Lorenzo earns 1st victory with Ducati at Italian MotoGP

Spain's Jorge Lorenzo won the Italian MotoGP on Sunday, earning his first victory since joining Ducati last year.

Despite criticism from even his own team, Lorenzo dominated on the Mugello circuit from the first lap to the last, claiming his first win in 24 Grand Prix and the sixth of his career, reports Efe.

Second place went to Italy's Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati), followed by his countryman Valentino Rossi (Yamaha), who started from pole position.

Lorenzo, a three-time world champion, took the lead immediately, while Italy's Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) had a bad day as he hit the ground in the very first lap, his worst result since joining MotoGP in 2006.

The first lap saw several crashes, including Japan's Takaaki Nakagamu (Honda), Britain's Scott Redding (Aprilia) and Australia's Jack Miller (Ducati), among others.

Leading the race, Lorenzo tried to impose his rhythm, followed by Rossi, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) and Italian riders Andrea Iannone (Suzuki) and Dovizioso.

Marquez successfully overtook Rossi in the third lap, but hit the ground in the fifth lap and resumed the race dead last.

The reigning world champion managed to finish in 16th.

Rossi could not survive Dovizioso's attacks, and the latter moved into second place during the seventh lap.

With Lorenzo securing his lead and Dovizioso having a comfortable advantage, the riders fought for the last spot on the podium, with Rossi able to finish in third.

--IANS

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