MotoGP competitor Andrea Dovizioso of Ducati Corse visited World Rally Championship (WRC) driver Sébastien Ogier while he was testing the WRC Polo R in Sardinia, Italy ahead of the Italian round of the WRC. Dovizioso was joined by his girlfriend Alessandra Rossi, and Paolo Ciabatti – Sporting Director at Ducati Corse. He had invited Ogier and his wife Andrea Kaiser to the MotoGP round in Mugello, to give them a behind-the-scenes insight in to the Ducati Corse garage. Motorsports stars have often harboured interests in various formats of racing and have rarely shied away from swapping seats or saddles with their counterparts. Back in 2010, Valentino Rossi slapped on his thin soled shoes and jumped into the Ferrari F1 car and tested it in Spain.
Ogier went on to return the favour and gunned the 318 PS WRC spec Polo R on the dirt roads in Olbia while Dovizioso swapped seats with Ogier’s navigator, Julien Ingrassia to experience WRC speeds first hand. An overwhelmed Dovizioso emerged from the car and said, “You have no idea of how extreme it is, how fast they go in the narrow roads and how powerful these cars are. To be honest, it is the most charged-up and incredible thing I have ever done, by a long shot – MotoGP is nothing compared to this!”
Commenting on his visit to the MotoGP weekend in Mugello, Ogier said, “I love MotoGP and really enjoyed my visit. I’ve always had a lot a lot of respect for the riders’ skills and since Mugello I have had even more respect. The speed is impressive just to watch, it’s hard to imagine what it must be like on the motorcycle. The taxi ride was my way of thanking Andrea for the invitation. And I’m pleased that he enjoyed it!”
