Andrea Iannone: SBK World Championship the reality, MotoGP the dream / Superbike World Championship

Scary kid Andrea Iannone has been making headlines again for a few weeks now. The Italian, who had to serve a four-year ban for suspected use of anabolic steroids and returned with Go Eleven Ducati, has already secured two podium places. In the World Cup table he is in fifth place after the first two stops and is a personal best.

One thing is clear: the former Suzuki, Ducati and Aprilia factory rider has set his sights on MotoGP even after the ban. And according to his own statements, he is now even thinking about the Ducati MotoGP test. “I know that I can still dedicate myself and compete at a high level. “I don’t rule out future Desmosedici tests,” Iannone told La Gazzetta dello Sport. Thanks to his good relationship with Gigi Dall’ Igna, this could actually be a reality, as the great master of Ducati already helped with the Superbike program.

However, MotoGP tests are usually only possible for special exhibitions. For example, Michael Rinaldi (even victory) and Danilo Petrucci also got podium places as private drivers without receiving such a test as a reward.

The truth is: a rider of Iannone’s stature will not be satisfied with a place in a customer team for long in the World Superbike Championship. At 34, he has neither the time nor the desire for that. For now, what will matter to him is whether world champion Alvaro Bautista retires at the end of 2024; Then the way will be clear to join the Superbike World Championship factory team with Nicolò Bulega. However, if Adrian Huertas wins the Supersport World Championship, the young Spaniard will also be Aruba.it’s candidate in the top category.

Iannone will certainly have been watching closely as new BMW Motorrad boss Markus Flasch spoke about a possible move into MotoGP in an exclusive interview with SPEEDWEEK.com. However, this will not happen until 2027, when new technical regulations will be applied to the model range. Then Iannone would already be 37 years old and would really only be a candidate as a test and development driver.