Andrea Iannone: Italian MotoGP rider has doping ban increased after appeal
- Published
Aprilia had backed Iannone during the Cas proceedings
Italian MotoGP rider Andrea Iannone, who had appealed against an 18-month doping ban, has had his suspension increased to four years.
The 30-year-old was provisionally suspended last December after testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid at the Malaysia Grand Prix.
The Aprilia rider was suspended by governing body the FIM.
But the World Anti-Doping Agency asked for the ban to be extended and the Court of Arbitration for Sport agreed.
Iannone, who has a contract with Aprilia until the end of the 2020 season, said he tested positive because he ingested the banned substance accidentally through contaminated meat.
However, the Cas panel found that Iannone had established "neither the precise type of meat he had consumed nor the origin of the said meat".
In a statement, the sport's governing body said: "The FIM has taken due note of the Court of Arbitration for Sport decision to impose a four-year period of ineligibility on Andrea Iannone."
Iannone, nicknamed 'The Maniac', joined Aprilia in 2018 but struggled to match team mate Aleix Espargaro for most of last season.
6 Degrees from Eddie Hearn: Can the boys track down the boxing promoter?
One Hit Wonders playlist: The biggest tracks that were never topped
