Motorcycle Racing Special 2011 Riders: Andrea Dovizioso at Honda and between two fantastic riders

The fifth rider to go through the 2011 MotoGP Specials is Andrea Dovizioso. The Italian is part of the Repsol Honda team, so he is on one of the strongest teams on the grid of the premier class, but it seems the young man hasn’t quite reached the expected level.

The 2010 season was positive, as he managed to match his best overall riders’ championship result with fifth place, but he couldn’t fight with the four fantastic riders as much as the Italian was expected to, even though in 250cc he showed a good level and in MotoGP in some races.

In 2010 he took part in all 18 rounds of the calendar but failed to win any race, a poor result considering he was riding an Honda RC212V, one of the best bikes on the grid, and that toward the end of the season it was working very well, or at least that’s how it seemed.

He finished second on three occasions and third on four occasions, adding up to a total of 7 podiums in a season and ending with 206 points in the overall standings.

Furthermore, the Italian is easily destabilized by comments, rumors and gossip, as happened when Stoner’s signing and Dani’s renewal were made official, while he had no news despite having fulfilled his contract of finishing in the top five. This would normally trigger an automatic renewal, so despite meeting the minimum targets, he saw almost everyone betting on his departure from the factory team and his move to the satellite team, so that the Australian could fill his seat.

In the end, the factory Honda didn’t want any problems and decided to compete in 2011 with three bikes in the factory team, plus another one for Simoncelli, so Dovi breathed easy in his garage by staying at Repsol Honda MotoGP. But not everything is so rosy, since now he has to prove he deserves to keep that seat, and it won’t be easy, especially against his two teammates, Pedrosa and Stoner.

I think this season, which will start shortly, will be complicated for Dovi unless he gets his act together. If Honda does its job and sets up a good machine, he will have to fight with his teammates to stand out, and it won’t be easy: Stoner showed a lot in the preseason test in Valencia, and Pedrosa had a very good end to last season, winning four races in total.

In short, Dovi has a lot of work ahead of him. He isn’t among my favorites, but I don’t rule him out for a race or two, although I don’t think he can beat the favorites. Let’s see whether time proves me right or wrong. For the record, I think he is a great rider, but he’s missing that click needed to reach the next level.

And what do you think?

We’ll keep an eye on MotoGP.

Photo | MotoGP Official website