KUALA LUMPUR, OCT 31 – Andrea Iannone will return to MotoGP for the first time after a four-year ban for doping, when he races for Valentino Rossi’s Ducati-VR46 team this weekend in Malaysia.
The 35-year-old will replace compatriot Fabio Di Giannantonio, who had to pull out of the last two races of the season to undergo shoulder surgery.
“I am honored that they chose me, and I feel I had to accept this opportunity as soon as it was offered,” Iannone said in a statement.
“This challenge is certainly extraordinary, difficult and demands high endurance, because I have not ridden a motorcycle in this category for a long time, especially without any test or preparation,” he added.
Iannone previously tested positive for anabolic steroids in a urine sample taken during a competition at the end of 2019, also coincidentally in Sepang, Malaysia.
He claimed the presence of drostanolone in his body was caused by consuming contaminated meat.
Iannone was originally suspended for 18 months but the ban was extended to four years in 2020 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The Italian raced earlier this season and has competed in the Superbike World Championship.
“He is a good friend of the VR46 family, including me and Vale (Rossi),” said team director, Alessio Salucci.
“We are very pleased to welcome him to the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team and to see him back riding a MotoGP bike,” he added.
Iannone, who previously raced for Aprilia while the suspension was in place, has spent seven years in MotoGP’s premier class and claimed 11 podiums, including a win in Austria in 2016 with Ducati. – AFP