Michele Pirro, Ducati’s test rider and go-to replacement in case of injury, made his fourth appearance of the year in the MotoGP™ World Championship, his first with the Ducati Team. As has become a tradition, he lined up for Sunday’s race aboard a third factory Desmosedici GP machine as a wildcard. Starting in 11th was already a commendable achievement but the Italian was out for more and ended in a solid tenth place. He could have possibly been higher, but issues with the rear during the race forced him to ease his pace. Pirro has now taken back-to-back top ten finishes in Mugello with Ducati as a wildcard, a great way to celebrate the work he has done as the test rider.
Michele Pirro: “I have to be happy because I achieved my aim of finishing approximately twenty seconds from the winner. I could probably have done better, but half-way through the race I began to feel a vibration in the rear tyre, and in the last two laps this led me to reduce my pace. In any case it was a positive race because we took home some useful information on several new parts we are testing. I want to thank Ducati, the Test Team and all the guys working back in the factory, because we did a good job here and it’s always an emotional feeling to race at Mugello on a Ducati”