Both Ducati Team riders upbeat at Le Mans

Ducati Team ended the first day of the Monster Energy Grand Prix de France weekend in seventh and eighth positions, leaving both Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden in confident moods.

Dovizioso posted a personal best effort of 1’34.578 which left him half a second off the top spot and just 12 thousandths ahead of his teammate.

“I’m pleased because we’re closer than we have been at the other tracks with our fastest lap, but especially our pace,” the Italian began. “I managed to do my best time on the final lap of my long run, which is nice. We’re pretty good with the setup and, although we still have to work on the details, I’m happy to be so close.”

Hayden was also pleased with the latest Ducati pace, with both riders having completed setup work in Jerez and Mugello testing since the last race.

“The start to the weekend has been a little more positive than at some of the other races,” confirmed the 2006 MotoGP™ World Champion. “In the morning we were making good steps in each exit, although not as much in the afternoon. Our lap time was pretty good, but it didn’t come easily so we need to make the bike calmer in order to be more consistent.”

Ducati Team test rider Michele Pirro is not racing for the squad this weekend, but is in action for Ignite Pramac Racing as he covers for the recovering Ben Spies.

Ducati Team riders quietly confident for France

Ducati Team returns to Le Mans optimistic for a strong Monster Energy Grand Prix de France. Having tested both in Jerez and Mugello since the Spanish Grand Prix, both Nicky Hayden and Andrea Dovizioso are upbeat ahead of the fourth round.

In 2012, Valentino Rossi took Ducati’s equal best result of the season as he finished second in France. Prior to this year’s race, the Italian squad has been putting much input into its GP13 bike as well as the new GP13 Lab version which was given its race debut last time out in the hands of test rider Michele Pirro.

“The conditions at Le Mans are always tricky - in part because it’s typically raining!” Dovizioso begins. “Still, I think it’s a good track for Ducati and it’s a really good track for me. That being the case, we should go there with confidence and see if we can understand a little bit about where we can improve, although for the moment we still shouldn’t think too much about the result.”

Dovizioso has finished on the Le Mans podium in all three classes of the World Championship (125 and 250 as well as MotoGP™) and won the race in his 125 title-winning season of 2004. Hayden has been less fortunate at the historic venue, with his best finish to date being fourth in the MotoGP race of 2010.

“We’ve had a couple of days off after a very busy week, so I was able to head north and regroup,” explains the American, world title winner of 2006. “Honestly, I’ve struggled at Le Mans, but one of the keys to the track is hard braking which is a strong point of the Desmosedici.

“We’ve seen a lot of spectators at the last couple of races and I imagine that will also be true at Le Mans. My wrist has improved since Jerez and, although it’s still not perfect, I expect to have less pain in France. Hopefully we can have some fun and do a good race.”

Ducati is yet to win a MotoGP™ race since Casey Stoner took victory in the 2010 Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island.