Photo: Audi
The DTM race that will take place on June 8 and 9 at the Misano track in Italy will see one of the iconic riders of MotoGP get inside a four-wheeled vehicle as Audi is trying to find the best replacement for Pietro Fittipaldi.
The German carmaker began coaching the two-time MotoGP runner-up Andrea Dovizioso earlier this week, shortly after the season opener in the series last weekend. The car in which the rider trained was a RS 5, the same he will be racing next month.
Dovizioso, an Italian national born in the Misano area, doesn’t plan for now to make a career from car racing, and the June event is for now only a one-time deal. The rider will be driving the RS 5 of WRT Audi Sport customer team, replacing Pietro Fittipaldi. The Brazilian will have to fill the role of backup driver for Haas at the Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix on that weekend in June.
The MotoGP season is in full swing, meaning Dovizioso had to squeeze the DTM training sessions in an already packed calendar. His next trial outing with the RS 5 will be later this month, on the same Misano circuit he will later compete on.
Despite the challenges posed by his schedule, Dovizioso says he’s thrilled at the opportunity of driving a car as opposed to his regular Ducati Desmosedici GP.
“The car is amazing, but it’s a different challenge compared with my Desmosedici GP and I need to get prepared, so I did many laps in the simulator before stepping into it for the first time,” he said in a statement.
“Misano is a special track for every Italian driver and the place where I scored an incredible win last year so I'm very excited and thankful for this opportunity.”
Dovizioso is 33-years old and he’s currently in fourth place in MotoGP, behind Maverick Viñales, Álex Rins and the competition’s leader, Marc Márquez.
Dovizioso, an Italian national born in the Misano area, doesn’t plan for now to make a career from car racing, and the June event is for now only a one-time deal. The rider will be driving the RS 5 of WRT Audi Sport customer team, replacing Pietro Fittipaldi. The Brazilian will have to fill the role of backup driver for Haas at the Canadian Formula 1 Grand Prix on that weekend in June.
The MotoGP season is in full swing, meaning Dovizioso had to squeeze the DTM training sessions in an already packed calendar. His next trial outing with the RS 5 will be later this month, on the same Misano circuit he will later compete on.
Despite the challenges posed by his schedule, Dovizioso says he’s thrilled at the opportunity of driving a car as opposed to his regular Ducati Desmosedici GP.
“The car is amazing, but it’s a different challenge compared with my Desmosedici GP and I need to get prepared, so I did many laps in the simulator before stepping into it for the first time,” he said in a statement.
“Misano is a special track for every Italian driver and the place where I scored an incredible win last year so I'm very excited and thankful for this opportunity.”
Dovizioso is 33-years old and he’s currently in fourth place in MotoGP, behind Maverick Viñales, Álex Rins and the competition’s leader, Marc Márquez.
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