Ducati reach a half of century of MotoGP™ victories

A half of-century of MotoGP™ victories is to now not be sniffed at. Ducati joined an elite membership of fellow manufacturers on Sunday after Andrea Dovizioso completed a hat-trick of wins around the Red Bull Ring. Since returning to the premier class in 2003, the Bologna factory absorb been, for the most share, customary entrance-runners and absorb now reached 50 wins within the middle of that point. So, let’s expend a see at how they got there.

Ducati’s first victory within the MotoGP™ class came courtesy of Loris Capirossi on the 2003 Catalan Immense Prix. That twelve months modified into once a in point of fact major one for the Desmosedici as they effectively and in point of fact launched themselves support on the realm stage after years of success within the WorldSBK Championship. At their very first run support, Capirossi completed third within the support of Honda’s Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi to expend their first rostrum. And they also didn’t must wait for great longer to taste victory, with Capirossi capitalising on a mistake from the World Champion, Valentino Rossi, to expend victory by over three seconds in Barcelona. Capirossi would bound on to expend six more victories within the eminent red of Ducati and finds himself third on the record of most MotoGP™ wins for the factory.

Three riders absorb taken merely a single victory for Ducati and all three of them are memorable instances. None more so than Troy Bayliss’ singluar MotoGP™ victory on the 2006 season finale in Valencia. A day that can the least bit times be remembered for the gradual, mountainous Nicky Hayden clinching his easiest premier class title, Bayliss terrorized the realm by taking victory no subject being a wildcard. Andrea Iannone took his easiest Ducati way shut on the Red Bull Ring and kicked off their undefeated bustle that modified into once extended to 5 straight wins on Sunday. And, of route, unique Ducati Team rider Danilo Petrucci at this time has the one victory to his title in a roundabout way twelve months’s Italian Immense Prix after an unforgettable run at Mugello.

Five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo picked up three victories for the red stamp within the middle of his two-twelve months cease. The Spaniard modified into once an unstoppable force within the middle of a share of 2018 as he cruised to support-to-support wins at Mugello and Catalunya, sooner than making it three in six races with victory on the Red Bull Ring. Per chance Lorenzo will procure a possibility to add to those three wins in 2021 with rumours circulating that Ducati may maybe well furthermore merely effectively jabber him out of retirement to replace the departing Andrea Dovizioso.

On the dwell of Ducati’s record though is unsurprisingly two names. First, Dovizioso with now 14 wins after which, of route, the friendly man to absorb clinched the MotoGP™ World Championship for Ducati, MotoGP™ Sage Casey Stoner with 23 victories. With Dovizioso now easiest having ten races left within the Ducati storage, it will expend something barely unprecedented for him to surpass the Australian as Ducati’s most winningest rider. Dovizioso’s first came support in 2016 when he took victory on the Malaysian Immense Prix, merely reward after nearly four fruitless years with the Bologna factory. He would clinch six a twelve months later as he came the closest any individual has in latest instances to dethroning Marc Marquez, and backed it up with four in 2018 and two in 2019 to total a three twelve months stretch of ending runner-up within the MotoGP™ World Championship.

Stoner modified into once barely merely unbeatable in 2007 when he made the leap to Ducati. In his debut twelve months with the Italians he took ten victories, completed off the podium on merely four instances and cruised to Ducati’s easiest MotoGP™ title thus a long way. In the three years that adopted, he clinched an further 13 victories in red and placed himself in Bologna folklore as their most a hit rider in MotoGP™ history, a brand that appears to be like like closing with the two-time premier class World Champion for the foreseeable future.

The attach apart a query to now lies with who can expend Ducati’s 51st victory? They’re below no circumstances short of contenders with Dovizioso, Pramac Racing’s Jack Miller and Esponsorama Racing’s Johann Zarco all fancying their probabilities when we return to the Red Bull Ring this weekend. You will most likely be a heroic man to bet against Ducati making it a sensational six straight wins in Austria on Sunday.