Dovizioso prevails in Brno thriller

BRNO: Andrea Dovizioso hailed a “perfect race” after holding off Ducati teammate Jorge Lorenzo and MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez of Honda to win the Czech Grand Prix and end the Italian team’s long drought at Brno yesterday.

Eleven years have passed since Ducati last topped the podium at the sweeping Brno circuit, but Casey Stoner’s 2007 victory was forgotten yesterday as Dovizioso led home a one-two finish on his 100th appearance for the team to clinch their best result of the season, matching the one secured at Mugello in June.

Italian veteran Valentino Rossi, who started in second on the grid behind Dovizioso, finished fourth.

“What a weekend,” Dovizioso said. “I expected to be fast, but not like this. Pole position and then a really perfect race because everybody was struggling with the rear tyre and ride very smoothly but I didn’t think it would be perfect.

“Jorge was there and Marc was there but I had a feeling they were on a limit unlike me, so my strategy worked and I didn’t give up, and that was a perfect move. Really happy for the team and all the people at Ducati because I know how many hours they’re working.”

Marquez’s lead in the championship has now been extended to 59 points ahead of Yamaha’s Rossi.

Meanwhile Portugal’s Miguel Oliveira, on a KTM, claimed his second win of the season to take command of the Moto 2 series lead.

Oliveira started from fourth on the grid but after a thrilling duel with Luca Marini (Kalex), who started on pole, the Portuguese got his nose over the finish line to beat the Italian by just 0.070sec.

Another Italian, Francesco Bagnaia (Kalex), was third at 0.525.

In Moto3, Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio, riding a Honda, held off Spaniard Aron Canet to claim victory for his maiden professional win.

Di Giannantonio, 19, started fifth on the grid in Brno but “pushed the bike all the way” on his way to beating teammate Canet by 0.112sec at the line.

Czech racer Jakub Kornfeil (KTM), who had started on pole, finished third.

Italian Marco Bezzecchi (KTM), who finished sixth, now leads the standings with a three-point advantage on Spain’s Jorge Martin, who pulled out on Friday due to a fracture in his left hand.