MotoGP - Interview - Andrea Dovizioso

This is an interview kindly shared by our colleague Tammy Gorali (MotoGP commentator on channel Sport 5 in Israel).

Andréa, Oo Andrea - Chasing the factory seat

Last year, after his contract with HRC wasn't renewed due to ‟unsatisfactory results” and with only 2 vacant seats there, Andrea made a very big decision.

He ditched his long time sponsor (the one with the bull) and joined the Satellite Yamaha team, Tech3.

Dovi says it is a step back to go forward, he is still aiming for a factory team and doing all he can to get that precious seat.

The interview took place at the Tech3 hospitality in Mugello.

Dovi was fresh from 3 podiums in a row and 4th in the championship.

At 26 years old, he is a veteran. Andrea has been in the championship since 2001, is a 125cc champion and has been in the premier class since 2008.

Andrea and I have an agreement: I am allowed a few silly questions. It turned out I didn't ask too many of those!

It is interesting to note that you are the best satellite rider the championship has seen since 2007. Why do you think that is?

I think that's just because my position is to be in the factory team, so when in a satellite team, I am the best as I am one of the fastest. Also with a bike that is a little bit worse than the factory bike, I can still stay with them.

I think that crossing the finish line with a satellite bike only one second behind Lorenzo is not bad at all.

How much of your success is up to you and how much is up to the bike?

For sure this Yamaha 1000cc project has started very well and the bike is very different.

When you are in a satellite team, you cannot develop the bike so the bike is as it comes.

If the bike is good and you can work well with it, then you get to the top but if you cannot make it work for you, then it very difficult as you cannot really improve the bike much. It means you are on the limit with the results.

Of course success has much to do with the bike but it also has a lot to do with me. We are 4 Yamaha riders and I am currently the second one in the championship which means I must be doing a better job than the other 2 who are behind.

Andrea Dovizioso being interviewed by Tammy Gorali, MotoGP commentator for Channel Sport 5, Israel

The interview took place only a few days before the shocking announcement by Ben Spies that he was to leave the factory team by the end of the season; the seat he vacated is the one Andrea is chasing.

Do you sometimes compare yourself to Ben Spies?

Do you mean comparing data or something else? Both

For sure, it is a normal thing to do. You cannot improve if you don't compare.

And what do you think when you compare yourself to Spies?

We are such different riders! I am smoother, we have different bike settings, we also see the racing lines in a different way. So when he takes a better corner, entry or exit, I have to understand why and try to do the same, maybe differently but still try to do it.

I think he is a very fast rider and when he decides to do a fast lap, he really does go fast. It is not as easy as it sounds.

Do you sometimes follow him as you followed Lorenzo?

I try not to follow anybody as it is dangerous: riders can stop on track any minute.

Also, if you are working alone, it is more profitable. Your own work is more important anyway.

When you are behind somebody, you can understand more and it is easier but you need to be alone to be strong during the race.

Why do you think you are more suitable for the factory ride?

Because I have experience and because I am fast. Especially because I got experience after 3 years in HRC and it's the most difficult team to get results with.

Why is it so difficult?

Because of the engineering. It is harder.

But Yamaha is also Japanese

Yes but it is different. The engineering is less aggressive and the Yamaha is smoother.

Have you had recent talks with Yamaha?

Sure. Especially this weekend. We will talk and have a meeting to try to understand more.

Any thoughts about plan B?

I have a few but I don't think a lot about that because I really want a factory bike.

I am concentrating my thoughts on how to get that and the only way is through getting results.

I need to focus on those results and try not to think about anything else

Did you really get an offer from Aprillia and BMW in WSBK?

We spoke but there were no offers.

How can you separate talking contracts and racing during a MotoGP weekend?

It's not my duty so I am not doing it. I just talk a little. It's not my job. I get briefings from the meetings.

During the race weekend or after it's over?

I like to know immediately but I fight a lot with my manager about that.

He doesn't want to tell you?

He just tells me a little bit. Sometimes he agrees to share the info, sometimes he doesn't.

After hearing all the information, can you switch your mind off?

I try my best! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I think I will know a little bit more after this weekend.

Tech3? It is one of the options

Once the weekend was over, I caught up with Dovi about the issue to see if there had been any progress. In the end, there was a lot of talking, nothing set. Gresini looking for an Italian was a new talking point going around.

Through the years Dovi has been criticized for not being aggressive enough, for sitting at the back for too long, for not battling enough or waking up too late. This season he's been there from the moment the green light came on.

You seem more aggressive this season, on and off the track

I am not aggressive, I am just more confident. When you are confident, you can push a little bit more, you can get closer to the limit. That's when everything becomes easier.

What gave you that confidence?

The bike is completely different and when you understand the bike, you start to get the results. Once there is the confidence, you get the feeling that allows you to push more and more and more.

Is it something in yourself that changed?

Yes, but again it's always the confidence, it's what's inside you that makes it happen.

Is there anything you could have changed in the past to be in this position earlier?

It's always easier to look back at the past. Looking back is easy. Really, really easy.

The team mate rivalry between you and Cal seems different than with Dani and Casey

It's not different. They are just different characters. Cal is more easy-going and makes everybody feel relaxed so that's why it seems different, but he is strong, just like Dani and Casey. My rivalry with him is as strong as it was with them.

This season you seem to chat more with your team mate.

That's because Cal is different so it's easier for me. I am really open and I like to talk with the riders, but it is difficult to find riders who are open enough.

Dovi is a young father and his daughter is his real treasure. If you want to see Andrea crack a smile, just mention her name or good results. These days, he sees her less than before, after separated from the mother of his child.

At Mugello, his daughter came over, escorted by his sister, and she spent as much time as possible with her dad.

In the past, Andrea told me that his daughter will never ride bikes! Still, in the garage, there is a bike named after her.

Were you surprised by Casey's decision?

I was surprised because the decision was taken very early in the season but I am not 100% surprised because I felt he might do that. He is not comfortable in this championship and it doesn't matter if he wins, he always complains. Stoner is a unique character. He is really out of the ordinary and so are his decisions.

Did you ever think about retiring as a young father yourself?

No, no zero thoughts in that direction at all!

You were complaining in the past about the Italian media coverage. Have you seen the time you got last week on screen? Tech3 were second!

Really? The good results have changed the media coverage but it doesn't change my feelings.

TV coverage statistics during the Assen MotoGP Round

Is there anything else you could do to change this or does it not bother you?

No, I do care about that but I can't do anything more. I only want to get results. If you can bring good results, then the media people have to talk to me but not necessarily because they want to.

Why do you think this is happening?

My character is not what the TV and the media want, that's obvious. There is not enough to say about me.

So don't you think you need to say more colorful things?

But I am not like that! I don't have to change. It would be sad to change just to get media coverage. It is not me.

I don't like when fans don't understanding who I am, but that's only because of the way the media portrays me. But that's life!

So why aren't you more active on Facebook or Twitter?

Because it is not the kind of person I am.

So what do you want?

What I want is to win. Winning can bring change and make me happy.

I feel relaxed, happy and complete when I win. That's it

Is the win coming soon?
It depends.

What needs to improve?

Many things, many things.

Can Tech3 provide what you need?

I think there is a possibility but what I really need is a factory team.

There are 3 candidates for the vacant Yamaha seat. Rossi is the first priority, Crutchlow and Dovi follow. With all of Andrea's successes and his consistent character, it still seems like it's not his seat to get.

I joked with him that he needs an American girlfriend. Ladies with the right passport, any volunteers?

Thank you to Tammy Gorali (Channel Sport 5, Israel) for sharing this very interesting interview with us!