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For a rider, it is not enough to retire to kick the racing habit. Andrea Dovizioso left MotoGP two years ago, but he never stopped racing. He has done it with motocross, his old passion, metaphorically setting up his own track (Park 04 at Monte Coralli); a few weeks ago he also got back on a MotoGP bike, as a test rider for Yamaha. He was also hurt, when he had a very bad accident in April while training off-road.
Andrea, how are you doing now?
"I'm fine, I'm back in shape. I'm still not 100 percent, but I can do everything and in general I'm fine, whether I'm riding a dirt bike or a racing bike. For the last month and a half I've been working out in the gym, I would say 'unfortunately' because I'm used to enjoying riding motorcycles (laughs). In the end, this was further confirmation that when you have to recover you have to take your time, be precise and working out in a certain way is best. It worked and that allowed me to do the two tests with MotoGP without any problems."
Was it the worst injury you suffered?
"Unlike other accidents, as I was rolled over on the downhill and became unconscious, I hit all parts of my body and as a result I hurt myself in several places. Fortunately, I didn't have anything too serious except for the two operations I had to have. They had to put a plate in my clavicle and reconstruct the three sheared ligaments in my acromion, that was the worst thing. The others were all little fractures, in the pelvis, wrist, ribs, things that take a while to heal, but you just need patience for."
"My mind has not changed, I healed early to get well again."
Do you mentally react differently now to an injury than when you were a rider?
"Fortunately, nothing has changed and that was the reason I was able to recover so quickly from so many aches and pains. I went back to motocross very soon, even though those who were following me in rehabilitation were not at all supportive of the idea (laughs), the same goes for my first MotoGP test with Yamaha. It was anticipated and the timing was not quite right, but I managed to do it well. So even though I retired my head is still the same and the body reacted as in the past, they also explained to me that it is because it is used to recover in a certain way, you don't forget. The mind has not changed, when you are used to having goals and dreams, the speed of recovery remains even when you are no longer active. I didn't mentally take a beating, also because I switched off when I crashed and that helped. I wasn't afraid and it wasn't a psychological trauma that affected me, in fact I was looking forward to getting back onto the bike."
Why?
"Not because I had any particular goals. For the first time I wanted to get back on the bike and lead a normal life as soon as possible to get in shape. In the past I did it for the results, this time I perceived instead how good it feels to be well, so as a result I wanted to be well again quickly. It sounds like trivial reasoning, but it helps and it works. I went back to the gym and trained on my bike because I knew it would make me feel good."
Healed and signed up by Yamaha as a test rider: how did this opportunity come about?
"My last year as a rider with them on a performance level had not been up to my standards and the relationship that season had not been so productive, but it still left a mark and that was something I was happy about, it was satisfying both professionally and personally. In that year they were still fighting for the championship with Quartararo and they did not yet see the reality of certain aspects that, unfortunately for them, came out later. As a result, they understood what I was also saying - because I was not the only one - in that year. Even though I could not achieve certain performances, I could feel and see certain things."
It is a recognition towards you.
"It's a great satisfaction because I only finished 4th in the championship with Yamaha with Tech3 in 2012, but we didn't have a long history together. In spite of that a good relationship was established, things never happen by accident, even the unexciting ones, and everything makes sense. Working in a professional way always pays off and that's why they contacted me. Crutchlow has a physical problem and they presented me with this possibility."
What did you respond to them?
"The test dates were very close, I was recovering from the injury, I didn't know if I would be ready. They didn't mind, they told me that if I felt like it they would agree, no matter what we could achieve. So I went for that test at Mugello. It definitely helped a lot the relationship I have with Max Bartolini because he knows me perfectly, we were eight years together in Ducati. It was an additional boost."
"With Yamaha I could continue as a tester if the project is interesting."
Then there were also the Misano tests, now what are your plans?
"They asked me to do these tests because Cal was not well, that's all. For the future we have to see. They are making major changes, next year they will also have an extra team, so they are very busy on all fronts. They don't have time to follow everything, so slowly they will take care of all the other aspects. They know very well that the Test Team needs to be improved and they are working on it."
You had also done a test with Aprilia, but that was the end of it. With Yamaha do you think there could be a future for you?
"I've always done things the same way and I've always been transparent: I'm committed when there is an interesting project. So if we have the same ideas about certain things and you can give a certain approach. In all the contracts I've done in my life, first I've always talked at the technical level then, if the conditions are there, we discuss the rest. That's what we are doing but, as I said, they are also involved in many other aspects to understand then what they can do. I might be interested if there will be a program of a certain type, there is still time to discuss it."
In these tests did you see a different Yamaha than you knew? They are making a revolution.
"More than changing everything, they are trying to improve as much as possible. You can see so much push from Yamaha, and right now, I saw that they are well aware of where they want to go. This is the start, after that they have to figure out how to do it, who is needed, how to set it up. We are talking about very large teams that are complicated to manage, especially because there are different nationalities and this is not a detail but a fundamental thing. This is not work that is finished in one year, but long because we are talking about basic structure."
"In two years MotoGP bikes have become faster, more stable and easier: that's why they are all so close."
The M1, on the other hand, how did you find it again?
"I can't make too many comparisons because I've been missing for two years and haven't experienced all the evolutions that have been made in this period. I can say that compared to two years ago, the aerodynamics are much more intrusive, the lowering device goes down much, much more than what I was used to, and the engines go stronger. Those three aspects already change your perception of a bike so much, even though that's the DNA."
The one you remembered?
"The characteristics are those of 2022. After a two-year hiatus, it felt good to be back on a MotoGP bike and I didn't expect it. When I got back in the saddle it was an adrenaline rush that I didn't expect. The stability of this bike is impressive, they are squished to the ground, they go harder and they are much easier. If you look at the times, thanks in part to different tires, they are much faster but they are also stable. That makes me understand even more why everyone is close."
He went on to explain.
"The level of riders in MotoGP is very high now, but they are all so close together because the bike allows you not to make particular mistakes. As a result, at a certain level you get there easier because the bike is stable and has great performance. As usual, it's the last tenths that are hard to take off and the ones that make so much difference, but they are all so close because of the evolution that there has been and as a result the current regulations."
How have Quartararo and Rins welcomed you?
"Good, also because I have a good relationship with them. With Alex I get along very well because he is an exquisite person, rational, calm, he is similar to me. I know Fabio a little less because he came later in MotoGP, but there is a good relationship and we are aligned in certain aspects, this helps. Logically they would like to get results right away, but right now it is not possible. There is all the work to be done."
You were in that situation when you arrived in Ducati, are you ready to relive it in Yamaha?
(laughs) "It would be much easier now. I was racing then, and I totally understand Fabio and Alex when they are angry at the end of the race because they pick up so many seconds from the others. If you work rationally in testing, for the test rider everything is calmer, it's a completely different situation."
"Bagnaia and Marquez together? It will be nice to see as a fan."
Before saying goodbye, I have to ask about the topic of the moment: Bagnaia and Marquez on the team together next year. Is Pecco in a similar situation to yours when Lorenzo arrived in the box?
"It is a different situation, Jorge was hired because it was thought that the riders that were in Ducati were not up to the task of winning. Instead, in this case Pecco is winning and another multiple world champion has been hired. What's going to happen? It will be very interesting from the outside. It will be very spicy, Marc we know and he will do everything to win, Pecco will not be able to accept being second best and it will trigger that competitiveness that from the outside becomes very heated and interesting. As a motorcycle fan, it will be great to watch."
Would you have made such a team by putting yourself in the role of team manager?
"If I'm not a team manager, there's a reason! (laughs)."
