An interview with Andrea Dovizioso released following last week's second 2010 pre-season test session at Sepang, which the Repsol Honda rider finished as the top RCV rider in seventh pla♔ce, albeit 1.17sec behind Valentino Rossi (Yamaha)...

Q:
First of all, congratulations on becoming a father... is it difficult to ride at 300 km/h knowing thaඣt little Sara is waiting for you at homꦆe?

Andrea Dovizioso:
That is something I thought about when I heard the news, but I'm young and very focused on what I want to achieve, so I didn't think that it was going to change me, and that's how it's been. I'm very focused on my work and it's not a problem. To be honest, it's an experience tha🐲t can only go well for me.

Q:
It is harder for you to spend more ꧒time away from home now🅠?

Andrea Dovizioso:
We've just started the championship, so not yet, but maybe later on. She was born in mid-December, so I've been training for two and a half months,🐓 but also spending time with my daughter and her mother.

Q:
🐬Let's talk about bikes. You had a good start to the year here a few weeks ago, and over the last two days you have confirmed th🔯at you are moving in the right direction... Are you satisfied with the work that Honda has done over the winter?

Andrea Dovizioso:
I'm ༺very happy because they have worked really hard and it was important for the factory to understand the modifications that had to be made and above all, because it's been confirmed that this wor✃k has been well-done. It's also true that we can't stop at what has been done and that we must improve more, because we aren't fast enough, but I'm happy.

Q:
Did you askဣ HRC for a lot of changes after the first t꧃est in Sepang?

Andrea Dovizioso:
Yes many things, because there wasn't enough time in the first test to check everything. They have made changes, even my position on 🙈the machine, which seems trivial, but it can change the performance a lot. With these changes we are heading in the direction that we think is the right direction. Problems arise, but that's normal and we are trying to resolve them.

Q:
Have you received all that material?

Andrea Dovizioso:
Yes, and I'm very happy with the work they'v▨e done, although there is still more to do.

Q:
What lies ahead for the Qatar test?

Andrea Dovizioso:
I don't know ඣyet, because we have to talk to the team. The Qatar Circuit is very special and therefore, what happens there will not be very indicative, but we want to do better than here. We will do the tests and see our potential because we have had two tests in Sepang on a track that I like and we'll need to see our level there.

Q:
What level of evolution do you think🦩 the new machine ha🥀s reached?

Andrea Dovizioso:
Everything depends on the Bridgestone tyres because it is an extremely important aspect. If yಌou don't build a machine that makes the most of them, you can ride however you want but you won't win. So, the work on is focused on that.

Q:
Are you happy with the Ohlins suspension?

Andrea Dovizioso:
Yes, I felt comfortable straight෴ away, although the machine is different to last year's. We don't have any serious problems and these tests have confirmed the solutions, because the soꦛlutions we had found for certain problems have fixed them.

Q:
What are the strong points of the🍨 Honda RC212V 2010 and what needs improvin🍌g?

Andrea Dovizioso:
It's easier to ride than last year's machine, which is the most importa🏅nt. It is more balanced and a little easier to control, but that is still its weakest point because it's not easy enough.

The 800cc MotoGP ✨machines need to be easy to ride to the li💙mit, not like the 990cc, which were so powerful and heavy that you skidded and that was normal. These machines need you to be very accurate and must be easy to control in order to maintain the pace.

The machine is fast, but it's not easy to clock up good times and that's a big probl꧑em for today's MotoGP mac🤪hines.

As well as being a little faster, that's where Valentino's [Rossi] advantage is, because they don't seem to have to make such an effort to get good times and they can maintain them more easily. It'🍒s important to become more consistent and then we'll focus on that little bit of extra speed we need.

Q:
Have any 🔯of the rookies surprised you in these tests?

Andrea Dovizioso:
Here; not really. In Valencia, Spies surprised🦩 me, but I haven't seen him much here.

Q:
This season there will be five Italians in MotoGP, with Sim♒oncelli joining a Honda satellite team; it is something that affects you in any way?

Andrea Dovizioso:
No, it's nice. Last year, there were five of us and it's nice that there are so many Ita🌄lians, especially riders that I've known since I rode in mini-motos.

Q:
Will you be ready in time for the first race of the season; the team, the❀ machine and you?

Andrea Dovizioso:
We'll have to do the Qatar test to know for sure. I can't say that it's ready to win but we will be ready earlier and better than last year. Man🌊y things change during the season because everything is different in the races. We're much better prepared than a year ago and I'm very happy about that. It's not enough to be able to say that I'm going to play for the world championship, but it's 💙what we are working for.

Q:
How did the new machine pe⛄rform in t▨he race simulation?

Andrea Dovizioso:
I did 16 or 17 laps and it wasn't perfect, because the conditions were very extre⛄me [hot]. For the rider, it's important to do a simulation because they are very tough conditions and secondly, the performance of the machine changes a lot and many different problems arise.