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Andrea Doviziso put in a fastest lap just 1.2 seconds off the fastest time in Race 1 of his DTM (Duetsche Tourenwagen Masters) debut at the Misano track, Italy.
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It was Dovizioso’s one-off appearance in the German touring car championship, riving for the Audi Sport team.
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He has a chance to better the result in Race 2 today.
Andrea Dovizioso put in a fastest lap just 1.2 seconds off the fastest time in Race 1 of his DTM (Duetsche Tourenwagen Masters) debut at the Misano track, Italy.
It was Dovizioso’s one-off appearance in the German touring car championship, riving for the Audi Sport team. Ducati logos feature prominently on the car as Audi owns the Ducati brand.
“Desmo” Dovi finished a credible 12th position after working up the field from 15th. It was a commendable drive as he ended the race just one position behind his teammate Pietro Fittipaldi, who is also a Formula 1 test driver.
He has a chance to better the result in Race 2 today. The DTM series is a cut-throat racing series, featuring hard, no quarter given overtakes and ultra-competitive throughout. This is where German manufacturers battle it out for supremacy and bragging rights.
Dovizioso isn’t the first MotoGP rider to try his hands at auto racing. Fellow MotoGP competitors such as Valentino Rossi competes in rally racing annually. Other riders including Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo have also tested for auto racing teams.
The biggest challenge for two-wheel racers making the shift to four-wheels is usually about braking. As cars have four wheels that maintain contact to the tarmac at most times, brakes can be applied later and more aggressively compared to motorcycles. Another benefit of this is that racecars can carry much higher cornering speeds, too. Consequently, full-time riders need to concentrate more on breaking through this barrier.
