MOTOGP
MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 15/OCTOBER 12, 2014
TWIN RING MOTEGI/MOTEGI, JAPAN
P46
DUCATI GETS
IT DONE
Motegi is Honda's own track, but in
many ways it also belongs to Ducati.
The red bikes have won four times in
the past nine outings, three in a row
for Loris Capirossi and one for Casey
Stoner. Ducati's fortunes might have
been on the wane since then. But
Dovizioso still managed to put his
GP14.2 on pole.
It was the Italian's fifth front row this
year, and Ducati's first pole since the
Stoner days, at Valencia in 2010. Also
his own first in four years, and the sec-
ond of his career. Helped of course
by access to the softest tires denied
the full Factory bikes. And potentially
helped also in the race by having 24
liters of fuel, compared with their 20
liters, at the track with the heaviest
consumption of the year.
"We've been through some difficult
times in the last year and a half, but
we have constantly improved in the
last few races," Dovi said, adding that
he was also confident about his race
pace. The time came in spite of "a
mistake in the downhill turn, but luckily
I managed to take pole all the same."
Victory? "It will be hard. But not impos-
sible."
It was at the expense of Valentino
Rossi, second by half-a-tenth, and
disappointed, for he too has not been
on pole since 2010. But he had found
better settings after struggling on day
one. "We have to understand tomor-
