2017 Mugello MotoGP Results: Italian Grand Prix Recap

2017 Mugello MotoGP Results

Spoiler alert: 2017 Mugello MotoGP results and recap below.

The 2017 Mugello MotoGP resulted in a perfect Italian trifecta: Italian track, Italian rider and Italian motorcycle.

This was after Ducati Team’s Andrea Doviziozo claimed the Italian Grand Prix win. Despite suffering from food poisoning and getting little sleep the night before, “Desmo Dovi” earned the Mugello MotoGP victory by over a second ahead of Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Maverick Vinales.

Taking the final podium was yet another Italian Ducati pilot, Octo Pramac Racing Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci.

“It was a fantastic day for me but it had started badly after a sleepless night because I had a bit of food poisoning,” Andrea Dovizioso says. “Today I didn’t have much energy, but I knew that the bike was going to be strong, because we had worked well throughout the weekend and I also had a lot of support from my fans, physiotherapist and family and this made a big difference.

“Despite the fact that I wasn’t at 100%, I was able to administer the race even though I wasn’t the quickest man out there, but I did a perfect strategy, and I moved into the right position at the right moment. I rode really smoothly, I never forced the pace excessively and this made all the difference because Mugello is a track that physically wears you out and in any case the tires did not allow me to push too hard. Finally we did it: winning at Mugello is really something special!”

When the 23-lap race began, home favorite Valentino Rossi, the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP pilot donning a lid dedicated to the late Nicky Hayden, got to turn one first ahead of pole sitter Vinales.

Ducati Team’s Jorge Lorenzo, who claimed five wins at Mugello, stormed to third from seventh on the grid, followed by Dovi. Lorenzo’s Ducati was untouchable on the long straights, and he took the lead for the first time of his Ducati career and began dueling with former teammate Rossi.

But this battle was short lived; Vinales took the lead on the fourth lap, with Dovi and Rossi in tow. Also joining the battle up front was Petrucci, who started from ninth on the grid.

Dovizioso stalked Vinales, and made the pass with nine laps to go. Dovizioso rode with precision, going on to take his third-career MotoGPdd victory. It was also the first for Ducati at Mugello since Casey Stoner won there in 2009.

Vinales crossed the line 1.281 seconds behind, and Petrucci took third, 2.334 seconds behind.

Rossi just missed the podium, and was followed across the finish line by Pull&Bear Aspar Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista, and the reigning MotoGP Champion Marc Marquez (Respol Honda RC213V).

Rounding out the top 10 were Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Johann Zarco, Lorenzo Ducati Team test rider Michele Pirro and Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Andrea Iannone.

Suffering crashes were Respol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa, who won at Le Mans MotoGP, and LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow. Aprilia Racing Team’s Aleix Espargaro, who was penalized for a jumped start, had issues with his RS-GP. His brother, Pol, also suffered a DNF aboard the Red Bull KTM RC16.

The MotoGP series now heads directly to Catalunya, round seven of 18.

Photo by Luciano Bianchetto

2017 Mugello MotoGP Results:

2017 Mugello MotoGP Results | Photo Gallery