Dovizioso wins duel of Ducatis in Brno

BRNO, Czech Republic: Italian Andrea Dovizioso celebrated his 100th race for Ducati by holding off teammate Jorge Lorenzo to claim his second win of the season at the Czech MotoGP here on Sunday.

Dovizioso had the Spaniard 0.178sec behind him at the line with defending world champion and series leader Marc Marquez (Honda) third at 0.368.Italian veteran Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) finished fourth at nearly three seconds behind after enjoying a strong start from second in the grid behind Dovizioso.

Dovizioso, 32, started on pole position for the first time since 2016.By the end of a thrilling race held in sweltering temperatures, Dovizioso handed Ducati their first win in Brno since Australian Casey Stoner in 2007. Notably missing from the top five finishers during the past five editions in Brno, Dovizioso capitalised on his strong start to stay at the head of the pack for most of his near 42-minute spell on the circuit.

At first put under pressure by Rossi before the Italian veteran dropped off the pace, Dovizioso kept his composure during the crucial, final laps where he held firm to keep challenges by Lorenzo and Marquez at bay.“I really didn’t expect to be so fast today,” said Dovizioso, who also claimed victory in the season-opener at Qatar.

“I’m very happy for the whole team.”Marquez’s third place means he remains top of the standings on 181 points and a 49-point lead on Rossi and 68 on Dovizioso.