Andrea Iannone returns to MotoGP paddock in Harley-Davidson support series

Former MotoGP and WorldSBK star Andrea Iannone will return to full-time competition in the new FIM Harley-Davidson Baggers World Cup, a support series that features races across six MotoGP weekends.

The FIM Harley-Davidson Baggers World Cup debuted this season as its own championship within the programme at MotoGP grands prix. The first event took place at the United States GP and saw nine motorcycles compete.

The championship has now announced the arrival of Iannone, who will race with the Niti Racing team at the series’ second round in Mugello.

The Indonesian Harley-Davidson Baggers outfit debuted with excellent results in the first round of the season, taking a tight victory in the second race at the hands of Oscar Gutierrez. The Spanish rider will now be joined by the Italian making one of the strongest line-ups in the series.

The debut of the rider from Vasto will be the Mugello round scheduled between May 29 and 31. With this announcement, the Niti Racing team’s line-up is completed and the grid of the series is expanded to 10 riders.

Iannone is one of the most recognised names in motorcycling in recent years, a race winner both in MotoGP and in the Superbike World Championship. However, he was forced away from full-time competition in 2019 after failing a drugs test. He later returned to MotoGP for a race with VR46 in 2024, and has completed two seasons in WSBK.

Andrea Iannone has been competing in Superbikes

Photo by: Gold and Goose

The Italian will bring his experience, aggressive riding style and strong racing instinct to the MotoGP support series, so is expected to be one of the favourites to take the first World Cup title.

"I am not coming just to take part"

"I like challenges, especially when they take you out of your comfort zone," Iannone explained. "This is something completely different, and that is precisely why I said yes. I am very excited to start this new chapter, since I have always admired Harley-Davidson and its iconic community of riders.

"These bikes have a strong personality, they must be respected, but at the same time they can be pushed to the maximum. In that sense, we are quite similar, and I think that is why this project suits me like a glove."

The Italian admitted that, for the moment, he has not been able to get on the motorcycle with which he is going to compete.

"I approach this first race without having tested the motorcycle and with one race weekend less than the others,” he said. “But that only reflects my mentality even more: I accept challenges and actively seek them. Mugello is the perfect place to start, in front of the Italian fans, on a circuit that I know very well.”

The rider shows himself ambitious in the face of this new challenge in his career, and assures that he is not coming to parade his fame.

"I am not coming just to take part. I want to understand the motorcycle quickly and be competitive from the beginning. Let’s see what we can do,” he added. “On a more personal level, I feel a strong connection with Indonesia. I greatly appreciate its people and I am excited to begin this path together with Niti Racing and this community.”

The FIM Harley-Davidson Baggers World Cup consists of six rounds and two races per round.

After the first round in Austin in March, the series will continue with events at Mugello (May 29–31), Assen (June 26–29), Silverstone (August 7–9), MotorLand Aragon (August 28–29) and Red Bull Ring (September 18–20).