Less famous than Valentino Rossi, flamboyant than Marc Marquez, lunar than Jorge Lorenzo, weird than Andrea Iannone, or extroverted than Cal Crutchlow, Dovi is more discreet than most of his colleagues. We almost forget that he was Casey Stoner's teammate in the official Repsol Honda team, and that he is currently only seven points behind leader Maverick Vinales in the provisional World Championship standings.
Aged 31, Andrea took the start of his 265th Grand Prix on Sunday, the 167th in the MotoGP category. He has 13 victories, including 4 in MotoGP, and 78 podiums. Since his first Grand Prix in Italy in 2001, he won a 125cc world title in 3.
In his June 12 edition, Dovizioso spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport about his personal life and the people who are important to him. Here are some excerpts from this interview.
His childhood
“If I have to blame anyone, it’s my father Antonio who is passionate about motocross. A Sicilian from Calascibetta, he moved to Forli at the age of four. He was convinced that I would become World Champion even before I was born. He was, and still is, the most passionate, but very ignorant of what to do in terms of preparation.
“At 54, he still has the same ideas about racing, never disassembles or washes his bike, not even mine. It taught me that you don't have to ride a perfect motorcycle. Maman Annamaria, on the other hand, is the classic woman who met her husband and only knows his world. She never liked that I was a driver, she comes to the races just to do me a favor, and at home during the GP she stays in another room. Now she has become a complete grandmother and is driving me absolutely crazy. I am reserved, she is ten thousand times more so.
Her daughter
“Sara is a sweet little girl, but also very sporty, and focusing on sport really helps the children. In my job, having a child affects me a bit, because I need great programming, recovery time, and I have to adjust to my job as a parent. I don't know if I'm a good father, but I think we can never be good enough.
The school
“Everyone says I'm a failed engineer. Actually, at school I was bad, I just thought about motorcycles. From 7 to 8 years old, I could do the carburetion, gear reduction and clutching of my minibike. To credit Dad…
“Not finishing school is a cultural sin, I realize I lack certain basics. But, when I reached maturity, I learned a lot, much more than someone who went to university. In this job you always have to compare yourself to older people: learn, or you're screwed.
His opponents
“The funniest one is Crutchlow. And I learned at Honda about Pedrosa's follies. Sunday in Montmelo, everything came back to my mind and it helped me to do my race compared to him. I learned from everyone, even from Iannone, and from Lorenzo whose precision and determination I admire. And if I could have dinner alone with an opponent, I would do it with Valentino. »
Photos © Ducati
Source: Motoracing, Sports Gazette
