Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) arrives at Phillip Island fortified by his win in the Japanese GP, and is now only 11 points behind Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) in the standings. The Ducati rider took on Marquez head-to-head on the final lap once again at Motegi, and once again came out on top - this time in the pouring rain. This season, the Italian says one key to his success is his investment in mental training and the battle between the rational and irrational.
This approach, he says, has played a big role in getting to where he is now - so where is he now?
- Dovizioso's name is now written on an exclusive list along with those of his teammate Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) and teammate Marc Marquez - 'DesmoDovi''s closest rival for the 2017 crown - as riders to have won five or more races in one season since the MotoGP™ era began.
- His win at Motegi came eight years and 81 days after his first win, which was Donington Park in 2009. That means he moves above Mick Doohan in the list of riders to have had the longest winning careers - with the Australian's first and last wins eight years and 53 days apart. Dovizioso is now ninth overall, with Valentino Rossi at the top of the table on 16 years and 351 days.
- Dovizioso beat Marquez by only 0.249 seconds at Motegi, making it the fourth time in five races that the gap between first and second over the line has been less than a second. But that's not the most impressive thing: Dovizioso is now the only man to have beaten Marquez to the win after the number 93 began the final lap in the lead. Until Motegi, Marquez had taken it every time since stepping up to the premier class in 2013.
- The Japanese GP victory was his seventh, equaling Loris Capirossi. If Dovizioso wins in Australia, he will equal Sete Gibernau.
- He now has 41 premier class podiums - one more and, this time, he equals Capirossi.