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Dovizioso wants to go a step higher

The Ducati rider finished third in the final pre-season winter tests at the Losail circuit in Qatar with 50 laps to his name and a time of 1'54.331, making use of the last half hour on a dry track.

By Sajith B
Andrea Dovizioso

Doha/Bengaluru, March 7: Andrea Dovizioso, who finished as runner-up in the last season's FIM MotoGP World Championship wants to go one step higher this time.

The Ducati rider finished third in the final pre-season winter tests at the Losail circuit in Qatar with 50 laps to his name and a time of 1'54.331, making use of the last half hour on a dry track to conclude a 10-lap stint on used tyres.

"I'm very happy with the work we did these three days, because we were able to try everything we had planned and also to prepare well for the race, even though here in Qatar the conditions of the circuit change easily and in a couple of weeks they could be different to what we have encountered in these three days," Dovizioso told Ducati Media after the conclusion of the tests.

Last season, Dovizioso was the only runner who challenged eventual champion Marc Marquez.

With six wins and eight podium finishes, the 31-year-old impressed in what could be described as one of his best seasons in Grand Prix racing.

And he wants to raise the bar further higher, with a little bit of fine-tuning here and there.

"During the tests, the track had a lot of grip, something that's usually difficult to find here at Losail, and in the various simulations we were fast and consistent, and so I'm very satisfied with our performance.

"All in all the lap times came quite easily but we've still got a lot of work to do and, even though my feeling with the bike is good, now we still have to fine-tune it for the race as well as the season," he added.

Dovizioso's compatriot and former world champion Jorge Lorenzo finsihed ninth overall in the tests.

Both Ducati riders made the most of their outing in Qatar to carry out back-to-back tests with the different aerodynamic configurations at their disposal and to try some new parts on their 2018 version of the Desmosedici GP and are full of confidence as they are set to return to the same circuit for the for the opening round of the season on March 18.

(With Ducati Media inputs).

Story first published: Thursday, March 8, 2018, 13:01 [IST]
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