MotoGP Rider Andrea Dovizioso to Make DTM Debut

[Paul Jeffrey]

13-time MotoGP race winner Andrea Dovizioso will debut for Audi at the upcoming Misano DTM round this June 8th-9th.

Having finished runner up in the top class of motorcycle racing for the past two years, 33-year-old Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso will switch to four wheels next month as the popular Italian makes his debut for the WRT customer Audi team in the German DTM category at Misano.

Standing in for regular driver Pietro Fittipaldi for the Italian round of the predominantly German based series, Dovizioso will be further expanding his experience with four wheels following his class victory in the Lamborghini Supertrofeo race at Valencia back in 2016, and the currently third placed MotoGP rider is understandably hugely excited to be performing in the high level DTM series next month:

“I love cars and I feel lucky to be able to race with the Audi RS 5 DTM,” said Andrea Dovizioso.​

“It’s tough to find the time to prepare for it during the MotoGP season but I am really looking forward to compete in such a high-level context as the DTM.”​

‘Dovi’ is no stranger to motor racing success, and it will be interesting to see how well the Italian fan favorite can adapt to such a competitive tin top category. With interesting guest drivers adding another element of intrigue into what is already a very attractive looking season for the newly refreshed DTM this year, Misano will certainly be an curious experiment for the series.

Do you think bike racers can be successful in car racing, and vise versa? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

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[rubaru]

@Dovi design congrats on the ride!

 

[Alex Bystrov]

would love to see Rossi do some proper 4-wheel circuit racing, he could be very competitive

 

[AlexBfromG]

thats gonna get some more italians to watch DTM.

 

[Ruttman98]

I believe bike riders must be extraordinarily in tune with their machine. Balance and control is necessarily crucial. Good ones develop excellent situational awareness--a must in traffic.

Sir John Surtees was a champion motorcycle rider with tremendous success in openwheel and sportscars.

Travis Pastrana has had some good results going from two to four wheels.

In straightline racing, Anton Brown has been a multiple champion in both NHRA Pro Stock Motorcyle and Top Fuel dragsters.

In the US, many kids get there first motorsports experience on dirt bikes. Go karts and quarter midgets are comparatively rare. Junior dragster is relatively new (last 30 years or so).

There are many more examples of famous bike racers turned car racers. I would bet that bike racers are much more successful moving to cars than racecar drivers transitioning to bikes . . .

This from a guy who won't go near two wheelers!

 

[Davebrave]

would love to see Rossi do some proper 4-wheel circuit racing, he could be very competitive

I'm not a Rossi fan so others may correct me but I'm pretty sure he has driven rally cars and also has taken part on some rally cross events (I think it's the Monza show, but not sure if there was actual competition).

 

[AlexBfromG]

I'm not a Rossi fan so others may correct me but I'm pretty sure he has driven rally cars and also has taken part on some rally cross events (I think it's the Monza show, but not sure if there was actual competition).

he tested F1 Ferraris as well.

 

[rubaru]

he tested F1 Ferraris as well.

Rossi was said to have been 0.7s per lap behind Schumacher that day...which is quite impressive to me.

 

[simon2002]

Would love to see more DTM coverage on this Forun

 

[billymitchell]

Been watching MotoGP for years, ever since the F1 hybrid-era has been dominated by Hami+Merc (sry I don't watch DTM!)

Dovi is one of the most consistent, calculating riders on a MotoGP circuit. He's been manhandling a monster of a Ducati since 2013, which started off as all-motor and little handling during his tenure, and now they are Championship contenders.

I believe bike riders must be extraordinarily in tune with their machine. Balance and control is necessarily crucial. Good ones develop excellent situational awareness--a must in traffic.

Watching qualifying sessions is tremendous entertainment! The different lines each rider takes is significantly influenced by the bikes strenghts/weaknesses, but you can see the body language of the rider and his confidence in the machine. Or lack there of! While MotoGP has been dominated by Marquez+Honda on a championship level, the individual race weekends are full of surprises.

I'm catching up on Jerez GP, but in qualifying, two satellite/customer riders secured 1st and 2nd grid positions. This past weekend was only the teams 4th GP!!

It took Red Bull 5 SEASONS to qualify 1st-2nd in F1 hybrid era...!

 

[ChaosZeroJK]

would love to see Rossi do some proper 4-wheel circuit racing, he could be very competitive

He competed at the Monza 3 Hours and Nurburgring 3 Hours during the Blancpain Endurance Series in 2012. He also did the Vallelunga 6 Hours in 2009 and a few other minor events.

 

[E304LIFE]

Yes, the fine folks who smile at death on two wheels can also drive cars.

 

[Damage Inc]

I believe Wayne Gardner did JGTC. Only 4 wheeler who went 2 wheels I know of is Schumi.

 

[Alex72]

In the photo it looks like he is about to troll us with that smile.

 

[wombat999]

While Mike Hailwood and John Surtees were stars on both 2 and 4 wheels I doubt the switch would be that successful today. Wayne Gardner had a pretty reasonable career in the Australian Gr.A series but nothing outstanding, while Casey Stoner ran for 888 in the V8 Supercar feeder series for 12 months and decided he preferred fishing. Johnny Ceccoto(?) and Barry Sheene attempted a couple of seasons on 4 wheels which came to nothing. Decades ago IIRC Bob Anderson drove in F1 as a privateer which ultimately cost him his life. Today's bikes are so different to cars that I doubt any of the current group of riders would attempt a career change, all things being equal Dovi is doing this because Audi own Ducati and frankly, he doesn't need the distraction if he expects to do well in the MotoGP championship race.

 

[Andrea9805]

he tested F1 Ferraris as well.

The funny part is that the journalist who is talking in the video is complaining about Ferrari wasting money to give Rossi an F1 car to test instead of other drivers like Mortara.
He complains about Valentino's age saying that he is too old for F1, that the test is pointless and that since Italy is into an economic crisis, Ferrari should have spent their money better.

 

[tazza1986]

It's a marketing move like that of Zanardi last year. I saw it live and a lot of people were certainly tempted by this. Unfortunately the dtm is not very followed in Italy. Without this advertisement I don't think that the racetrack detaches so many tickets