Challenge for Ducati on Narrow Portimão Track with MotoGP Engine Power

Portuguese GP. Andrea Dovizioso ends with the seventh-fastest time the first day of free practices at Portimão. Nineteenth Danilo Petrucci.

  • Andrea Dovizioso sets the seventh fastest time overall at the end of the first day of free practices at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve;
  • Danilo Petrucci closes today’s two sessions in nineteenth place;
  • Johann Zarco sets the fastest time on Friday with the Ducati Desmosedici GP of the Esponsorama Racing team.
  • The MotoGP riders were back on track today for the first day of free practices of the final Grand Prix of the 2020 season, the Portuguese GP, which will be held for the first time this Sunday at the spectacular Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.

Andrea Dovizioso, twelfth at the end of FP1, was able to break the 1:40 barrier in the FP2 session, ending Friday’s free practices with the seventh time overall in 1:39.741, just 340 thousandths off the best time set by Johann Zarco on the Ducati Desmosedici GP machine of the Esponsorama Racing team.

Danilo Petrucci closed the first day in Portimão with the nineteenth fastest time in 1:40.547, set during the last minutes of FP2 this afternoon. The rider from Terni completed a total of 54 laps in the two 70-minute sessions available today, during which he focused mainly on finding the ideal setup for his bike, leaving tomorrow morning’s FP3 to improve his lap time further and find a spot directly into Q2.

Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 1:39,732 (7th)
“It has been a hectic day: Portimão is a particular and narrow track, which does not allow you to make the most of the MotoGP engine. We struggled to find a good setup right from the start. After several laps, my feeling with the bike has finally improved, but there are still some aspects we need to focus on to be ready for Sunday’s race. The goal now will also be to understand how the tyres will behave on this track.

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 1:40.547 (19th)
“It was a very long and demanding day: we did many tests, but I’m still not satisfied with the feeling I have with the bike on this track. We haven’t yet found the right way to go, but after this first day, we have collected many data to work on in the next sessions. Tomorrow in FP3, we will also focus on trying our time attack”.

The Ducati Team riders will be back on track tomorrow at 9:55 am local time (GMT +0.00) for the FP3 session, while qualifying for the Portuguese GP will be held from 2:10 pm, at the end of FP4.

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