Iannone makes surprising return to the MotoGP scene

MotoGP race winner Andrea Iannone will make a surprise return to the grand prix paddock, racing in the new Bagger World Cup support series.

Iannone, now 36, competed in MotoGP full-time between 2014 and 2019 - before his career there came to a sudden halt due to a doping ban, originally set at 18 months but extended to four years after an appeals process.

He returned to full-time competition at the international level in 2024 in World Superbikes, claiming a win and a handful of other podium finishes across two campaigns as a Ducati privateer, and also made a MotoGP return as a VR46 Ducati injury stand-in.

But Iannone has not been racing in 2026. After a split with the GoEleven Ducati team (which has brought in Lorenzo Baldassarri instead), he had announced an intention to compete with his own outfit Cainam Racing ('Maniac' backwards, this being Iannone's racing nickname) but that entry never really appeared into reality to progress beyond the announcement.

He will now ride for Indonesian entry Niti Racing in the Harley-Davidson Bagger series, joining the grid as its 10th rider from round two onwards.

"I like challenges, especially when they take you out of your comfort zone," said Iannone, pictured above with team manager Angela Khuu. "This is something completely different, and that’s exactly why I said yes.

"I’m approaching this first race without having tested the bike, and with one less test than the others. That reflects my mindset: I embrace challenges and actively look for them. Mugello is the perfect place to start, in front of the Italian fans, on a track I know very well.

"I’m not coming here just to participate. I want to understand the bike quickly and be competitive straight away. Let’s see what we can do."

How the Bagger World Cup began

Effectively the replacement for the suspended MotoE series as a MotoGP undercard, the Bagger World Cup began in March at COTA - but will contest the rest of its six-round inaugural season in Europe.

A nine-rider opening round featured a considerable field spread (four seconds covering, in qualifying spec, the pack of Harleys based on the Grand American Touring model) - but the two races both featured a really close battle for victory.

Eric Granado and Archie McDonald monopolised the win battle in the first race, McDonald prevailing after Granado lowsided out of the lead, while race two featured a drag race to the line between McDonald and Oscar Gutierrez (separated by 0.030s at the line in Gutierrez's favour, albeit with McDonald assessed a time penalty).

Gutierrez and sometime Moto2 racer Dimas Ekky Pratama are Iannone's two team-mates at Niti.