Happiness and sorrow for Dovizioso to end JiR Team Scot stay

Andrea Dovizioso places fourth in final race for JiR Team Scot to close fruitful rookie season.
Andrea Dovizioso in the JiR Scot garage

Andrea Dovizioso just missed out on a second podium in his final race for JiR Team Scot in the season closing Grand Prix, and focused most of his post-race attention to thanking his longtime associates. The Italian was once again ahead of factory rider Nicky Hayden in the Valencia race, and performed his own changing of the guard in handing over his RC212V to successor Yuki Takahashi upon arrival in the garage.
Andrea Dovizioso - Fourth

`This was my last race with my team, with whom I´ve been with for seven consecutive years. I still remember when running in the Italian Championship, being contacted by them to join the team. From tomorrow I will be an official Honda rider and this is the achievement of a dream, but there is also sorrow to leave a team that has always believed in me, that gave me the opportunity to contest the MotoGP championship. We have had a good season, often in front of `official´ factory machines and we achieved all the goals we set ourselves. Today in the race, I started well but after that I knew things would become difficult. I lost time overtaking both Nicky Hayden and James Toseland, but I was not able to stay with Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi. For next year I will have a motorcycle which I can develop and also I will have a new team with different working methods. I know I must still improve, I will have to understand how to steer the development of the motorcycle, and in the race I must be more consistent. There will be equality of tyres also, which will be good for me. Today I left my bike with Yuki Takahashi, as he is coming to this category, and he was my teammate in 250s. I think he could do well in MotoGP, as in recent years he has had injuries that have influenced his results, but he has come back so strong. His approach to it will be interesting, as with MotoGP, at first it seems easy but then it becomes very challenging!´