Fantastic Victory for Danilo Petrucci at the Italian Grand Prix.

USPA NEWS - Ducati wins for three consecutive years in the Mugello Circuit; Andrea Dovizioso (3rd) also on the podium.
The Mission Winnow Ducati team enjoyed a Sunday to remember at the Mugello Circuit with Danilo Petrucci claiming the win at the Italian Grand Prix ““ his maiden victory in MotoGP ““ in a sprint finish to the line ahead of his teammate Andrea Dovizioso, third under the checkered flag, only three tenths of a second behind. For Ducati, this is the third win in a row at its home GP after those claimed by Dovizioso and Lorenzo in 2017 and 2018 respectively, an extraordinary result celebrated also by the many fans who filled the Ducati Grandstands to capacity.

Starting from first row, Petrucci immediately joined the leading group together with Dovizioso, who got off to a great start from third row and entered turn 1 in third position. Both riders exchanged overtaking moves repeatedly and towards the end, with only four riders left fighting for the victory, Petrucci defended the lead to precede Márquez on the finish line by only 43 thousandths of a second, with Dovizioso third quickly in tow. Just 0.043s separated Marc Marquez from victory at an explosive Italian GP as his Repsol Honda Team.

The hottest conditions of the weekend, the track at almost 50°C, awaited the MotoGP World Championship as they 23-rider field lined up for the Gran Premio d´Italia Oakley. From a record-breaking pole position, Marc Marquez made a perfect launch to lead from fellow Honda rider Cal Crutchlow.

A race-long battle for victory saw Marquez fending off Petrucci, Dovizioso and Rins for the majority of the race. In true Mugello style it all came down to the final lap of the race, the reigning world champion saving himself for a late attack. A small mistake at San Donato opened a gap to Petrucci that was fractionally too big to close, Marquez taking second by 0.043s as they roared across the line.

With a haul of 20 points, Marquez extends his championship lead to 12 points over Dovizioso. Honda have a six point advantage over Ducati in the Constructor Championship. The MotoGP World Championship now enjoys a week off before the Catalan GP, the home race of both Jorge Lorenzo and championship leader Marc Marquez. There´s not long to wait until the lights go out on the Catalan GP on Sunday, June 16.

Danilo Petrucci #9 Mission Winnow Ducati -1st "I really wanted this victory and when I realized the pace at the front wasn't too fierce and I was able to manage my rhythm in the leading group, I told myself it was the right time to go for it. I tried to control the race by staying in the lead to avoid the risk of losing too many positions in the battle, dictating the pace to preserve the energies and the tyres for the final rush. I was a bit worried about the slipstream as we entered the final lap, but I managed to brake really deep and find a small gap between Andrea and Marc to retake the lead, then I simply pushed as hard as I could until the checkered flag. A good chunk of this win came thanks to Andrea, who took me under his wing this winter and gave so many precious tips. Now we'll keep fighting together for the championship."

Marc Marquez #93 Repsol Honda HRC- 2nd “Today was time to defend, and we did it in the best way we could because usually this is not one of our best circuits. I stayed calm and waited to try something in the last lap. I was able to try but I missed the apex on the first corner and then both Ducati overtook me. Petrucci rode very well at the front today, congratulations to him. My goal was to finish in front of Dovizioso and Rins and we did this so I´m happy. Also congratulations to my brother Alex, he had a great race today too. As always, thanks to the Repsol Honda Team as they have worked hard to allow us to fight for victory here.“

Andrea Dovizioso #04 Mission Winnow Ducati- 3rd "It's been a really exciting race, as it's often the case here at Mugello. Until the very last lap, everything went to plan. I got off to a great start and I put myself in a good position to manage the tyres, staying always within the top three despite the many overtakes in the leading group. My plan was to seize the lead at the beginning of the last lap, but I had to pick up the bike out of turn one to avoid contact and I lost positions and points. I'm a bit disappointed because of that, but also very happy for Danilo, who really deserved this win. It would have been better to score a one-two finish, but Márquez was very competitive also here. As for us, we struggled a bit early on in the weekend but once again we managed to stay in contention until the very end during the race. We want more and we'll keep working to improve."

Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. "Winning is always fantastic, but to do it here at Mugello really has a special meaning. It's our home race, and on this wonderful track we can always count on the support of so many people from our company and thousands of passionate ducatisti. Until a few laps to go, we had as many as four bikes fighting for top positions. Danilo probably had a bit of an edge today, but both our factory riders fought for the win until the very last inch and I believe that Andrea deserves part of the credit for this victory, as he was the first to highlight Danilo's potential and he took him under his wing, doing a really excellent job."

Luigi Dall'Igna, Ducati Corse General Manager "We all must be proud of the work done, because winning three times in a row at Mugello, in front of so many Ducati fans, is a dream come true. Danilo was really phenomenal, he rode a fantastic last lap, with an incredible pass at the beginning, and I'm really happy he took his maiden MotoGP win at his home race. I'm sorry for Andrea, who couldn't pass Márquez back before the checkered flag, but he rode a fantastic race as well and a podium is always a great result. I want to congratulate myself with all three of them, because they really put on a show."

GP of Italy - Race Classification:

1. Danilo PETRUCCI Mission Winnow Ducati 41'33.794
2. Marc MARQUEZ Repsol Honda Team +0.043
3. Andrea DOVIZIOSO Mission Winnow Ducati +0.338
4. Alex RINS Team SUZUKI ECSTAR +0.535
5. Takaaki NAKAGAMI LCR Honda IDEMITSU +6.535
6. Maverick VIÑALES Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP +7.481
7. Michele PIRRO Mission Winnow Ducati +13.288
8. Cal CRUTCHLOW LCR Honda CASTROL +13.937
9. Pol ESPARGARO Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +16.533
10. Fabio QUARTARARO Petronas Yamaha SRT +17.994
11. Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia Racing Team Gresini +20.523
12. Joan MIR Team SUZUKI ECSTAR +20.544
13. Jorge LORENZO Repsol Honda Team +20.813
14. Karel ABRAHAM Reale Avintia Racing +27.298
15. Andrea IANNONE Aprilia Racing Team Gresini +28.051

16. Miguel OLIVEIRA Red Bull KTM Tech 3 +30.101
17. Johann ZARCO Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +41.857
Not Classified
43 Jack MILLER Pramac Racing
63 Francesco BAGNAIA Pramac Racing
55 Hafizh SYAHRIN Red Bull KTM Tech 3
46 Valentino ROSSI Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
21 Franco MORBIDELLI Petronas Yamaha SRT
Not Finished 1st Lap
53 Tito RABAT Reale Avintia Racing Ducati

MotoGP Championship Standings:

1. Marc MARQUEZ Honda 115
2. Andrea DOVIZIOSO Ducati 103
3. Alex RINS Suzuki 88
4. Danilo PETRUCCI Ducati 82
5. Valentino ROSSI Yamaha 72
6. Jack MILLER Ducati 42
7. Cal CRUTCHLOW Honda 42
8. Maverick VIÑALES Yamaha 40
9. Takaaki NAKAGAMI Honda 40
10. Pol ESPARGARO KTM 38
11. Franco MORBIDELLI Yamaha 34
12. Fabio QUARTARARO Yamaha 31

13. Aleix ESPARGARO Aprilia 27
14. Jorge LORENZO Honda 19
15. Joan MIR Suzuki 12
16. Johann ZARCO KTM 10
17. Michele PIRRO Ducati 9
18. Francesco BAGNAIA Ducati 9
19. Miguel OLIVEIRA KTM 8
20. Andrea IANNONE Aprilia 7
21. Stefan BRADL Honda 6
22. Karel ABRAHAM Ducati 2
23. Hafizh SYAHRIN KTM 2
24. Tito RABAT Ducati 2
25. Bradley SMITH Aprilia