Andrea Dovizioso had praise for MotoGP rival Honda’s Marc Marquez upon his maiden visit to India for a Ducati and Shell event at Buddh International Circuit.
Dovizioso was all praise for his MotoGP rival Marquez during his first visit to India for a Ducati and Shell event on September 29 at BIC – the country’s only F1 circuit. The Italian didn’t ride with Thai GP only next week but was given a tour of the facility.
There was natural amazement for Dovizioso as well as Ducati Sporting Director Paolo Ciabatti, who accompanied the rider, as they felt the circuit could host a MotoGP race in future to further strengthen its fan community in the Asian region.
It was a welcome change for the Italian to be not recognised at the airport unlike in European countries or where the races take place but he was happy to see the fans at BIC, who got the chance to meet a MotoGP rider in person during the Track Day.
“It was really nice for a change when I didn’t see any crowd at the airport waiting for me as I felt like one of the commoners which gave me a moment of get away from the competitive pressure of MotoGP,” said Dovizioso to the media.
“Usually, when I land in an European country, I can’t walk two seconds without people asking for autographs or selfies. This was a new experience and I must admit I really enjoyed it. The track seems interesting as well with long straights.
“I wanted to take a lap but I am racing next weekend and under training now.” While speaking about his experiences, Dovizioso paid a big compliment to ‘animal’ Marquez, who is set to clinch his sixth MotoGP title in 2019 – which can seal of in Thai GP itself.
“It’s difficult with Marquez because he is so strong and year on year, he becomes better and better,” stated Dovizioso. “It’s very difficult to beat him then because he is strong in all conditions. In the last two seasons we have won a lot of races but in a bad weekend, we have lost too many points, so that’s a reason why we couldn’t win the title.
“In this season, our competitors became really strong, so we couldn’t win that many races. And Marc took another step, we didn’t really have chance to fight for the championship. For part of the season, we weren’t strong enough, so we cannot fight that way.
“We have to better overall in 2020 to challenge Marquez and Honda. As known, our pace in the middle of the corners is not great. As per our DNA, we are strong in acceleration, we are good in the straight and on the brakes but we are losing a lot of time in the corners.
“That is where we can be better. It is also difficult to assess how much Marquez improved or Honda did because when a talented rider ride that bike, it is very-very difficult to assess until you are riding it. I had similar experiences, so I know difficulty in assessment.
“For sure, Marquez is an animal because he is strong and he loves to ride dominantly and he loves to be better. So, every year when he wins the championship, he is working more to be better and we have to be on out toes to try and better him.”
With title hopes all but over, Dovizioso is eyeing to keep second in the championship with nearly 50 points advantage for now. Meanwhile, before flying off to Thailand, Dovizioso and Ciabatti visited one of the world’s heritage monument Taj Mahal as well.
Click here to check a video from MotoGP on his visit