“Desmo Dovi” as it was still called in the Ducati Box until autumn 2020. Despite the fact that the Italian had officially announced that he would not drive for Aprilia and would take a break, there was now a rapprochement with the Noale plant (© MotoGP).

Andrea Dovizioso will be testing for Aprilia from April 12-14

The declared archenemy of all MotoGP journalists seems to be thinking about his sporting future in his MotoGP exile. By the way, we fully understand that Dovi hates nothing more than press conferences. How many years he had to watch how around 90 percent of the questions were asked of Valentino Rossi was definitely not easy for him and all the other pilots. Andrea answered a question quite frankly: “I’d rather not say anything about that, your journalists will write whatever you want afterwards anyway!” It was therefore clear that this mandatory institution for drivers would be exactly what he missed the least. But apparently there is still a fire burning in him and the man with the upper body of an art gymnast might want to know again soon.

Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) – During the first test in Losail, the Catalan completely dwarfed the splendid KTM team with its 4 riders on the Aprilia. In the end he was fifth fastest and the fastest in Orange not even in the top 15 (© MotoGP).

Massimo Rivola – APRILIA RACING about the test planned in Jerez:
“It was a pleasure to invite Andrea. The days in Jerez will simply be an opportunity to get to know each other better on the track as well. It will not be a so-called trial marriage, but an opportunity to do a few rounds together without making a binding commitment for the future. We are aware of all of Andrea’s qualities and his contribution will also be important for just one test. “

Dovi in the gravel bed of Barcelona – in addition to the problems with the new Michelin tires, the man from Forlimpopoli (not Forli, as often falsely claimed) also had bad luck involved. Now he’s showing himself on a MotoGP machine and is cleverly keeping a conversation going (© MotoGP).

Andrea Dovizioso: „I was pleased by Aprilia’s interest and when we spoke about the possibility of doing this test, I gladly accepted the invitation to be able to ride a MotoGP bike again and to stay in form, giving the engineers my feedback. I wish to thank Aprilia Racing for this opportunity. “

A picture from happier times – the two Ducati works team colleagues Dovizioso (left) and Petrucci on the podium at Le Mans. Many observers have been questioning whether Petrux and KTM will be happy together, and not just since the Losail tests. There may also be other places available for other teams (© MotoGP).

A clear win-win situation for both parties

The clever northern Italian does exactly the right thing and keeps talking. For example, many people doubt whether KTM will be really lucky with Petrux, his former teammate. Not to mention the trial balloon Iker Lecuona, whom the oranges signed up in the secret hope that it would develop into a second Quartararo. As a three-time vice world champion, Dovi was able to afford such a disaster season as 2020 was for him without question. Other drivers also despaired in the first Corona year, from Rossi to Viñales including Quartararo, countless drivers had to give up to measure it against the example of Yamaha. The fast man from Forlimpopoli (what a name for a small town near Misano) deserves another chance.

Dovi on Repsol Honda in front of Valentino Rossi on Ducati in 2011 – a world upside down from a later point of view. The two drivers were much more successful on the other make. Valentino ruefully returned to Yamaha after two years at Ducati and will never drive for another manufacturer. However, many consider it unlikely that his own MotoGP team will ally with the Japanese factory (© MotoGP).