Andrea is Le Man to catch
ANDREA DOVIZIOSO took control in the opening day of the French MotoGP after smashing the Le Mans circuit record – just hours after confirming a new deal with Ducati.
The Italian has signed until the end of 2020, which will take him to eight years with the iconic red team.
And he celebrated by storming to the fastest-ever lap around Le Mans – 1min 31.936seconds – in the closing moments of yesterday’s second free practice.
He said: “This afternoon we improved a little bit on the bike and my riding was good, so we did a good pace and at the end, when we put on a new tyre, I did a good lap.
“I’m really happy but a lot of riders have good pace. Tomorrow will be important because the conditions look good.”
Marc Marquez had led the way, becoming the first rider to dip into the 1.32s, just 10 minutes into the session.
Over the next 25 minutes, the Repsol Honda rider slowly chipped away, knocking the best part of half a second off, as he remained in control at the top of the timesheets.
Britain’s Cal Crutchlow kept in close contact, holding second for much of the session, before Dovizioso decided it was time to up his game as he moved into second.
Home hero Johann Zarco gave the French fans plenty to cheer about when he moved to the top late on but it was to be short-lived as Dovizioso stormed to his fastest lap seconds later.
Marquez could only manage the secondquickest time, though he will be hoping to improve in qualifying today.
While Marquez is hoping to extend his lead this weekend, Dovizioso is no stranger to success at Le Mans.
Admitting he feels more relaxed now the issue of a new contract is sorted, he added: “I’m really happy about the confirmation of our contract for the future.
“In this moment for the championship, I think we have to gain some points.
“Now that everything is set we can think about the championship and try to be on the podium every race.”
Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi was third fastest yesterday ahead of his team-mate Maverick Vinales.