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Pramac MotoGP pair Redding and Petrucci in shootout for 2017 Ducati

Pramac Ducati riders Scott Redding and Danilo Petrucci are halfway through a fight to race the same specification Ducati as factory pair Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso in MotoGP next year

The satellite outfit currently runs year-old GP15s for both riders but has been allocated a factory specification 2017 bike for one of its riders for next season by Ducati.

Why priorities are wrong in MotoGP

That will be paired with one of Ducati's current 2016 bikes, and Redding and Petrucci started a new, mini-championship at Brno that will effectively decides who gets which machine.

With four of the eight races down, Petrucci has scored 21 points to Redding's two, while the British rider is two places and five points ahead in the overall championship.

"We did an internal [agreement] between us because Danilo had a broken hand at the start of the season and it's unfair, I had a lot of mechanical problems, so we decided to start again from Brno," Redding said.

"It's going to be interesting, there's a lot on the line, a lot of riders would kill to get a 2017 factory bike.

"The main thing for me is to not think too much about it. If I don't get the '17, then I don't get the '17.

"If I stress too much about it, make stupid mistakes, that could cost me more than it's worth.

"But we just have to be clever, do good work and show consistency towards the last few races."

Redding believes the move by Ducati has been prompted by its recruitment of Lorenzo from Yamaha, to give it another set of data with next year's bike.

"Whoever gets the factory bike, it's more for Ducati to have another bike on the track to understand things," he added.

"Because they're changing the bike a little bit more for Lorenzo's style, they will want to have another bike out there, and that makes sense.

"Trying to be a little bit the monkey trying the things, but to have that chance to go with the factory bike, you have more of a chance to fight for the top five."

Petrucci collided with Redding at the start of Sunday's Aragon Grand Prix, costing both riders points after he was penalised.

Speaking after that incident, Redding said his focus remains on beating the Italian on track.

"When we were making the deal, he was the one saying about 'what if we make hard riding, shouldn't we be penalised?' and he's the fucking idiot doing it," he said.

"We'll have to see if it happens again. Maybe it might not come down to how we end up in the season.

"Maybe Ducati will see he's not learning, maybe the younger guy's learning.

"We'll just have to wait and see what happens over the next few races, what we can do.

"But my job is just to beat him in the next races."

The Aspar and Avintia Ducati outfits, both currently running the GP14.2, will field one 2016-specification bike and one '15 model next year.

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