Two events down and 19 to go; the newly-formed WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team is impatiently waiting for the start of the third MotoGP World Championship weekend, which brings the entire paddock over to the other side of the globe with back-to-back action in Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina followed by Austin, Texas.

Dovi is keen to score well in Argentina. Due to an electronical breakdown, the experienced Italian was unable to reach the chequered flag in Lombok, Indonesia, although he was on his way to a decent result.
Now, the 36-year-old, who celebrated his birthday last week, is ready to fight back while the MotoGP paddock returns to Argentina after two years of break due to the pandemic situation and a reconstructed garage building, which fell victim to a fire last year.

Dovi will hit the track for the first time on Friday at 10:50 local time (15:50 CET) for Free Practice one, followed by FP2 in the afternoon at 15:05 local time (20:05 CET).

 

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04

“After the sad result in Indonesia, I really want to be back and do better. We had the ability to get out some good things in Indonesia, but eventually didn’t have the chance. The Termas de Rio Hondo Circuit is a pretty unique track, we didn’t go there for two years, so I’m curious how the conditions of the place will be. Nonetheless, we arrive there optimistic. I think it can be a good track for the Yamaha.”

MotoGP’s comeback to Indonesia couldn’t be any more exciting. After the lap distance of the race was already reduced from 27 to 20 laps due to asphalt conditions, rain hit the Lombok island just before the start, which resulted in a delay of the race start to 16:15 in full wet conditions.

Dovi had a decent feeling on the wet track during the weekend. Launching off from P17 on the grid, he made up four positions on lap one. One lap later, he found himself already in 11th, but from then started to fight with electronical issues of his bike, until it switched off completely on lap six, which forced him to finish the Indonesian Grand Prix prematurely.

Following the debut at the Mandalika Circuit, the next stop for the entire championship will be on the other side of the globe, as after the absence the last two years, the MotoGP returns to Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina in less than two weeks’ time.

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04
DNF

“I’m disappointed because from the moment I switched on the bike, the dashboard was not working. I couldn’t see or hear anything or use the launch control. Still, I was just riding, pretty far in the back and I was gaining some position. I felt quite good with the handling and grip of the bike, although I was struggling with the left grip on the handle bar from the first lap, as it was turning around and therefore, I couldn’t use my right arm in the normal way. Overall, if I was in a better position on the grid and in a normal race, I could have done better, and Fabio (Quartararo) proved that. It’s not a race that I want but these kinds of issues do happen sometimes”.

The weather played a huge role again on day two of proceedings at the Mandalika Circuit today.
Rain showers in the morning meant the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team riders and the rest of the MotoGP class faced another mixed session in FP3, where they all started on wet tyres, but switched to slicks around halfway through, which means they couldn’t improve on their Practice times from Friday.

Dovi started Saturday with a tenth position in Free Practice three and improved his lap time once again in Free Practice four this afternoon.
Yet in Qualifying he was fighting for the top-2-spots but missed out on them by just 0.239 seconds.
Thereby he went nearly half a second quicker than in FP2 yesterday, but will have to line up in row six on the World Championship’s return to Indonesia.

Tomorrows second round of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship season will definitely feature hot and humid conditions and deliver a lot of excitement. The inaugural Grand Prix of Indonesia in Mandalika is set to commence at 15:00 local time (08:00 CET) over 27 laps at the 4.3-kilometer venue.

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04
P 17

“It was a better Qualifying than in Qatar. Overall, my feeling was better. I did an ok lap time, not a special one. But we were all very close, so it’s very difficult to get to Q2. It was important to have this Qualifying in the dry today in order to learn more in this condition. In general, my pace is closer than Qatar, we made some improvements. Starting in P17 it’s not easy to deliver a good race, but everybody will have to manage the rear tyre and the heat is high for everyone and when you are further behind, it’s even worse. But in the end, we did a small step in the right direction, so let’s see what we can do in the race and especially wait if it will be dry or wet.”

The inaugural Grand Prix at the Mandalika Circuit started with tricky weather conditions today.
Following some heavy showers this morning, the partly resurfaced track still featured some wet parts and times were coming down slowly in the first session of the weekend, while FP2 took place under the burning Indonesian sun in full dry conditions.

Although there have been still some wet patches, Dovi started FP1 this morning straight away on slick tyres and eventually concluded the first session of the weekend in P12.

In the afternoon, it was not just the asphalt that was heating up, but also the pace of all riders. Thereby, the Italian WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team rider speeded up by 2.289 seconds compared to this morning and was missing out on the top 10 by just 0.197 seconds in eleventh position.

Dovi is aiming to make further steps throughout tomorrow’s important sessions, starting with FP3 at 10:50 local time (03:50 CET), followed by FP4 at 14:25 (07:25 CET) and the Qualifying at 15:05 (08:05 CET) and hoping for stable weather conditions.

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04
P 11

“I still have to work a lot on learning how to ride the bike the correct way and until I manage to do that correctly, I have to basically put in double the amount of work. I still need some improvement and especially, when the grip is like this. I did a different strategy and started with the soft tyre, but it didn’t work. I managed to do some laps behind Franky (Morbidelli), which was very important to see how the bike is ridden correctly. The condition of the track was a bit better than during the test, there is still a line and you have to be really careful, when you leave it. This is going to be difficult for the race.”

Andrea Dovizioso is looking forward to return to Indonesia following a first fruitful test.

25 years after the World Championship held a Grand Prix in Indonesia, the MotoGP will be back this weekend for the first Indonesian Grand Prix at the Mandalika Circuit in Lombok. In order to get to know the brand-new venue, WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team’s Andrea Dovizioso and Darryn Binder together with the rest of the premier class field, already experienced a three days’ test over four weeks ago with productive conclusions, although the circuit responsible have been obliged to improve the surface of the 4.3-kilometer track ahead of this weekend.

Following a rather difficult opening to the season just over one week ago, Dovi is eager to further fine-tune his sensations aboard his Yamaha YZR-M1 this weekend. He already had a good feeling during the test in Mandalika and immediately liked the new layout. He travels to Indonesia with two World Championship points in his pocket and the aim to score even more during this second Grand Prix of 2022.

The race week starts already on Wednesday this time with an impressive bike parade through the center of Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, headed by the Indonesian President himself and followed by nearly 20 MotoGP riders, including Dovi, proudly presenting the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team.
Meanwhile, track action in Mandalika kicks off on Friday at 10:50 local time (3:50 CET) with FP1.

 

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04

“After a not so easy first round in Qatar, we really aim to do a stronger result in Indonesia and will try to avoid the mistakes we did at the first Grand Prix. The Mandalika Circuit is a new track for everybody, on top there will be a new asphalt and a new tyre compared to what we had during the test there, so it’s going to be a strange race. Anyway, it’s a very nice track, so I’m looking forward to race there!”

Dovi scored at the first GP of the season.

WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team‘s Andrea Dovizioso crossed the finish line of the Qatar GP in P14. Andrea experienced a tricky Qualifying yesterday, which made him start the race just in 20th position.

With a decent launch off the line, he made up several positions but couldn’t find a strong rhythm right away and went back to P22 on lap five. Yet, he managed to speed up in the course of the race and made up several positions until he reached the points in lap 12 and setting a personal best lap time of the race in lap 13.
He used his experience to fight until the end and eventually saw the flag in 14th.

Now the entire WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team is excited to head over to Indonesia to compete at the inaugural Grand Prix at the Mandalika Circuit in less than two weeks’ time.

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04
P 14

“I can’t be happy. At the beginning of the race, I was gaining some positions, but I had a problem with the front pressure, I couldn’t stop the bike, I almost crashed three times and I went out from the track two times. I was losing a lot, but after that when I was alone the pressure becomes acceptable and I was able to push again and start to do a normal lap time. But anyway, my speed is still not good, you have to ride the bike in a specific way or you will use even more of the tyre, even if you are not that fast also. I can’t be satisfied about that, so we have to study and try to understand what we have to do”

Following an exciting opening day, the Losail International Circuit greeted riders and teams today with dusty weather and more wind than on Friday.
Yet, the amazing floodlights of the impressive venue in Qatar delivered once again a unique atmosphere for the late sessions.

WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team’s Dovi experienced a challenging Saturday.
After working with tyres and settings in warm Free Practice three and four in order to prepare for the race, he tried his best in Qualifying one to reach the popular top two positions, but eventually missed out by just a bit more than half a second.

Andrea will line up in row seven on the grid after finishing Q1 in tenth position.

The long-awaited first race day of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship season starts tomorrow with Warm Up at 13:40 local time (11:40 CET). While the red lights will go off at 18:00 local time (16:00 CET), opening a 22 laps long exciting fight for the very first championship points of the year.

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04
P 20

“I’m disappointed because today I completely lost the feeling with the bike, and also with regards to the condition of the track; the wind was quite strong in the opposite way than yesterday, only that is the difference. I was losing the feeling completely, I couldn’t be consistent. All the positive things I found yesterday, I couldn’t keep or improve my position with the bike. Tomorrow the track can be in a totally different condition, I can come back like yesterday with the right feeling and continue to work. To start 20th is very bad, everybody would have to manage the tyres, starting from the back is not the best situation”

Dovi concludes day one at the Losail International Circuit in P14.

The Grand Prix of Qatar kicked off today in hot conditions, although the sky was cloudy during the first Free Practice session of the year in the afternoon. Yet, once the sun set over the Losail International Circuit, lap times got quicker on a cooler asphalt illuminated by the famous floodlights all around the 5.4-kilometer circuit outside of Qatar’s capital Doha. Throughout the day, both WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team riders got back in the rhythm of a race weekend and improved their lap times with nearly each exit.

Andrea is returning to a track this weekend, where he already celebrated two wins and three second places, but missed out on the two rounds at the Losail International Circuit one year ago. Therefore, he started to re-adapt step by step aboard his Yamaha YZR-M1. He lowered his lap time from session one to session two by 1.742 seconds and concluded the opening day of the season just 0.182 seconds behind the top 10.

Following the opening day of the season, the Qatar GP is set to continue tomorrow with Free Practice three at 13:15 local time (11:15 CET), followed by FP4 at 17:20 (15:20 CET) and the all-important two Qualifying sessions at 18:00 (16:00 CET) and 18:25 (16:25 CET) to determine the first starting grid of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship season.

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04
P 14

“I’m happy because I’m closer and closer in terms of pace and also my lap time got faster and faster, meaning that I was getting closer to the top. At the same time my overall feeling was improving. It’s very nice to feel the turning of the bike, but everybody is incredibly fast. Even if you do a good lap time, it’s not even enough for the top 10. This is a bit tricky, as we know it’s impossible in FP3 tomorrow to improve the lap time again. Therefore, it’s going to be difficult, but we are ready to work on it.”

Dovi is thrilled to kick off 2022 season.

Following an exciting preseason with tests in Malaysia and Indonesia, the newly formed WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP eagerly awaits the first race weekend of 2022, which will commence in just a few days at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. Traditionally, the opening round will be held after sunset under the impressive floodlights around the 5.4-kilometer long track at the outskirts of Qatar’s capital Doha.

For Dovi the Qatar Grand Prix marks the beginning of his 20th full season in the World Championship.
Andrea already started his adaptation process to the Yamaha YZR-M1 during five rounds in 2021 and continued this process throughout the official tests in November last year and February 2022.
Yet, he feels already more at ease with his machine and impatiently waits to arrive in Qatar, where he won two races in the premier class and made it to the podium thrice the last five times he competed at the season opener.

The initial Grand Prix of 2022 kicks off this Friday with Free Practice one at 13:40 local time (11:40 CET), followed by FP2 at 18:00 local time (16:00 CET).

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04

“I’m really happy and can’t wait to go to Qatar. The Losail International Circuit is an absolutely nice track and I have very good memories there from recent years. Obviously, this makes me very excited not just to arrive there, but also to ride this layout with my Yamaha YZR-M1 and at the same time, to start the season!”