Ducati has signed Andrea Dovizioso to a two-year contract extension that will see him continue to race on the Desmosedici through the 2020 MotoGP season.
Dovizioso has been with Ducati since 2013, making him the longest tenured factory rider in the manufacturer’s history in MotoGP. Dovizioso is coming off a career-best season in 2017 where he scored six wins and eight total podiums while finishing second to Honda’s Marc Marquez for the championship. As Bruce Allen noted, Dovizioso held a lot of leverage in contract talks with his recent success, long history with the team and the relatively poor performance of teammate Jorge Lorenzo.
The 32-year-old Italian currently sits fifth overall in the 2018 MotoGP standings with a win in the season opener in Qatar. The contract announcement was confirmed on the first day of the Le Mans round after Dovizioso nabbed the provisional pole by being the only racer to lap in under 1:32. Begin Press Release:

Andrea Dovizioso celebrates new two-year agreement with Ducati Team for 2019 and 2020 seasons with provisional pole in French GP at Le Mans. Tenth place for Jorge Lorenzo after two free practice sessions

After the first day of French GP free practice at Le Mans, which ended with Andrea Dovizioso in provisional pole with a time of 1?31.936, the only man under the 1?32? mark, Ducati announced the renewal of the agreement with the Italian rider for the next two years. Dovizioso, who is already the longest-serving Ducati rider ...