It was a Dovizioso between the past and the present who spoke to Paolo Scalera for Corriere dello Sport in an exclusive interview. The rider from Forlì recalls the years of his move from the intermediate category to the premier class, then giving his analysis of the season that will kick off this afternoon. He talks about the promising Italian motorcycle racing talent, the senators, but also about the rivals. Here is an excerpt of the Italian rider’s interview.

“It is very nice to see so many Italian riders who are championship contenders in Moto2 and Moto3 this year - acknowledges Andrea Dovizioso, who adds - Last year 'our boys' already won a lot of races, but this year will be even more important. In Moto2 all the conditions are right to do really well both with Morbidelli and Baldassarri.”

The Italians may have even more of a chance for the title in Moto3.

“I thought that Bastianini was ready last year already, but he hadn’t made that one last click... maybe he will be able to do it this year, also because he is on the team where he wanted to be. And then there is Romano Fenati who, among other things, is on the team that I won my championship title with in 2004. There are a lot of excellent mechanics, plus he has a Honda. I think that is the best combination for him.”

Compared to the past, what has changed in the smallest engine size?

“The difference between the current Moto3 and the 125 where I raced is incredible. I remember that when I got to the championship it took a year to be a podium contender. Today everything is quicker. I don’t know why there is this difference because by now I am quite a distance from the problems in that category. I don’t know if these young guys are just more clever and quicker of if the senators are missing. In the past, with no age limit, you stayed in 125 longer and then not everyone was trying to get out of the category quickly.”

Do you remember your move to the premier class in 2008?

“That was a tough move for me. Going from a two-stroke engine to a four-stroke was easier – it helped. Sure, getting used to the carbon brakes wasn’t immediately easy, also considering the fact that the bike I rode was simpler to handle because it wasn’t at the top in terms of performance.”

Let’s talk about you senators: we are ready to start.

“It has been said several times: Viñales is starting as the favourite, but he is well aware of how strong his rivals are. He did well on the Suzuki but with the Yamaha he is even better. However, we won’t see the difference we saw in the tests between Maverick and the rest of the group.”

Is there really all that difference between Maverick and Valentino?

“Valentino is not starting off in the best situation, but he will be a podium contender in Qatar and from there on he will only be able to improve.”

Have you at least decided what aerodynamics package to use at the start? Making the right choice could be a nice advantage.

“The Aerodynamics? Everyone has invested, but Ducati has done something a bit more researched, just as our winglets were more researched. They worked harder on it, because they understood the problem better and so our result will be better than that of our rivals, but that does not mean that we will necessarily use it.”