By Dean AdamsTypically “behind the scenes” films about motorcycle racers and race teams are never truly behind the scenes. Usually they are staged by the manufacturer or a sponsor and are more about helping the manufacturer’s brand or to give some trivial spin to the team’s sponsor. Anytime there is a script it’s not really behind the scenes is it?
That said, Red Bull’s film Andrea Dovizioso: Undaunted is truly a behind the scenes look at the life of factory Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso. Clearly there was no script. It is at times so truly “behind the scenes” that one feels almost like it’s more an invasion of privacy than movie. It is at times a very real look at what it is like behind these scenes in the Ducati MotoGP team for a rider like Andrea Dovizioso. The pained silences and looks of frustration in the garage, of Dovi’ not making much eye contact with his crew when it gets bad show this isn’t just another sponsor spit and polish job. At times this film is actually hard to watch.
Dovi’ is known for his quiet calmness and reasonable, methodical approach to racing. He’s not a rider who is going to “close his eyes” and drop a half second in a desperate bid to score pole when the reality is the bike isn’t really good enough to be on pole. He works in an environment which is, lets face it, haunted by a great ghost. And the name of that apparition is Casey Stoner. Stoner is the benchmark at Ducati whereby all riders are judged. Stoner could pull out a half-second whenever he or the team seemed to need it. It’s clear in this film that Ducati’s managers are both frustrated by Andrea Dovizioso and also thankful to be working with him.
It’s well worth watching. The film is here.
