With this latest outing from Andrea Dosoli, who is the man on the ground for the Iwata brand in the category reserved for motorcycles from the series, it is clear that we are not inhabited by the same doubts at Yamaha depending on whether you compete in WSBK or MotoGP. It must be said that, despite equally fierce Ducati adversity, the R1 wins and holds its place unlike the M1. The current period is even prosperous with four victories won by Toprak Razgatlioglu during the last two World Superbike meetings. And, icing on the cake, the same Andrea Dosoli who missed the renewal of his Turkish World Champion took the six-time title winner Jonathan Rea to Kawasaki to put him in his place. A synergy which inevitably creates certainties…
When Toprak Razgatlioglu announced that he would not follow up on the proposal to renew his contract made by Yamaha , to go and try a new adventure at BMW, many assessed this turnaround as a major blow to Iwata's brand. An analysis thatAndrea Dosoli never shared. His position is different and he expressed it as follows: GP One : « we have won with other drivers in the past, like Alex Lowes and Michael van der Marc, which means that the bike is capable of achieving significant results even with riders with a different riding style ».
He adds : " I think Yamaha is the best bike on the grid at the moment, because we are second and fourth in the championship. If you look at the gap in the standings between two drivers of the same brand, it is higher in the case of Kawasaki and Ducati, we therefore have no reason to modify a winning project ».
Andrea Dosoli: “ we first contacted Franco Morbidelli »
But with the defection of Toprak Razgatlioglu, Andrea Dosoli responded with the hiring of Jonathan Rhea, six-time World Champion and tired of the inertia of Kawasaki : “ We are happy to be able to work with Johnny and proud that the most successful driver in the paddock was attracted to our project. He is the most successful Superbike rider, he has always shown great motivation, even when he was in difficulty, showing that he has the same approach as us: always trying to give the best of himself ».
« We are sure that we can do good work together from 2024, but now we must focus on 2023 and achieve the best possible results ", said Dosoli who also gave the elements which convinced the Northern Irishman to change creameries: “ I think he analyzed our working method and what we have done in recent years and he had the opportunity to evaluate the potential of our motorcycle every time he met our drivers on the track. And the results of these two evaluations led him to join the team ».
However, the Italian recognizes that he was not the first choice… “ We first contacted Franco Morbidelli, who told us openly that he preferred to continue his path in MotoGP, because he thinks he still has a lot to bring to the paddock. We respect his ambitions and wish him the best result » he finishes.
