2018 Official Ducati MotoGP Testing Is Underway in Qatar at Losail

Ducati’s Moto GP riders Andrea Dovizioso ended the day in second place with a time of 1’55.104, while Jorge Lorenzo finished in fifth with a lap of 1’55.423. Both are feeling confident aboard their bikes and are one step closer to lining up at the Losail International Circuit for the first round of the 2018 MotoGP season in just two weeks time.

Begin Release:

March 1, 2018 – The first day of testing at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar came to an end at 9 pm this evening (19.00 CET). The MotoGP riders took to the track at 1 pm for a single session of eight hours, which finished under the floodlights that will also illuminate the circuit on the outskirts of Doha on Sunday 18th March for the opening round of the 2018 MotoGP World Championship.

Both Ducati Team riders made the most of today’s session to carry out back-to-back tests with the different aerodynamic configurations at their disposal and to test some new parts on their 2018 version of the Desmosedici GP.

Andrea Dovizioso ended the day in second place with a time of 1’55.104, while Jorge Lorenzo finished in fifth with a lap of 1’55.423.

The official tests will continue tomorrow and the day after and will conclude Saturday evening with a final session on a wet track surface, which has been organized to evaluate the possibility of racing the Grand Prix of Qatar in rainy conditions.

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99) – 5° – 1’55.423 (55 laps)
“This first day of testing in Qatar went quite well and in general I had a good feeling with my bike, for sure much better than in Thailand. We also managed to set a good time, but we still have to work on our pace and this will be our objective for tomorrow. We have to make the most of the day to improve the bike setting and be more consistent.”