The Ducati Team arrives at the Montmeló circuit for the Catalan Grand Prix
Following on from last Sunday’s splendid win at Mugello, the Ducati Team is gearing up for the seventh round of the season, scheduled this weekend at the Montmeló circuit on the outskirts of Barcelona in Spain. A long straight and numerous overtaking points make the Catalan circuit one of the most spectacular on the calendar and the Gran Premi de Catalunya always attracts a massive crowd.
At Mugello Andrea Dovizioso achieved a truly historic feat by scoring the first victory by an Italian rider on an Italian bike in a grand prix held in Italy since 1974 while Jorge Lorenzo, after an excellent start in which he also led the race for a short time, finally had to settle for eighth. Two weeks ago both Ducati Team riders took part in a two-day test at the Catalan circuit, picking up a series of interesting indications for the GP in weather and track conditions that should not be very different from those expected this weekend.
Last year’s edition of the Catalan GP saw Andrea Dovizioso finish in seventh place, while Jorge Lorenzo had to retire following a crash caused by a contact with Andrea Iannone. Four wins in the last seven years are a good visiting-card for the Majorcan rider on the Catalan track, while the best result for his team-mate was a third place in 2012.
This year the circuit layout has been modified slightly and it now uses a new chicane after Turn 13, similar to the Formula 1 race: in addition, the gravel run-off areas have been increased and the artificial grass has virtually disappeared.
The weekend programme gets underway on Friday morning with the first free practice session at 9.55 CET, while the 25-lap race is scheduled for Sunday at 14.00 CET.
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 2nd (79 points)
“After a fantastic win at Mugello I’m second overall in the championship standings, but I don’t exactly know what to expect from the Barcelona race. This year every weekend seems to be a different story, and in the test two weeks ago here at Montmelò I was still missing something in the way of feeling. Obviously however we are very excited after the win in the Italian GP and this will help us for sure, even though it will only be during the weekend that we will be able to understand our true potential.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 7th (46 points)
“I haven’t had much time to reflect on the race at Mugello and now we are about to do another race, here in Catalunya where I have always had a good feeling and where I have scored some good results in the past. I think that our sensations at Montmeló could change: we will have to understand how the different bikes adapt to the track modifications, but the reference that we have from the test here a couple of weeks ago is good. I was the fastest Ducati rider and this gives me the confidence to tackle this important race in front of my fans. Anything can happen on this circuit and I’m sure that I will be more competitive here than in Italy.”
The Barcelona-Catalunya circuit
In 1989, through the joint collaboration of the Catalan Autonomous Government, the Montmeló Town Council and the Royal Automobile Club of Catalunya (RACC), work began on building a state-of-the-art race track for one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. Located twenty or so kilometres north of Barcelona, the circuit opened for business in September 1991 and welcomed its first international event that same month with the Spanish F1 Grand Prix. It went on to host the European Motorcycle Grand Prix and in 1995 became home to the Catalan GP. Considered to be one of the best modern-day tracks, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya can accommodate over 100,000 spectators.