2019 MotoGP Contract News: Andrea Iannone
When Andrea Iannone begins his seventh year in the MotoGP class, he will be back on Italian machinery. But it won’t be with the Ducati Team, which the 28-year-old Italian competed with from 2013-2016 before Joining the Team Suzuki Ecstar team.
Rather, Iannone will be competing aboard Aprilia RS-GP machinery for the 2019/2020 MotoGP Championships. Iannone will compete for Aprilia Racing Team Gresini alongside the already confirmed Aleix Esparagaro.
Iannone is no stranger to Aprilia. He joined the Grand Prix World Championship motorcycle racing in 2005, and competed on Aprilia machinery in the former two-stroke 125cc class through 2009. He then competed in Moto2 for three years before joining the premier class in 2013.
Throughout his 125cc/Moto2 career, he has a total of 12 wins and 12 podium finishes. In the premier class, Iannone has one win (2016 Austrian MotoGP, Ducati), eight podiums and two pole positions.
Romano Albesiano, Aprilia Racing Manager, says: “With Iannone, we have another highly talented and fast rider who is also demonstrating his value this season. His arrival is a sign of the Piaggio Group and Aprilia’s growing commitment to the MotoGP program, where our bike has already demonstrated that it can rely on a valid technical base.
“Now we need to stay focused on the 2018 season, beginning from the next GP of Barcelona. We have a strong team that has never stopped working hard. We want to keep growing and take the RS-GP where it deserves to be this season, which is still long, with Aleix and Scott, speaking of whom, I wish to thank publicly for his great professionalism and for his consistently high level of commitment.”
Fausto Gresini, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini Team Manager, says: “The combination of Iannone and Aprilia will be fantastic – one of the most interesting in MotoGP – and it has the potential to bring great results. Andrea is a strong, fast and concrete rider. I think that he will be able to provide great support for the team and contribute to the development of the bike. And then, there is no denying that it is always a pleasure to have an Italian rider on an Italian bike Welcome, Andrea. Let’s have fun!”
Other big news in 2019 MotoGP contracts:
