Andrea Dovizioso says Ducati has ‘worked hard under each aspect’ to return the GP19 to competitiveness after a disappointing run of results in the run up to the summer break stymied the Italian’s title challenge.
The 2018 runner-up was going toe-to-toe with Marc Marquez up to being skittled out by Jorge Lorenzo in Barcelona, before losing more ground with indifferent results at Assen and Sachsenring.
Putting those results – a fourth and fifth respectively – down to the tracks not suiting the Ducati package, Dovizioso says Ducati has used the break to ensure it will maximise the more favourable circuits coming up, starting with the Czech MotoGP at Brno this weekend and then Spielberg a week later.
“The summer break is always a good time to recharge and put things into perspective,” said Dovizioso, who is now 58 points behind Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez. “Despite the fact that our position on the finish line at Assen and Sachsenring was acceptable, our feeling on the bike wasn't been the best in those circuits.
“Without a doubt, we need to stay positive in this moment: we've worked hard under each aspect during these three weeks and we're ready to tackle the second half of the season with great motivation. We'll race on tracks where we should be very competitive and able to show our full potential."
Team-mate Danilo Petrucci, who is only six points behind Dovizioso as one of only two riders to have scored in each race this year – along with Pol Espargaro – is also expecting an upturn of form in the coming races.
"After some nice holidays I can't wait to get back on the bike. I like Brno as a track, and the Desmosedici GP has always been quite competitive there, last year in particular. I finished sixth in that race, but only three seconds behind the winner, and I think this weekend we'll have another good chance to achieve a strong result.
“Our team has been working hard at home to move forward with the development, and I can't wait to try some upgrades.
“It'll be important to restart on a positive note because after the summer break sometimes the scenario often changes and we want to show we're ready for the second half of the championship.”
