Dovizioso targetting top three finish
Added on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Dovizioso targetting top three finish
Andrea Dovizioso has his sights firmly set on that elusive podium finish as Honda look for improvement at Assen this weekend.
The factory Honda rider has come agonisingly close to the podium so far this season, with three fourth place finishes in the last three rounds as the RC212V has struggled to keep pace with the pace setting Yamaha and Ducati bikes.
Currently fourth in the championship, last year’s rookie of the year sits 37 points behind the leading trio of Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner and knows that he needs to start getting onto that rostrum in order for Honda to start competing at the top once again.
“I’ve been really looking forward to getting back on the bike since we left Catalunya last week,” admitted the Repsol Honda rider. “We had a positive test on the Monday after the Barcelona race and that, combined with the constant improvement we’ve been making race after race, means I’m very confident.
“So I’m look forward to getting back in the garage with the team, continuing to work on our machine package and to getting a good result in Assen. I’ve been really close the podium in the last three rounds and at the same time closing the time gap to the race winner, so I’m determined to get into the top three as soon as possible – hopefully this weekend.
“Assen is not actually one of my favourite tracks though. Since the layout modifications, the fascination of the circuit has been lost a little, but still I have good memories of last year’s race where I finished fifth after qualifying eleventh.
“It’s a circuit of two sections – the first part is quite slow while the second part is more technically demanding – and the weather can also play its part in the Netherlands too. But whatever happens, I’m looking forward to another strong weekend for me and the team.”
