The final chapter is nearly written for the 36-year old Andrea Dovizioso who will compete in his ultimate Grand Prix at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli this weekend under the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team banner. Therefore, all eyes are on the three times MotoGP Vice World Champion this weekend, who will hang up his leathers following a 20-year long successful career.

After his feeling aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 improved and he managed to rescue one World Championship point last time out in Austria, Dovi, who did his first ever 125cc World Championship race in 2001, is seeking to resign in style this weekend at his home track under observation of his family, friends and many fans.

The Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini is set to kick off this Friday with Free Practice one at 09:55, followed by Free Practice two at 14:10.

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04

“San Marino is the last Grand Prix. It will be very unusual and strange after all my career. Yet, I’m very happy to finish in Misano with all my friends and fans. I hope it will be a great weekend. It’s going to be very important to be competitive, trying to score some points and I think we’ll have a good four days there and a great party.”

With the rain just holding back on race day at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team rider Andrea Dovizioso delivered a decent performance.

Launching off from P19, Dovi  came back in 21st after the first lap and went even further back when he did a mistake on lap five. But from there, he started to recover and find his rhythm while improving his lap times throughout the race.

At half distance he was in 17th and made up two more positions towards the end of the race to eventually earn a World Championship point with P15.

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04
P 15

“As always, at the beginning of the race, I’m not able to gain position and always losing positions. On the start it was good but in the corners, when you are that behind it’s a gamble and I lose a lot of positions. After 5 laps, I went out of the track in turn 1 and lost even more so my race changed, and I had to start to recover. My pace in the middle of the race was exactly the same as during practise. But, when you are that behind, it’s hard to gain anything. In the end, we took one point and this is a positive.”

Following a Friday full of mixed conditions, Saturday’s action at the famous Red Bull Ring in Austria took place in the dry.

Dovi kicked off the race weekend yesterday with a decent feeling, which he confirmed in this morning’s Free Practice three session when he went 0.794 seconds faster than in FP2 on Friday. Yet a crash at the end of FP4 left him losing a bit of confidence. He managed to finish Qualifying one in ninth though, but couldn’t further improve on his lap time compared to FP3.

He’ll line up in the seventh row when the lights go out for his 13th MotoGP race tomorrow at 14:00 local time.

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04
P 19

“Unfortunately, I had a crash just a few minutes before the Qualifying started and this was definitely not helpful in terms of feeling and confidence. Due to that, we also couldn’t use our setup, because the other bike didn’t have the things we tried before. I was trying, but I couldn’t do a very special lap time. I’m a bit disappointed, because we were improving our pace a bit, which was also important for the position, but anyway, the race here in Austria is very long. Let’s see tomorrow, if we can fix the setup.”

After a rain shower hit the track this morning, Free Practice one started in a wet track, which was drying throughout the session and made the riders head out on slicks in the final 15 minutes. Free Practice two went on to be a full dry session, whereby the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team rider managed to improve a lot.

Dovi, who is a huge fan of the Austrian venue as it bears many good memories for him, started out with a great 10th position in FP1 this morning. Yet in the afternoon, he found himself back in P18. The Italian improved by 1.368 seconds from the first to the second session and was missing out on the top by just 0.802 seconds as the premier class field is ultra-close at the 4.3-kilometer track.

While the weather forecast remains uncertain for Saturday and Sunday, Free Practice three is set to begin at 09:55 local time, followed by FP4 at 13:30 local time and Qualifying one and two at 14:10 and 14:35.

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04
P 18

“This morning we started with a good feeling. The track was a bit difficult, but I felt good. In the afternoon, we did a step in terms of setup, which was positive. But at the same time, I wasn’t able to use the full potential, because I made a lot of mistakes on my fastest lap and we wanted to try the setup, so there was no time to try the hard front tyre. It looks like this is the best option in this moment. Everybody is fast, but I think there is still a lot of work to do. I’m a bit more confident than on the other tracks and I think I can do a step up tomorrow. Let’s also see what the other riders will do.”

Round 13 of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship is approaching fast. After the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team and the entire circus returned to action less than two weeks ago in Silverstone following a long summer break, the entire squad is ready and eager to progress further this weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix in the picturesque area around Spielberg.
Andrea Dovizioso will approach his second last race weekend in the MotoGP class after he announced his early retirement. All the more he’ll be eager to finally score some points again, as he missed out on the top 15 by just a whisker last time out in Silverstone. The Italian has some fond memories of the Austrian track, where he delivered some historic battles in the past.

The race weekend starts traditionally with Free Practice one this Friday at 09:55 local time followed by the second practice session of the weekend at 14:10 local time.

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04

“With the circuit in Austria, I only connect very important memories. I don’t know what I can do there with the Yamaha YZR-M1, but it’s a really wonderful place, the surroundings are beautiful, you can breathe fresh air and I’m happy to come back to Spielberg to compete in a race there once again.”

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. announce that MotoGP star Andrea Dovizioso has decided to retire from MotoGP after the upcoming Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini.

Dovi and Yamaha have maintained a warm relationship since he completed a successful season with the Tech3 Yamaha satellite team in 2012, resulting in six third places and fourth place in the final standings. He rejoined Yamaha’s satellite rider line-up at the 2021 San Marino GP when Franco Morbidelli moved up to the Factory Team.

