Andrea Iannone: “I stopped following MotoGP and started following WorldSBK”

Andrea Iannone’s return to world championship racing has been nothing short of brilliant, following a four-year doping ban.

‘The Maniac’ secured a podium in his first WorldSBK race before challenging for P3 in the final race of the season-opener at Phillip Island. 

• Scott Redding admits Catalunya test ‘rather difficult, struggled with the same thing’ 

• Andrea Locatelli ‘not fully there when trying to push, but confidence is high’

Iannone then built on the opening round of the year by finishing last week’s Catalunya test fourth fastest. 

The Italian has not lost any of his talent despite being out of the sport for four years, and speaking to WorldSBK.com, Iannone detailed what his time away has been like.

“My four years without racing… in the beginning, it was dramatic,” began Iannone. “It’s difficult to understand and adapt because I lost my whole life.

“When you lose everything, you are a little bit disorientated. It’s like a big crash, but when you have a big crash, maybe you stop for a year. 

“I stopped for four years. It’s tough to explain this situation. I felt a lot of support from my fans, my family, and my friends but it wasn’t easy.

“Especially in the first year, I was a little bit more closed in on myself but, step by step, I started to live a normal life a little bit.

“I stopped following MotoGP and started following WorldSBK. I don’t know why but this is the reality. When I followed some races, I felt like I wanted to be in the races and the battle, and this is why I started talking with Gigi Dall’Igna sometimes. 

“One day, I went to Misano with my father and met him. We spoke a little bit and he said, ‘So, Andrea, you want this, and you think you’re ready?’. I told him I was. I’m back after a long time, I’m really excited for this comeback.

“I’m happy, I live this dream. I won’t recover what I lost; it’s impossible, but in part, I want to try to recover my happiness.”

With less pressure on his shoulders compared to MotoGP, Iannone also uttered similar words to the likes of Alvaro Bautista, Iker Lecuona and Remy Gardner, who also came across following spells in MotoGP, which is to do with the unique atmosphere of the Superbike paddock.

A championship that was very uncompetitive, Iannone believes that has changed in recent years and particularly in 2024.

Iannone said: “WorldSBK is really good, the atmosphere in this paddock is fantastic. I felt a lot of passion for motorsport, for the bike, it’s a really good energy for me.

“All my career, I thought it was the best championship. Now I’m here and want to enjoy it.

“The level is really high because every rider is fast. I think the first 10-12 riders are really fast.”