Dovizioso Happy with Honda Testing Role

Andrea Dovizioso, who is now an official factory rider for Honda MotoGP team, reckoned at a Repsol launch event in Palacio de Deportes in Madrid that helping develop the bike and testing the configuration is an "incredible challenge". Moreover, he admitted that replacing former champion Nicky Hayden and becoming an official team member means more responsibility, especially if taking into account that teammate Dani Pedrosa is currently injured and unable to test the bikes.

"It is a great experience and an incredible challenge, something I have already had a chance to see in the pre-season practice sessions," he was quoted as saying by autosport.com

"Being in the official team means that you carry more responsibility. I now have to help develop the motorbike, and that in the world of MotoGP is quite complex. All I did before was to ride and go as fast as possible, refining the set-up, but now I also have to think about how the bike behaves so that its overall performance can be improved."

Andrea Dovizioso, who won the 125cc World Championship in 2004, joined the factory Honda MotoGP team this season to replace former champion Nicky Hayden. The 22-year-old driver admitted he feels the pressure of such an important role and, despite the mediocre performance Honda recorded in the last testing sessions, he's confident the team will do better in the future.

"The bike is going quite a bit better as we have more power coming from the engine, and a new chassis has really helped us with the sensations that the front end transmits to us, it now leans over better," he concluded.