Cycle News

IN THE WIND P32 Pramac Would Welcome Back Iannone P ramac Ducati boss Francesco Guidotti has said he would consider welcoming back former team rider Andrea Iannone when his 18-month ban for doping has concluded. Iannone raced for Pramac for the 2013 and 2014 MotoGP seasons, moving into the factory team for 2015 as a replacement to the de- parting Cal Crutchlow. Guidotti be- lieves a future with Iannone could be salvaged, provided he is released from his contract with Aprilia. "There is a very strong emotional bond between us, because we have spent two intense years together," Guidotti told Sky Italia. "Who knows, maybe if the occasion came up again we would discuss it for sure. "It's clear that with him, unlike with others, we didn't reap the benefits of our work because in the two years he was with us we were in a very difficult technical situation. Ducati wasn't as competitive as it is today. "It would be nice to close the circle with Andrea. He took his own path, but there's still a bond. "We are mainly focused on young people, Iannone would come back to us in his 30s, but historically we love him: if we were in the situation that we were miss- ing a rider and he was looking for a bike, we could also do it." Iannone is contacted to Aprilia for the 2020 season, which he will not compete in due to his testing positive to anabolic Drostanolone. Iannone's current boss at Aprilia, Massimo Rivola, said a lengthy ban would likely end Aprilia's and Iannone's relationship. But seeing as the court recognized Iannone ingested the steroid as part of his food and yet still banned him, Rivola called the ruling "absurd" and is standing by his rider. Ian- none will be eligible to race again on June 16, 2021. CN Andrea Iannone's old boss has left the possibility open of him returning to Ducati, but that's a long way off yet. Johnson, Bayle Recovering From Coronavirus F ormer Supercross Champions Ricky Johnson and Jean-Michel Bayle revealed they are both recovering after testing positive for Covid-19. Johnson started feeling symptoms in early March and was eventually tested on March 26. Two days later, Johnson received the results which showed he had tested positive for the virus. At that time, he was already 21 days in, and his worst days were behind. Doctors prescribed rest and hydration. In an Instagram post, Johnson said he felt fatigued and experienced many of the same symptoms of having the flu. Johnson said that he does not know exactly when/how he contract- ed the virus but did say that his wife was feeling ill in February, then recovered, but was never tested. RJ added that he had attended a NASCAR race in Fontana, California, March 1, and rode a Honda Gold Wing from his home in California to Florida to attend Daytona Bike Week. Bayle said via Facebook that he recently went to the hospital with "light symptoms." He said he experi- enced breathing difficulties; however, the hardest part is over and "everything should be in order." CN Former Supercross Champion Rick Johnson said he has recovered from Covid-19.

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