Earlier this Sunday, August 14, the Ducati racer Andrea Iannone won the Austrian Grand Prix, the first of his career in the GP category, the first with his squad, and the first for the Italian team since 2010.
The Italian racer expressed his excitement for his win, claiming that it meant so much to finally win after so many years of hard work with Ducati.
Iannone had previously reached an agreement to race for the Japanese powerhouse Suzuki starting next season, a team in which he will run alongside Alex Rins. Regardless of his future, the GP winner also claimed his win represents a great gift to the team.
“I started on this bike in this category and I’ve worked for four years with this incredible group that supported me 100 percent from the beginning,” said the 27-year-old, who celebrated his birthday less than a week ago.
Ducati asserted its dominance at the Red Bull Ring
This Sunday’s victory at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, marks the first win for Ducati since the former Australian World Champion Casey Stoner finished first at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit back in October 2010.
Andrea Iannone started the race from pole position and quickly placed himself at the lead after a contested first lap against the current champion Jorge Lorenzo and season leader Marc Márquez.
“The Maniac” Iannone, as he is dubbed for his signature reckless racing style, held tight to the leading spot in the race closely followed by his veteran teammate the Italian Andrea Dovizioso. Despite an unusual tire selection, the GP winner managed to finish the Austrian circuit thanks to his front soft and medium rear tires, while his contenders’ medium fronts and hard rears just weren’t enough for the circuit.
In the end, Iannone finished the 28 laps first in just under 40 minutes, followed less than a second later by Andrea Dovizioso and the Yamaha champion Jorge Lorenzo nearly three seconds afterward.
Iannone puts a stop to the Japanese teams’ everlasting reign
The podium held high once again the Italian flag and the Ducati banner as the Japanese reign came to a halt, for at least one of the eighteen Grand Prix to be held this season. Following the result in Austria, Iannone and Dovizioso not only placed 1-2 in the race but also now rank 6th and 7th in the overall score table respectively.
Marc Márquez continues to lead this season for Honda with 181 points, followed by the current champion Jorge Lorenzo of Yamaha and his teammate Valentino Rossi with 138 and 124 points.
The next appointment is for the HJC Helmets Grand Prix next Sunday, August 21, at the Brno Circuit in the city of Brno, Czech Republic.
Source: Moto GP