Valentino’s waiting, the stalking Italian

Ducati riders Dovizioso and Iannone takes the podium after the team’s long dry spell.

Doha, Qatar – The first race of the MotoGP 2015 season seems like the Ducati Team has changed the tides for its campaign for the elusive top place as its two riders got podium place at Qatar’s Losail International Circuit where Andrea Dovizioso got second place while his teammate and namesake Andrea Iannone who also performed well and got 3rd place on the Commerical Bank Grand Prix of Qatar MotoGP class.

The real surprise came from nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi who finished first coming from behind at 8th place to claim the top spot.  But equally surprising was how the two Ducati riders managed to take podium. While Ducati rider Dovizioso struggled and failed to defend his position against the veteran world champion, it was a sweet victory nonetheless, as Dovizioso placed second place and his namesake and teammate Andrea Iannone took 3rd place, breaking Ducati’s long dry spell.  This was Iannone’s first-ever podium win.

It was a visibly elated Luigi Dall’Igna, the Ducati Team General Manager who personally oversaw the development of the new Ducati Desmosedici GP15 motorcycle from scratch.  The Yamaha bike driven by 2015 Qatar GP winner Valentino Rossi was no match for the new GP15 Ducati bike as Dovizioso easily overtook Rossi on straightaways but the seasoned champion’s prowess on the turns proved to be too much for Dovizioso. “It was one of the best races I had!” said Rossi on a post-race interview.

Pilipinas Shell invited some members of the Philippine motoring media to watch the year’s first MotoGP race in Doha, Qatar as well as interview opportunities for the two Ducati riders.   Shell has been a in technical partnership with Ducati for 17 years already and has produced some 150 race wins and a total of seven Riders’ World Titles in MotoGP and the World Superbike Championship. Ducati and Shell first entered the MotoGP World Championship in 2003. Four years later, the team took all three World Titles – Riders’, Manufacturers’ and Teams’ to become the first non-Japanese manufacturer to win the premier class for more than 30 years.

In recent years however, Ducati has not been enjoying any wins for a long time. The initial David vs. Goliath success story took a long dry spell with over 120 races without any wins, so could the arid landscape of Qatar’s Losail be Ducati’s chance to break the so-called drought season?

“The new GP15 bike improved a lot compared to the old one.  The feeling is much better.” Said Dovizioso. Before the race, he was confident he will get a podium for Ducati, and added – “I have a good potential this week. The second and third practice was good for me too. But Yamaha and Honda are strong teams and the competition is really high. I try my best every time. The Ducati team worked very hard for this and will try my best.”

With last weekend’s results, no one seems to doubt a comeback for the Italian motorbike team.  The lubricants used in the new Ducati bikes proved to be a big help in keeping the engine’s reliability, even in the warm and arid Qatari climate.  Last weekend also saw Ferrari F1 driver Sebastian Vettel winning the Malaysian Grand Prix. Both Ducati and Ferrari teams are Shell partners and this 2015 season looks very rosy for the two Italian teams.  The next MotoGP will be held on April 12 at the Circuit of Americas in Texas, USA.