After taking part in the GP of Japan and the Australian GP in the last two weeks, the Ducati Team is gearing up for this weekend’s penultimate round of the season – the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix – which is being held at the Sepang International Circuit.
The Southeast Asian circuit is one track where Ducati has historically obtained a high number of victories, five in total: with Capirossi in 2005, Stoner in 2007 and 2009 and Dovizioso in 2016 and 2017.
Sepang is also the track where Dovizioso obtained his first win with Ducati in the premier class in 2016. Danilo Petrucci instead scored his best result in Malaysia on the Pramac Racing Team Desmosedici GP, when he finished in sixth place in 2015 and 2017. The rider from Terni still has a painful left ankle following his crash in Australia but, as it has been confirmed that nothing is broken, he will be able to take part regularly in the Malaysian race.
Seventh place at Phillip Island with two rounds remaining confirmed Andrea Dovizioso’s runner-up position in the championship standings for the third year in a row, while Petrucci is in fifth place, 7 points adrift of Maverick Viñales in fourth and 14 from third-placed Álex Rins. In the Teams’ classification, the Ducati Team holds onto the lead with a one-point advantage over second and in the Constructors’ standings, Ducati lies second with a ten-point advantage over Yamaha.
Andrea Dovizioso (#04 Ducati Team) – 2nd (240 points)
“The Sepang circuit is for sure the one I prefer more than any other in the world championship. On this track I have some great memories and I’m able to ride to my best characteristics, but at the same time it’s one of the most demanding races on the calendar. Heat and humidity are two factors that have particularly affected us in the past, so let’s see what will happen this year. On paper I think that we can be competitive in all conditions, with or without rain, as we have shown in the past, but nowadays in MotoGP it’s really difficult to make predictions.”
Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) – 5th (169 points)
“Unfortunately the crash at Phillip Island had some repercussions and, even though nothing is broken, my ankle is still hurting and it’s difficult for me to put my foot down. I hope that the pain will go down in the next couple of days and that I can race normally. In any case, Sepang offers us another chance to accumulate points and we have to make the most of it. We still have two races to fight for third place in the world championship and for the Teams’ title, which is now my main aim.”
The first free practice session for the Malaysian GP gets underway on Friday 1st November at 10.50 local time (03.50 CET) while the race will be held on Sunday 3rd November at 15.00 in Malaysia (08.00 CET).
Circuit Information
Country: Malaysia
Name: Sepang International Circuit
Fastest Lap: Lorenzo (Yamaha), 2’00.606 (165.4 km/h) – 2015
Circuit Record: Pedrosa (Honda), 1’59.053 (167.6 km/h) – 2015
Top Speed: Iannone (Ducati), 339.6 km/h – 2015
Track Length: 5.5 km
Race Distance: 20 laps (100.9 km)
Corners: 15 (5 right, 10 left)
2018 Results
Podium: 1st Márquez (Honda); 2nd Rins (Suzuki), 3rd Zarco (Yamaha)
Pole Position: Márquez (Honda), 2’12.161 (150.9 km/h)
Fastest Lap: Rins (Suzuki), 2’00.762 (165.2 km/h)
Rider Information
Andrea Dovizioso
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Number: 04
Age: 33 (born on 23rd March in Forlimpopoli)
Residence: Forlì (Italy)
Races: 311 (213 x MotoGP, 49 x 250cc, 49 x 125cc)
First GP: 2008 Qatar (MotoGP), 2005 Spain (250cc), 2001 Italy (125cc)
Wins: 23 (14 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
First Win: 2009 Britain (MotoGP), 2006 Catalunya (250cc), 2004 South Africa (125cc)
Pole Positions: 20 (7 x MotoGP, 4 x 250cc, 9 x 125cc)
First Pole: 2010 Japan (MotoGP), 2006 France (250cc), 2003 France (125cc)
World Titles: 1 (1 x 125cc)
Danilo Petrucci
Bike: Ducati Desmosedici GP
Race Number: 9
Age: 28 (born on 24 October 1990 in Terni)
Residence: Forlì (Italy)
Races: 135 (MotoGP)
First GP: 2012 Qatar (MotoGP)
Wins: 1
First Win: 2019 Italy (MotoGP)
Pole Positions: –
World titles: –
Championship Information
Riders’ Standings
Andrea Dovizioso (# 04 Ducati Team) – 2nd (240 points)
Danilo Petrucci (# 9 Ducati Team) – 5th (169 points)
Constructors’ Standings
Ducati – 2nd (286 points)
Teams’ Standings
Ducati Team – 1st (409 points)
