The second most starts of all time, podiums on three bikes, victories on two… And a huge pile of memories for Andrea Dovizioso, one of the greatest protagonists of the last decade of MotoGP™.
The story began in Misano as a 125cc wildcard and it ends on the circuit with a few more points in the premier class.
Andrea Dovizioso, the rider of the MotoGP WithU Yamaha RNF team, ends his MotoGP career with a 12th position in Misano. The Italian's emotional farewell to MotoGP during his national Grand Prix in Misano was a true tribute to memory, as the entire MotoGP paddock remembered his great battles during his 20-year career. From his victory in the 125cc championship in 2004, to his glorious exploits in 250cc and his move to the premier class in 2008, through epic confrontations with the young Marc Márquez from 2017 to 2019 at the Red Bull Ring, Losail and Motegi.
During his long career, the Italian achieved 20 pole positions, 24 victories, 103 podiums and 3 points in all categories. He is the only rider to have won a MotoGP race in three different decades (796s, 2000s and 2010s), making him one of the great names in MotoGP and one of the last two from the 2020 class to stand. withdraw from the world championship.
In his last race, he started from 18th place on the grid and managed to keep a good pace throughout his last 27 laps. Due to several falls in front of him, he moved up the rankings in the first laps and was 12th by the third lap. Thanks to his strong pace, he managed to defend this position at the finish line and collect his last four points of the MotoGP world championship.
Andrea Dovizioso : " In the end, it was a good race. There was a big disaster in front of me at the start but I got a good start, I was able to take some positions because a lot of riders crashed. At the start of the race I was still trying but I couldn't be fast. However, from the middle of the race until the end, I was able to be very consistent. I was very focused on that because I was able to keep 12th position. In the end I'm happy with it, I'm happy to finish here with the fans and all the people. Thank you very much to everyone. »
Razlan Razali, Founder and Director of the MotoGP WithU Yamaha RNF Team: “ Well the curtain came down for Andrea's last dance, his retirement race at Misano with a good 12th position and four points. It was an emotional weekend leading up to the race, a fantastic celebration for everyone who knows Andrea, her former teammates, her colleagues and the other teams who wished her well in her retirement. So it was a good race for Andrea and to get some points for the team.
So now in life, after Andrea, we will have Cal Crutchlow joining us from Aragón and we will also see the retirement of Andrea's team leader, Ramon Forcada, another person with enormous experience in MotoGP, and we also wish him the best in his retirement. He will be replaced by Cal crew chief Silvano Galbusera of the Test team for the remainder of the six races. But, after Misano, during the test on Tuesday and Wednesday, we will see Andrea do her helmet test for half a day on Tuesday.»
Wilco Zeelenberg, Team Manager of Team MotoGP WithU Yamaha RNF: “ Andrea finished his last round of MotoGP and had a fantastic race, he was very consistent and finishing in the 33 at Misano is very difficult because there are a lot of places where it is easy to crash, but he kept these young boys behind him and got a lot of points. It's good to see that and of course we can be proud to be with him and to stay behind him until the end, I think he enjoyed it. We hope he has a fantastic retirement and we wish him the best. »
We mean it: GRAZIE DOVI!
MotoGP San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix results:
Credit Ranking: MotoGP.com