Andrea Dovizioso confirms 2012 deal with Yamaha Tech3 squad – MotoGP news
Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso has seemingly confirmed a deal for the 2012 MotoGP season with the Yamaha Tech3 squad.
The deal signed is said to be a one-year one, just for the debut 1000cc season.
After the recent contract extension offered to Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli, Dovizioso has preferred to chose HRC rivals in the premier class. Dovizioso’s compatriot has been facilitated with the third and last factory setup supported RC213V.
Apparently, the Honda Gresini team boss Fausto Gresini was also looking forward to sign a deal with Andrea Dovizioso if he could lease another factory RCV for the Italian. However, HRC favoured Simoncelli after a strong effort from Gresini.
Form the last couple of rounds, the Tech3 team boss Herve Poncharal was continuously trying to convince the Italian rider to accept the offer. Now as per contract, Dovizioso will be seated as a teammate to MotoGP rookie Cal Crutchlow.
Dovizioso also had talks with LCR Honda during last few events. On the other side, Herve Poncharal was aiming to secure a strong ride for the 2012 season as Colin Edwards had moved to Forward Racing for the next season.
The empty seat left by Edwards was to be filled by Eugene Laverty, Bradley Smith or Stefan Bradl along with a strong option of Dovizioso. Other than Dovizioso, no one had a previous experience of the MotoGP class, but Laverty was running a 1000cc Yamaha
R1 in the World Superbike Championship.
Laverty being a Yamaha factory rider in the WSBK series had a great chance to be seated in Tech3 squad. However, he had no MotoGP prototype riding experience to match Dovizioso’s brilliancy.
The Italian had raced with HRC for a long time and has developed a good relationship with Honda. Apparently, he was not willing to switch to another manufacturer for the 2012 season, but the reduction in budget of HRC forced him to make a move.
Dovizioso has made significant progress in the 2011 season with the development of RC212V. He has managed five podiums in the running season and seats at third position in the world championship, even without any win.
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