Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1122949
P46 Alex Marquez In Talks With Pramac Ducati T he junior of the two Marquez bros—Alex—is in early talks with the Pramac MotoGP team about a promotion for next year. Marquez won the most recent round of the Moto2 Championship at Le Mans and has imme- diately been thrust into the spotlight as a potential candidate for the second Pramac seat alongside Francesco Bagnaia, who has a two-year contract for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. However, Pramac is in a difficult situation as it is currently at the center of a tug-of-war between team leader Jack Miller—who is aiming for a pro- motion to the factory Ducati team for 2020—and former rider Danilo Petrucci, who, if Miller does get the factory ride, will most likely rejoin Pramac Ducati on a year-old Desmosedici. Marquez's manager, Emilio Alzamora, held talks with Pramac team boss Francesco Guidotti in the lead-up to Le Mans. Alzamora told motorsport. com, "My obligation as an agent is knowing what are the real options, so I went to speak to Pramac to figure out what the situation is. "But in this sense, it was just a chat. I went to speak with them as I have a good relationship with Francesco. There isn't an offer." CN Alex Marquez's name has been thrown into the Pramac ring for 2020, but it's early days yet. PHOTO: GOLD & GOOSE Andrea Dovizioso To Race Audi DTM A ndrea Dovizioso will make a surprise guest appearance for Audi in the DTM (German Touring Car) series, when the championship visits Misano, June 8-9. Dovizioso is replacing regular driver Pietro Fittipaldi (grandson to the legendary Emerson Fittipaldi), who will be at the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix in his role as reserve driver for the Haas F1 team. "I love cars, and I feel lucky to be able to race with the Audi RS 5 DTM," Dovizioso said. "It's tough to find the time to prepare for it during the MotoGP season, but I am really looking forward to competing in such a high-level context such as the DTM. "The car is amazing, but it's a different chal- lenge compared with my Desmosedici GP and I need to get prepared, so I did many laps in the simulator before stepping into it for the first time. "Misano is a special track for every Italian driver and the place where I scored an incred- ible win last year, so I'm very excited and thank- ful for this opportunity." Audi is the parent company of Ducati, with whom Dovizioso races in MotoGP, which made the switch to four-wheel competition a little easier for the MotoGP number two. Michael Scott Andrea Dovizioso is no stranger to four wheels, having previously raced a Lamborghini in Italy. IN THE WIND