In 2024, Andrea Iannone is back on the tracks after a four-year suspension due to a positive anti-doping test. The rider competes in the World Superbike Championship with Team GoEleven and rides a Ducati Panigale V4 R. In his past in MotoGP, he represented the official team of the Borgo Panigale manufacturer.
Other WSBK riders have had the opportunity to experience premier class bikes in one way or another: Álvaro Bautista had a wildcard entry in last year’s Malaysian GP and, also in 2023, Toprak Razgatlioglu tested the Yamaha YZR-M1, while Iker Lecuona was a substitute rider for Honda on some occasions.
In an interview with the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, Iannone did not rule out testing a premier class bike: ‘For now I’m not thinking about it, but as a rider, what could be more enjoyable than riding the most technological and fastest bike that exists? I don’t rule out testing in the future‘.
Regarding the current state of the premier class, The Maniac is impressed with the performance of the bikes, but considers that the races have lost the element of dueling: ‘It’s fascinating how fast they are. But it seems to me that you win the race in the first lap, if you start from the front, it’s fine, if you’re behind, you have difficulties. The duel is lost. MotoGP remains, but…‘.
