In 2024, Andrea Iannone returns to 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, riding a Ducati Panigale V4 R. In his past MotoGP career, he represented the factory 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 at last year’s Malaysian GP, and also in 2023, Toprak Razgatlioglu tested the Yamaha YZR-M1, while Iker Lecuona was a replacement rider for Honda on some occasions.
In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Iannone didn’t rule out testing a premier class bike: ‘For now, I’m not thinking about it, but as a rider, what could be nicer than riding the most technological and fastest bike that exists? I don’t rule out doing a test in the future’.
Regarding the current state of the premier class, The Maniac is impressed with the performance of the bikes but believes 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 on the first lap, if you start from the front, it’s okay, if you’re behind, you struggle. The duel is lost. MotoGP persists, but…’.