The three day IRTA Test by Danilo Petrucci.

Roberto Magni By Foto ReD Photographic Agency - MotoGP Test IRTA 2020 Sepang Circuit
Danilo Petrucci did very well in the winter test at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia, even in some circumstances he managed to stay ahead of the top driver Andrea Dovizioso.

Danilo Petrucci is preparing for a great 2020 season, and he will surely be one of the main protagonists of the 2020 motogp world championship. Petrux is always fast and on wet tracks he has a driving sensitivity that few drivers in the world can have. Good luck. After having unveiled the new livery of the Desmosedici GP20 bikes on the last 23rd January in Bologna, the Ducati Team has finally taken to the track for the first of three days of Official MotoGP Test at Sepang Circuit in Malaysia.

Danilo Petrucci, the day started a few minutes after 10 am this morning when the sky was still bright, and the track conditions were perfect to begin the demanding testing program. Fifteenth respectively before the lunch break, the Ducati Team riders were hoping to resume their work in the afternoon finding the same weather conditions. But a sudden downpour disturbed the program leaving just two more hours of dry track before the rain started to fall again a few minutes before the session end. Petrucci ended the day 14th, just 0.263 s behind his teammate. The first day of testing featured close gaps and quick paces with the top 14 riders within less than 1 second and under the 2-minute lap time. The Ducati Team riders will still have two days available at the Malaysian race track where test rider Michele Pirro concluded the preparations for the test during the Shakedown.

Danilo Petrucci (#9 Ducati Team) - 14 (1:59.939) “I am happy to be back on track. Today we didn“™t focus on the lap time, but we worked on trying to rebuild a good feeling with the bike after this long break away from my Desmosedici GP. It had been difficult at the beginning, but in the afternoon, I think I was able to find the right path that will help me also improve in the next days. Today there were mixed weather conditions that made hard to understand our real potential: I always ran with used tyres and with the rain we couldn“™t try the new items that we need to test. In general, it was a positive day, and it leaves me confident for tomorrow“.

The Ducati Team ended the second day of testing in Malaysia with Petrucci thirteenth The Ducati Team riders took to the track once again today for the penultimate of three days of Official MotoGP Test at Sepang Circuit, in Malaysia. After a first day deeply affected by the changeable weather conditions, Danilo Petrucci were finally able to take full advantage from the 8 hours of free practices available in which they found a dry surface of the track and acceptable but still scorching temperatures. With just one month left before the opening Grand Prix of the 2020 season in Qatar, both the riders of the Bologna-based squad resumed their programs from where they left off yesterday, working on different aspects of their Desmosedici GP20 while also improving yesterday“™s lap times. Danilo Petrucci made a big step forward, taking 0.682 seconds off his personal best from yesterday. The rider from Terni ended the second day of testing in thirteenth position overall with a fastest lap in 1“™59.257, close to the top of the timesheets. Now that the most challenging part of the testing program is completed, the Ducati Team will head back on track tomorrow for the final day of the Sepang Test.

Danilo Petrucci (#9, Ducati Team) - 13° (1:59.257) “I am not completely satisfied with my ranking today. But still, I am happy because compared to yesterday we were able to make a big step forward and again we are really close to the top. Today we tried different new components, amongst which we also tried a new fairing: we did many laps, and my feeling with the used tyres is good. Tomorrow we will focus more on improving the bike setup, and we will also work with the new tyres to understand what we can do to take full advantage from them“.

Sixth Petrucci on the final day of testing in Sepang The third and final day of first 2020 Official MotoGP Test has ended today at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. After a Friday that featured mixed track conditions due to the rain and a Saturday that welcomed on-track action under bright skies, the Ducati Team riders where able to take advantage of the dry conditions on Sunday until the final half-hour of free practices when the weather again deteriorated. Danilo Petrucci took it to the track just after 10 AM committing part of their test program to understand how to use the new Michelin tyres and working also on the ideal setup for their Desmosedici GP20 bikes. In the morning, Petrucci was able to stop the clock on the 1:58.606, which was also his personal best of the weekend, ending sixth of the day and sixth in the combined classification. Before the opening Grand Prix of the 2020 MotoGP season that will be held on the 8th March in Qatar, the Ducati Team will head at the same Losail International Circuit from 22nd-24th February to complete the final session of winter testing.

Danilo Petrucci (#9, Ducati Team) - 6° (1:58.606) “It has been a busy three-day test. Today we worked on different setup solutions, and even if we still have a few aspects that we still need to improve, I am satisfied because we were able to find a good race pace and make another step forward. I discussed a lot with Andrea, and together we identified a few aspects that for sure will be helpful during the races. We still need to understand how to use well the new tyres, but we still have the Qatar Test to complete our work“.