He was one of the most awaited men of the two days of testing in Jerez and the expectations were not disappointed, on the contrary: Andrea Iannone is back on the track after four years of stopping and will start again in 2024 from the Superbike World Championship, where he will race with the Goeleven team . We were able to see the rider from Vasto in action in these two days of testing on the Andalusian track, where he performed well despite his long absence from competitions and his debut in a category new to him.
It wasn’t easy to get involved and above all to get back to being fast. Iannone succeeded, starting his new stage by surprising and going fast. The rider from Vasto leaves Jerez with a smile, although aware of the work to be done to get back to the top: “I had a lot of fun today, because the feeling with the bike and the tires is good. This is a very important thing. I definitely need to improve in some areas, but we have time for that. I think we started from a good place and I didn’t expect to start like this, much worse. Fortunately we are higher and closer than the leaders. I don’t think anyone expected it.”
“I haven’t ridden a racing bike for a very long time, even this year I haven’t ridden much,” continues Iannone. “In general, having amateurs on the track, it is difficult to train and have a free track, but I tried to train as best I could. It’s not enough compared to Superbike or MotoGP, they are a completely different story. Today I struggled a lot with my arms, but I’m happy, very happy.”
Two days of testing in Jerez were very tiring from a physical point of view, especially considering that Iannone hadn’t lapped so fast for some time: “I’m cooked! It went well, we have to keep our feet on the ground, we can’t think that we don’t have work to do. You have to stay calm and work hard, with your head down. It was essential that I had this feeling. There was physical fatigue because there are muscles that you only use with a racing motorbike, I arrived at 2pm and I didn’t have much strength to brake. This affected the performance a bit, it’s an aspect that I know I have to work on, but in recent years I haven’t been able to ride much. I tried to get the best out of the package we had, but given the way we were in it, it’s difficult, so it’s good.”
At the end of the first two days of his new life, Iannone is keen to express words of gratitude towards Ducati, who believed in him enough to bring him back on the track at the end of the disqualification: “I have to say that I’m happy, it’s an important day on many points of view. All of this, if it hadn’t been for Ducati, Goeleven and all the people who worked to put me in this situation would have been difficult. In my opinion we have to be aware of everything we have to do, but I want to enjoy this day and this return. For me it is very significant.”
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Andrea Iannone, Team Goeleven
“I want to thank Dall’Igna, Ciabatti, Ducati Corse. Without them it would have been difficult. If I can dream again it’s thanks to them. I heard from Gigi yesterday, I will hear from him again later. I’ve been a Ducati rider for many years, it’s nice. I have always carried these people in my heart, when I left I was sad. For me, being here again fills me with joy. For this I want to thank all those who contributed to this return,” she says.
There is a lot of work to do and the road is long to compete with the leading riders, but Iannone is aware that the ability to return to the highest levels is there, given the start. These tests showed a picture of the situation, an excellent starting point for continuing to grow: “I think every rider would always like to be at the top, but it’s never easy. It wasn’t a given that we would be able to start like this, from the feeling with the bike to the feeling with the team. These moments happen rarely in life, I haven’t been here for almost five years. Arriving with a bike I’ve never tried, a new team… I’m happy, I’m enjoying it, but I’m aware that there’s a lot to do.”
In Jerez it was important not only to test one’s conditions and understand what the speed was, but also to begin to familiarize oneself with the Superbike, which has different bikes and tires from those Iannone was used to in MotoGP: “Pirelli in recent years has made a Amazing work, tires perform well. I felt good, I need to understand how I am with the management, but with just one day of testing it’s difficult to do many things. We rode a lot today, but I was also exhausted.”
“I go home with a lot of information, knowing where we need to improve. I never stopped being a real driver, I didn’t look around. I have always maintained the mentality of a rider and I think it has been my strength. I always thought I wanted to come back, at a certain point I realized I wanted to do it here and I’m happy to be there. We need to work a lot, it’s still a long way until Australia, so we’ll understand,” he concludes.
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