Andrea Dovizioso isn't happy about beating Valentino Rossi. Or rather Honda’s Italian MotoGP star isn't happy that it is the only thing that people seem to want to talk about…
“I am here to win the race,” says the factory Honda rider. “If I am beating Valentino for fourth place, I am not so interested, I should be battling for the win – yet to the media it seems that me beating Valentino is more important than if I win the race. Of course he is a very big talent and is always fast in the race even if he’s not had a good practice. His style and Ducati’s do not match so well, this is their problem at the moment.”
Heading to the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring after his great second place at his home grand prix at Mugello the 25-year-old Italian is relishing the fact that he can challenge for victory on what he considers is the best bike in the class.
'The characteristic of Honda bikes is always the balance of everything'
“We made a big improvement in the last few years, so all three of us in the team are fast now. I think it is probably impossible to have a better bike at the moment, though you always have to have a compromise,” he explains. “You need stability on the brakes, stability on the exit and the engine, how much power you want at high or low rpm – so we don't have a perfect bike, but I think we have the best bike.
“The weakest point is the power in the mid rpm, we don't have enough there, so it is difficult to do the lines we want with the power. The best point is the top, there we have the best power. But the characteristic of Honda bikes is always the balance of everything.”
The single biggest improvement this year has been the ultra-quick-shift gearbox where there is virtually no interruption of power on the up-change.
“On the bike, the gearbox is so important, because we have to change gear so many times while we are over at an angle and always we are spinning the rear tyre a bit when we do that,” he adds. “So a softer and faster change makes the bike more stable, it is a big help to us.
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“It hasn't changed the laptime so much, but normally when you change something on the bike you don't feel so much difference – but in my time with this bike, this is the biggest change I have felt.”
With rule changes meaning a switch from 800cc to 1,000cc for 2012, the factory is no longer doing a lot of work on the current model, though development has not stopped completely, with a new swing-arm to try on the Monday after the GP at Mugello..
“We are each concentrating on our own settings and getting the best out of the bike for ourselves,” says Dovizioso, who made good use of his superior set-up to get the better of team-mate Casey Stoner at Mugello. “We had good feedback, so we go to Germany with a good base and I think we will use the new swing-arm, as the feeling was positive and laptimes came more easily.”
'Our target is to win the championship, so one win is not enough'
Mugello was a good result, but Dovi isn't kidding himself – he won the 125 World Championship in 2004 and was second in the 250 World Championship in 2006 and 2007 – and will be satisfied with nothing less than winning the MotoGP world title. He had his first (and so far only) MotoGP win at Donington in 2009.
“A victory in MotoGP is something special, the MotoGP category is the most important, so the first win is a dream come true, but our target is to win the championship, so one win is not enough,” he insists. “Now we have a really good bike, winning is what counts, winning races and the championship.”
After achieving four podiums in the last five races and consolidating himself in third place overall in the points table, Dovi has good reason to look forward to events at the Sachsenring this weekend.
Want more?
- Watch video of Casey Stoner taking a corner in super slo-mo
- Casey Stoner on nerves, adrenalin and swearing
- MotoGP Sachsenring event page
- The official MotoGP website
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