It is no secret in the MotoGP paddock that Andrea Iannone needed a new job for 2019. His stint with the Suzuki squad was coming to an end.
Iannone’s departure from Suzuki is now official, as is the identity of his new employer, Aprilia Racing. Iannone has a two-year deal with Aprilia to team with Aleix Espargaró. Here are press releases from both Aprilia and Suzuki:
ANDREA IANNONE WITH APRILIA FOR THE 2019 AND 2020 SEASONS
ROMANO ALBESIANO: “THIS IS A SIGN OF APRILIA’S INCREASING COMMITMENT TO THE MOTOGP PROJECT”
THIS TAKES THE APRILIA MOTOGP PROJECT INTO ITS SECOND EVOLUTIONARY STAGE, MOVING THE TEAM FROM NOALE TO A NEW AND HIGHER LEVEL, EVER CLOSER TO THE LEADERS
Andrea Iannone will be astride an Aprilia RS-GP for the 2019 and 2020 MotoGPseasons. The Italian rider from Vasto, born in 1989, will ride alongside the already confirmed Aleix Espargaró.
Aprilia fans from all over the world can dream, as Andrea Iannone brings experience, speed and a desire to win at top levels to Aprilia Racing. Together they will tackle a thrilling challenge with every intention of rising to the occasion. The return of an Italian rider to Aprilia is also reason for great pride in the Piaggio Group and it honours the long standing tradition of great champions and unforgettable wins for the manufacturer from Noale which has fostered and raised up almost all the best Italian talent in recent World Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing history.
Aprilia Racing thereby adds an important element of growth to its ambitious project – the youngest in the MotoGP championship – led by a very young but highly expert and talented racing department, the advanced technological diamond head and the expression of a great, all-Italian industrial group. In fact, the Iannone-Espargaró duo represents one of the fastest combinations in MotoGP. They are capable of ensuring great competitiveness and an excellent top shelf technical level in order to further close the gap behind the championship lead. They are expert, fast riders and they have strong ties to a thrilling project that is not only a sports project, but also a technical one, which will contribute to the development of the entire Aprilia range, on the track and on the road.
In MotoGP since 2013, after shining in 125 and Moto2 with a total of 12 wins and 12 podium finishes, Andrea Iannone boasts a trophy collection in the top class that includes one win, 8 podiums and 2 pole positions.
ROMANO ALBESIANO – APRILIA RACING MANAGER“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 programme, 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 – TEAM MANAGER“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!”
***
Team Suzuki Press Office – June 8. Suzuki Motor Corporation announce that its collaboration with Andrea Iannone will come to an end after the 2018 season. Suzuki as a whole would like to wish all the best to Andrea in what is sure to be a bright and successful future.
During two seasons racing together Andrea has played an integral part in the growth of Suzuki’s MotoGP™ project, as well as assisting in the development of our GSX-RR. All of the Suzuki family are incredibly grateful for his help, and for the positive results achieved during the collaboration.
Naturally, with the 2018 season ongoing, Team SUZUKI ECSTAR and the Suzuki Motor Corporation will provide their utmost support to the Italian as we continue working together for the remainder of the season, looking forward to achieving strong results in the coming races.
Team SUZUKI ECSTAR and the Suzuki Motor Corporation are now working on the finalisation of their 2019/2020 rider line-up, and especially in regard to who will partner Alex Rins aboard the Factory GSX-RR. Updates on this will be given in the near future.
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It’s good for MotoGP if they can give him a faster Aprilia than what we’ve seen so far. Pedrosa appeared to be too light to ever get the power down and hang off enough in the corners. I’d like to see him on a Yamaha. I just want to see someone start kicking MM into the dust.
Pedrosa no longer in MogoGP is sad? Sad is a plucky American who saw the pinnacle of his sport, got screwed by a brand he was staunchly loyal to, punted to another brand who did not respect him, dumped to WSBK on second class machinery, and he dies before he could even get married, leaving a fiance and a wonderful future because he wanted one more grab at that brass ring. THAT is sad. Pedrosa had his day, and stayed in the sport a lot longer than he had a right to. He was a Repsol b***h and we all know Spanish can do no wrong in MotoGP, particularly if they shill for a Spanish oil brand. He gets a bye and someone else gets the shaft.
You have issues.
Nicky got plenty of chances in his career. He took one of them OK, but never made the step up to be a regular contender.
Lovely guy, and a tragic end, but I don’t see why anyone reasonable would think him hard done by as far as racing is concerned.
Pedrosa was a class above Nicky. No titles, obviously.
This is awful news. I like Iannone. He’s a moron, but fast and ballsy. Now he’ll never be a factor again at the front, and this will be his final factory ride in MotoGP.
As for Dani, this Iannoni news doubly sucks. I was really hoping Dani would pair with Iannoni on the satellite Yamaha squad. Mr. Steady, Who Is All Too Willing To Settle For Second Place, and The Maniac, Mr. Win It Or Bin It, on reasonably competitive Yamahas? That would have been a fun pairing. Perhaps Dani will still land that ride, but now I’m hoping he takes what’s left of his fragile body and retires in semi-decent health. He couldn’t win a title despite having a Repsol Honda for a dozen years, so he certainly isn’t going to win anything on a second-tier Yamaha. That being the case, why bother? There’s nothing to be gained for him, and he ought to have enough money to last a few lifetimes.
Walk away, Dani. Announce your retirement, allow the MotoGP world to celebrate you during a nice Farewell Tour over the final two thirds of the season, win the final race of the year in Valencia, and walk away in style.
+1
Yes, this sucks. I can’t believe a rider with Iannone’s talent has been relegated to an Aprilia. His GP racing career will like become completely irrelevant. We can only hope for the unlikely probability of a somewhat competitive Aprilia.
I would have liked to have seen Pedrosa have one more go on some competitive, non-Honda machinery. But I agree with as things stand now: good time to walk away.
Rins is good and will continue to do well, but I think Suzuki is making a mistake losing Iannone. You can detect Andrea’s passion to do well and he’s not afraid to pass or mix it up. I like Pedrosa and he’s a good clean racer, but as MM demonstrates at every race… win at all cost or at anyone’s cost.
It seems to be change-for-changes-sake.
Suzuki are doing fantastically this season, with a rider line up that blends experience and youth with outright speed every weekend.
What would they have aspired to at the start of the year? I doubt they’d honestly expect to be doing as well as they are.
Good for Iannone and for Aprilia, it now has a fast pilot to measure himself on parity with the other brands. The rumors are that Pedrosa will leave racing, so sad, I would love to see him on a Yamaha.
I think he’d be fast on the Yamaha…
I think he’d do well on a Yamaha as well, but he is pretty beat up. The human body can only take so much. Also, the Yamaha is behind right now. Without a solid chance to run for a championship why do it?
Well, dang. I hope Aprilia starts taking this whole GP thing seriously. Iannone is a cut above anyone else Aprilia has put on their bike. He can get results with good machinery.
Well, I guess that is it then. There aren’t any seats left for Pedrosa unless a new Yamaha satellite team materializes or Luthi gets cut short from Marc VDS due to a performance clause.
Pedrosa on a Marc VDS Honda… Or possibly not even in MotoGP. That’s even sadder than seeing Iannone punted off to Aprilia.