Dovizioso meets fans at Repsol service station opening in Italy

The small town of San Bellino, halfway between Bologna and Venice in the north-east of Italy, became a congregating point for a host of Italian racing fans yesterday as they had a chance to meet Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso in person. The Italian attended an inauguration event at which he and Repsol Italy officials were welcomed by the local authorities, and then went to the opening of the Spanish multinational company’s new service station in San Bellino.

Dovizioso met and greeted the fans who had turned out in their numbers to see him, before climbing onto a Honda Fireblade CBR 1000 RR – which was decorated in a similar manner to his MotoGP machine – and riding to the new service station.

There, Dovizioso became the maiden customer and posed for photographs with fans while signing memorabilia, after which he cut the traditional red ribbon to signal the official opening of the service station, the first to be completely designed and built by Repsol Italy and which adds to the more than 150 already operating in the country.

“I am impressed by the number of fans that have come to see me and it is always good to meet them face-to-face,” said Dovizioso, who currently lies fifth in the MotoGP World Championship standings after a seventh-placed finish in Estoril at the weekend.

“I would like to thank them all for their warm reception, and Repsol and the local authorities for this event. I was already aware that the company was growing in Italy as more and more service stations are opening. There is even one near my home town, in Forli, and I am proud to be a small part of this project,” he concluded.