Seventh at the Pramac Generac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix was further indication that Ducati need to close the gap to their rivals in 2020, according to factory man Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team).
The Italian had the chance to grab a final podium spot at Phillip Island but a mistake at Turn 2 on the final lap ultimately surrendered Dovizioso to P7 in Sunday’s race. Despite an under-par result, it’s nine points that have secured Dovizioso as the runner-up in the 2019 World Championship with two rounds to go. It’s the third time in a row the experienced Desmosedici man has picked up P2 in the overall standings behind Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and despite seeing the positives, Dovi can’t help but feel Round 17 was another indicator of Ducati’s struggles for much of 2019.
“Yes P7 not that good for sure but in the end we had the chance to finish third. So that was positive but for sure the gap is not positive, that is the point and it’s another confirmation of this season,” commented Dovi. “We’ve had a lot of up and downs, we struggle more this season but the good thing today is that we confirmed second position in the Championship. With everything that happened this season, in the end, we weren’t too bad. We go to Malaysia not happy with the speed, but happy to confirm second position.”
Dovi will be hoping he and Ducati can end the season strong in Malaysia and Valencia before hopping onto a GP20 at the Valencia Test.