Andrea was originally planning to stay with the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Racing Team for the entire 2022 MotoGP season, riding a factory-spec YZR-M1 and receiving full support from Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., but recently decided to end his career at his Misano home race.

Yamaha’s official test rider Cal Crutchlow will be the substitute rider for the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team for the remaining six races of the 2022 season.

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04

“I thank Lin for his words, I totally agree with them. In 2012, the experience with the Iwata manufacturer in MotoGP had been very positive for me and since then I have always thought that, sooner or later, I would have liked to have an official contract with Yamaha. This possibility presented itself, actually in a somewhat daring way, during 2021. I decided to give it a try because I strongly believed in this project and in the possibility of doing well.
Unfortunately, in recent years MotoGP has changed profoundly. The situation is very different since then: I have never felt comfortable with the bike, and I have not been able to make the most of its potential despite the precious and continuous help from the team and the whole of Yamaha. The results were negative, but beyond that, I still consider it a very important life experience. When there are so many difficulties, you need to have the ability to manage the situation and your emotions well. We did not reach the desired objectives, but the consultations with the Yamaha technicians and with those of my team have always been positive and constructive, both for them and for me. The relationship remained loyal and professionally interesting even in the most critical moments: it was not so obvious that that would happen.
For all this and for their support, I thank Yamaha, the RNF Racing Team, WithU, and the other sponsors involved in the project. It didn’t go as we hoped, but it was right to try. My adventure will end in Misano, but the relationship with all the people involved in this challenge will remain intact forever. Thank you all.”

 

Lin Jarvis
Managing Director, Yamaha Motor Racing

“I want to start by saying that, of course, we are all sad that Andrea will be leaving the sport earlier than expected. He is a big name in MotoGP, and he will be missed in the paddock. We considered ourselves very lucky last year that he was available and willing to join our MotoGP programme when Franky switched to the Yamaha Factory Team thus creating the need for a replacement rider for the remainder of the 2021 season. Andrea’s great expertise, experience, and methodical nature were of great interest to Yamaha and the RNF team and the project was fixed to include the full 2022 season. Unfortunately, Andrea has struggled to extract the maximum potential out of the M1 and thus the results have not been forthcoming, which has created understandable frustration for Andrea. Finally during the summer break, he confirmed to us his desire to retire before the end of the season.
After mutual discussions it was deemed appropriate for Andrea to ride his final race in Misano at his home GP. Naturally, Yamaha will continue to give ‘Dovi’ their full support over the next three races. In the meantime, let’s enjoy his last three GPs and celebrate in Misano the end of a spectacular career.”

 

Press Release Yamaha Motor Racing

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DOVI RACING CAREER

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First Grand Prix Win: 2004 South Africa GP (125cc)
Grand Prix Wins: 24 (15 MotoGP, 4 250cc, 5 125cc)
Podiums: 103 (62 MotoGP, 26 250cc, 15 125cc)
Pole Positions: 20 (7 MotoGP, 4 250cc, 9 125cc)
Fastest Laps: 22 (11 MotoGP, 8 250cc, 3 125cc)

2022 MotoGP World Championship (22nd – 10 points) [11 GPs into the season]
2021 MotoGP World Championship (24th – 12 points) [only took part in 5 GPs]
2020 MotoGP World Championship (4th – 135 points)
2019 MotoGP World Championship (2nd – 269 points) [Vice Champion]
2018 MotoGP World Championship (2nd– 245 points) [Vice Champion]
2017 MotoGP World Championship (2nd – 261 points) [Vice Champion]
2016 MotoGP World Championship (5th – 171 points)
2015 MotoGP World Championship (7th – 162 points)
2014 MotoGP World Championship (5th – 187 points)
2013 MotoGP World Championship (8th – 140 points)
2012 MotoGP World Championship (4th – 218 points)
2011 MotoGP World Championship (3rd – 228 points)
2010 MotoGP World Championship (5th – 206 points)
2009 MotoGP World Championship (6th – 160 points)
2008 MotoGP World Championship (5th – 174 points) [Rookie of the Year, Top Independent Rider]
2007 250cc World Championship (2nd – 260 points) [Vice Champion]
2006 250cc World Championship (2nd – 272 points) [Vice Champion]
2005 250cc World Championship (3rd – 189 points)
2004 125cc World Championship (1st – 293 points) [World Champion]
2003 125cc World Championship (5th – 157 points)
2002 125cc World Championship (16th – 42 points)

Following a five weeks’ summer break the entire WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team is more than ready to kick off the second half of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship season. Round 12 of the year will take place this weekend at the traditional Silverstone Circuit in England and with fully charged batteries, the squad aims to turn the page after a tricky first part of the season.

Andrea Dovizioso was struggling to decently get to grips with his Yamaha YZR-M1 machine. Nevertheless, the three times MotoGP runner-up keeps trying to find improvements for himself and further adapt his riding style in order to build up on his 10 points scored so far. Just before the summer break, he made some good steps in Germany and the Netherlands and targets to carry on where he left off.

The British Grand Prix starts this Friday with Free Practice one at 9:55 local time (10:55 CET), followed by FP2 at 14:10 local time (15:10 CET).

 

Andrea Dovizioso #04

“I think Silverstone is one of the best tracks in our calendar, it’s wide and fast. You can find everything on that track. Yet, it’s very, very difficult to be competitive there and it’s very demanding, but a really wonderful track, so it’s very nice to go back there and race in Great Britain.”