Iannone and Dovizioso end the drought for the legendary manufacturer
After testing ahead of the NeroGiardini Motorrad Grand Prix von
Österreich, the word penciled in next to the victory was undoubtedly Ducati. Following
the timesheets from the test on the horsepower-dominated circuit, the
venue appeared to be neither a ‘Honda track’ nor a ‘Yamaha track’ but a
new breed altogether – a ‘Ducati track’. That left the Borgo Panigale
factory’s riders fielding questions throughout the weekend about the
possibility of the first Ducati win since 2010 as the pressure mounted,
but both Iannone and Dovizioso stayed cool and topped all the sessions
but one heading into the race. In that race, the two red machines made a
break for it and history was made.
"A lot of people at Ducati have worked a lot of hours - really a lot of hours - for four years. So I want to thank them for creating this situation."
"A lot of people at Ducati have worked a lot of hours - really a lot of hours - for four years. So I want to thank them for creating this situation."
Andrea Dovizioso
Iannone was the only rider to switch to the medium tyre allocation, which proved decisive in the final laps as the 'Maniac' held off teammate Dovizioso in the veteran's 250th GP. 'DesmoDovi' didn't have enough grip on the right hand side of the tyre. Iannone's victory ended a six year drought for the team – as well as being his first win – and Dovizioso crossing the line second for a 1-2 marks the 2016 Austrian GP as the first time since Phillip Island 2007 that the Ducati Team has achieved that feat. The project has been a long one for Borgo Panigale – but it also seems to be gradually changing from a project of goals into one of achievements.
The Ducati domination at the Red Bull Ring locked out the 25 and 20 point-scoring positions for the men fighting at the top of the table, and championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was the man who suffered most as the Spaniard crossed the line in P5. Even before the gloves came off, the championship looked as though it could have been thrown wide open on Saturday morning as Marquez lost control of his Honda and narrowly avoided collecting teammate Dani Pedrosa – who had also run wide – on his trip towards the gravel trap. Marquez uncharacteristically took some time to get to his feet and shake the crash off, with the 2-time MotoGP™ champion holding his shoulder as he walked back towards the scooter.
Iannone was the only rider to switch to the medium tyre allocation, which proved decisive in the final laps as the 'Maniac' held off teammate Dovizioso in the veteran's 250th GP. 'DesmoDovi' didn't have enough grip on the right hand side of the tyre. Iannone's victory ended a six year drought for the team – as well as being his first win – and Dovizioso crossing the line second for a 1-2 marks the 2016 Austrian GP as the first time since Phillip Island 2007 that the Ducati Team has achieved that feat. The project has been a long one for Borgo Panigale – but it also seems to be gradually changing from a project of goals into one of achievements.
The Ducati domination at the Red Bull Ring locked out the 25 and 20 point-scoring positions for the men fighting at the top of the table, and championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was the man who suffered most as the Spaniard crossed the line in P5. Even before the gloves came off, the championship looked as though it could have been thrown wide open on Saturday morning as Marquez lost control of his Honda and narrowly avoided collecting teammate Dani Pedrosa – who had also run wide – on his trip towards the gravel trap. Marquez uncharacteristically took some time to get to his feet and shake the crash off, with the 2-time MotoGP™ champion holding his shoulder as he walked back towards the scooter.
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