Andrea Dovizioso wrecks new Ducati chassis

This is Andrea Dovizioso’s high-speed crash in Germany (yesterday) that wrecked Ducati’s hopes of getting priceless date and information on a brand new GP13 chassis.

The Italian tested the new frame in Misano last week and with a slight improvement in the final part of braking he opted to run the only one available during this weekend’s German round at the Sachsenring.

But Dovizioso had only completed four laps on the new frame when he suffered a massive crash at the fearsome downhill Turn 11.

The former 125GP world champion escaped injury after he lost the front-end but his Demosedici suffered extensive damage.

The chassis too was damaged to such an extent that Ducati was forced to scrap it and Dovizioso had to revert to the frame he has been using throughout the early part of a tough 2013 campaign.

Dovizioso, who qualified ninth this afternoon, said: “Unfortunately the crash was with the new bike with the new chassis and in the crash it got damaged and I was unable to test it. This is bad and I am sorry to Ducati for that. I don’t make many crashes but that one was big.

The crash was nothing to do with the new chassis and many riders crashed there.  When you lose the front in that point it is almost impossible to save it because it is such high speed. When the front closes because the temperature of the tyre is cold it happens so quick and nobody is able to save it.”