Andrea Dovizioso

Read about Andrea Dovizioso, including career highlights, pictures and news of the road racer right here at Motorcycle USA.

The young Italian racer Andrea Dovizioso has quickly become a rising star on the MotoGP stage. Like most of his colleagues Dovizioso started riding at a young age. After being introduced to mini-moto at age four, he went on to win two national championships in short order. At 14 he won the 2000 Aprilia Challenge at Misano. The following year he won both the Italian and European 125cc Championships.

At 16, when most people are learning how to drive on four wheels, Dovizioso was shooting up through the 125cc World Championship. Riding for Team Scot Honda he won the 125cc World Championship in 2004 with five victories and six more podium finishes. In 2005, Team Scot Honda moved Dovizioso into the 250cc World Championship where he won the Rookie of the Year award for his five podiums and third-place overall finish in the championship. The next two years saw Dovizioso challenge for the championship, but both times he settled for second to current MotoGP rider, Jorge Lorenzo.

In September 2007, Dovizioso announced that he would make the move to MotoGP with his existing team in 2008. Dovizioso's rookie year was a huge success considering the depth of talent in the field. He notably passed Valentino Rossi on the last lap at the Qatar circuit to take fourth. He proceeded to be one of Honda's most consistent riders, placing fourth and fifth on several occasions, and achieving a third-place podium finish at Malaysia's Sepang GP. He finished fifth overall, making him the highest placing privateer of the 2008 MotoGP Championship. It was no surprise that the factory Repsol Honda team snatched the young Italian for their 2009 campaign. But Dovizioso suffered multiple crashes during the season and ultimately missed fifth-place by a single point.

The Italian returned in 2010 with Repsol Honda, this time earning seven podium finishes and a pole victory. Dovi was extremely consistent throughout the championship, placing within the top-five for most races and earning fifth overall in the series.

For 2011 Dovizioso has re-signed with Repsol Honda, and will be joined by teammates, Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner.