammate Andrea Iannone battled for victory. Dovizioso is eager to leave the Australian GP behind him and is already focusing on the next race in Malaysia. Sepang hosts the penultimate round of the 2015 MotoGP™ World Championship and Dovizioso is hoping for a return to form and potentially the podium to end the season on a high.

Andrea Dovizioso: “This was a difficult race for me, any which way you look at it, from the start to the last lap. I was unable to ride well and it was embarrassing: I found myself in positions that are not really ‘mine’, and I feel very sorry for my team. I had the same problems all weekend, they weren’t big problems but we were never able to resolve them. Then in the last few laps the rear tyre went completely and I no longer had any traction. Maybe something happened, but in any case my performance was very disappointing. Now we have to try and understand the reason why, because it’s important for the future.”