WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team approaches Dovizioso’s farewell in Misano
The San Marino Grand Prix marks the final race for Andrea Dovizioso and round 14 for Darryn Binder in the premier class.
The final chapter is nearly written for the 36-year old Andrea Dovizioso as the Italian will compete in his ultimate Grand Prix at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli this weekend under the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team banner. Therefore, all eyes are on the three times MotoGP Vice World Champion this weekend, who will hang up his leathers following a 20-year long successful career.
After his feeling aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 improved and he managed to rescue one World Championship point last time out in Austria, Dovizioso, who did his first ever 125cc World Championship race in 2001, is seeking to resign in style this weekend at his home track under observation of his family, friends and many fans, before he will be replaced inside the WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team by Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow for the remainder of the season.
At the same time, Darryn Binder will contest his 14th premier class race. The MotoGP rookie delivered a sensational ride on race day in Austria to find himself well in the mix for the points scoring positions in the opening laps. Unfortunately, he went down just before half distance of the race and is aiming to repeat his strong performance in order to bring it over the finish line this Sunday.
The Gran Premio di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini is set to kick off this Friday with Free Practice one at 09:55 local time, followed by Free Practice two at 14:10 local time and will have some small surprises in store for the departing local hero.
ANDREA DOVIZIOSO
“San Marino is the last Grand Prix. It will be very unusual and strange after all my career. Yet, I’m very happy to finish in Misano with all my friends and fans. I hope it will be a great weekend. It’s going to be very important to be competitive, trying to score some points and I think we’ll have a good four days there and a great party.”
DARRYN BINDER
“I’m really looking forward to Misano this weekend, especially after the positives we had in Austria, so I’m looking to just keep building on what we’ve been doing there and just keep making steps forward. On top of that, we’ll have the test on Tuesday and Wednesday after the GP, that gives us some time to keep making steps forward and keep on improving. I’m trying to get a nice and good result in Misano.”
Razlan Razali, Founder and Team Principal WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team
“The Misano Grand Prix will be a special home coming round for the team, for most of ours sponsors, especially our title partner WithU. It will be a special and emotional one, being the last race for Andrea Dovizioso and at the same time his home GP. It’s going to be a exceptional and packed weekend for us and of course, on track, we hope that Andrea can do something well and score some points on his farewell race and we also hope that Darryn can continue his form, this time by trying to finish the race and to collect some points at the same time.”
“Of course, at the same time, it will be our last race together with Ramon (Forcada). It has been a pleasure to work with him since 2019. He is a person with great experience and knowledge, who has won several World Championships. We wish him all the best in his next endeavor and want to thank him for all he has done during his amazing career and contributed to our team since nearly four years now.”
Wilco Zeelenberg, Team Manager WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team
“Misano is always a special race, mainly because of the location on the seaside close to Rimini. Obviously, we have to go to work, but you always meet people that are on their holidays there. So, it’s always nice to come there. This year with round 14 coming up, it’s even more special. Andrea decided to end his career in MotoGP, so it will be his last round. Also due to the fact, that Cal Crutchlow is replacing him and Cal requested to take his crew chief with him during those last six rounds, it looks like it will also be the last round for Ramon (Forcada) with us. Of course, it’s a strange feeling for us, he has been four years with this team and I was working with him since 2010, which means it’s actually 13 seasons together, which is a long time. I’m not sure, how many GP’s he did, but we won three Championships together with Jorge (Lorenzo), which is a big achievement.”
“Saying that, we need to concentrate on the weekend, trying to get the best out of the package. I think we did a great step again last weekend in Austria with Darryn. He was really good there. Unfortunately, he crashed, but he was faster and more consistent. He managed to ride better and easier on his own, so he had a better feeling with the bike, which is important. In terms of Andrea, who scored a point last time out after pushing really hard directly behind factory rider Franky (Morbidelli), it’s obvious that these boys are all fast, but they are not finishing in the places they expect. This is the reason why he decided to stop. But I hope he can really enjoy his final round. We’ve got some nice things coming up together during the weekend, a big dinner and a great party on Sunday, so I only hope he can enjoy it, focusing on his riding. We will help maximum to get the best results.”
