New contenders

For the Factory Team, this turned out to be a substantially anonymous GP, which however was raced with determination, even if off the podium. We never really rose to be protagonists like our role has accustomed us to, and which it is demanded of us. But our sport has enough for everyone, and after Assen we find ourselves with a wide open general classification with some new contenders as well. A lively race that produced some extraordinary results, doubling those of the Sprint Race: my sincere compliments go to Davide Brivio's team. Ducati today is well represented by an awesome Di Giannantonio and an amazing Alex Marquez, not just because of their finishing spots but for the heart and character they showed with their performances. And the same goes for Marc: he only finished seventh in a race contested with pride, in which at one point he was even in third position. But this is what Champions are made of: men who fight for every position, against all odds, and who always put on a show. It all turned out fine, so to speak, because in the end his gap in the standings remains unchanged, and rightly so, I dare say, given his sporting generosity.    

Not to mention Pecco, forced to retire while in fourth place. He also fought brilliantly as long as he could, and he definitely deserved to keep his streak of positive results going, a result of his renewed fighting spirit. Diggia always proves to be fast, and by now this is a foregone conclusion. Third in the Sprint Race and fourth on Sunday, he is the best Ducati rider at the finish line and, let's not forget, in the overall standings to boot. After a sketchy start, he patiently fought back and in the end showed what it means to believe in it, fighting tooth and nail to wrestle back the position he had before the penalty was imposed. Simply spectacular.  

And Alex Marquez, a veritable warrior. An outstanding performance from him: after all he's been through, finishing right on Diggia's tail is something from another era. A brilliant fifth place that was actually fourth until the last lap. So, a run-of-the-mill weekend goes by for us, something we’re not quite used to and that shouldn’t leave much of a mark, or at least no more than necessary. Matter of fact, one must take these days in one’s stride with the right level of awareness, never giving up, drawing the right conclusions and simply looking ahead with a positive attitude to the next challenge.    

Come on, Ducati!