"Being able to race in WorldSBK in 2024 would be very nice" – Andrea Iannone
A MotoGP™ Grand Prix winner and big character, Andrea Iannone is lining up a return to racing and declared his interest in joining the WorldSBK family in 2024
The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is surging through its schedule with each round providing new stories, on-track or off it. The latest bombshell has been that MotoGP™ Grand Prix winner Andrea Iannone has thrown his hat in the circle for a ride in 2024, as he looks to make a comeback to racing after a four-season absence. Could ‘The Maniac’ be a regular in the WorldSBK paddock?
Iannone was sanctioned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after violating an anti-doping rule, effective from December 17th, 2019. That means that on the same date in 2023, Iannone will be eligible to compete again. Before the ban, Iannone was a factory Aprilia rider in MotoGP™ but his greatest success came aboard Ducati machinery, with a maiden podium in 2015 at Lusail, whilst he ended the manufacturer’s win drought in 2016 at the returning Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, his only win. Four podiums followed in a two-year spell aboard Suzuki machinery.
In the WorldSBK paddock at Misano, Iannone – who was spotted talking to his old MotoGP™ team boss Davide Tardozzi – gave his thoughts on the paddock: "The level of WorldSBK has grown a lot and I find it a very interesting Championship! The air is light in the paddock and I breathed a lot of passion and a lot of sport inside. Alvaro has always been a great World Champion.”
Continuing to talk about his former MotoGP™ rival, Iannone turned attention to the Bautista-Ducati combination and also the prospects of Iannone himself coming to the WorldSBK paddock, something he’s keen for: “I think that the form of Alvaro and Ducati is an incredible combination right now. It's true that I tried the road version of the Ducati Panigale V4 R at Misano and I really liked it. Being able to race in WorldSBK in 2024 would be very nice. We'll see!"
On the grid of Race 1, Iannone was interviewed, saying: “WorldSBK is really amazing, everybody is close and it’s exciting! It’s a really strong fight between Ducati and Yamaha. In any case, I look to the future. Maybe one day, it’s possible that I come back here!”
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