Can Iannone's MotoGP career be saved?

In the 1970s, motorcycle racers were no strangers to drugs. But rather than using them - and you can bet a fair few partook - riders, generally privateers, would often find themselves smuggling drugs across continental Europe.

Riders would tour from race track to race track to make a bit of money, largely to keep their (legitimate) speed habit ticking over in the days when race organisers were just as corrupt and steadfastly neglected to cough up any meaningful start money.

Thankfully, those - admittedly quite rock and roll - days are long gone. And it's a different war on drugs that motorcycle racing - and the wider world of sport as a whole - now faces.

The latest casualty is Aprilia's Andrea Iannone. The one-time MotoGP race winner has been handed an 18-month competition ban by MotoGP's governing body the FIM, after he was found to have taken a banned anabolic steroid - drostanolone - late last year.

This saga began back in November at the Malaysian Grand Prix. Iannone submitted a urine sample for testing by the FIM - which bases its anti-doping code on the model set out by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) - which tested positive for the banned substance.

A B-sample taken also tested positive for the drug. Iannone was subsequently handed a suspension pending a hearing, which came into force on 17 December and carried on through February's pre-season tests at Sepang and in Qatar.

Iannone attended a hearing to plead his case on 4 February, where the suspension was upheld while verdict had yet to be reached.

He then submitted a hair sample. Urine samples only offer a small window of accuracy, while drug traces can be found in hair samples from several months prior. Iannone hoped this would prove the innocence he had always maintained.

The 30-year-old Italian was steadfast in his belief that he ingested the drostanolone substance accidentally through contaminated food.

Steroid use in meats to increase the growth of livestock in parts of the world is a common practice, but drostanolone is unlikely used in this process as it is a fairly expensive drug compared to the those used for livestock. Typically, drostanolone is used by boxers and MMA fighters as a means shedding weight - a counterproductive process in meat production.

Iannone then submitted a hair sample. Urine samples only offer a small window of accuracy, while drug traces can be found in hair samples from several months prior

However, Iannone's claims held up in court. Judges deemed his ingestion of the steroid wasn't intentional, but this did not detract from the fact he still tested positive for a banned substance. An 18-month ban is lenient considering he could have been benched for four years.

Shortly after the news came through of Iannone's punishment, Aprilia issued a statement, in which CEO Massimo Rivola branded the decision as "absurd". He feels past precedent had to be followed and Iannone should have been completely acquitted, as other athletes have been involved in similar incidents and not been punished.

Aprilia vowed to stand by Iannone as he seeks an appeal, which he has 21 days from now to lodge with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

But does Iannone have a leg to stand on here?

Rivola's claims aren't incorrect. In 2004, former world number four seed tennis player Greg Rusedski was cleared of doping infringements, after he tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone in July of '03. He ingested the substance through contaminated pills handed out by trainers employed by world tennis body ATP, as were numerous others. His successful defense centred around seven other players being acquitted in identical cases.

Probably the most famous anti-doping case in motorsport in recent years revolves around two-time grand prix motorcycle race winner (250cc/Moto2) Ant West (above).

The Australian rider was banned from FIM competition for a month after he tested positive for a banned substance during the French Grand Prix weekend in 2012. West had opted for a workout drink instead of breakfast the morning of his test, but unbeknownst to him, the drink had been added to the FIM's banned substance list due to it containing traces methylhexaneamine.

A year later, WADA appealed the FIM's ban, claiming it was too lenient. West was hit with a retroactive 18-month ban, which robbed him of all results up to that point - including two podiums in 2012.

West fell foul of anti-doping regulations in 2018 when racing in the World Supersport Championship, and launched a tirade earlier in the year on Facebook against the FIM after he was hit with further punishment for racing in the Brazilian Superbike series while still under FIM suspension.

West's case isn't really comparable to Iannone, though, as his was down to a rider not paying attention to regulation updates - though West claimed at the time the substance had not been added to the FIM's banned substance list.

There is a precedent that could well mean Iannone is completely acquitted. But it's a guarantee of nothing. CAS will make the final ruling, though it is worth noting that CAS was softer on West than WADA, who wanted a two-year ban to be imposed.

Should Iannone's ban be upheld, it's pretty much game over for his MotoGP career.

Rivola said earlier in the year that a lengthy ban for Iannone would almost certainly end their partnership.

"If he had to be banned for one or two years, it's clear the relationship would end," Rivola stated. "But if he were to take a reprimand or three months, it would mean his innocence would have been acknowledged, even if he was sanctioned."

Iannone's ban is currently due to end on 21 June 2021. With his Aprilia deal up for renewal at the end of this season, there will be no place for him at the team. If Aprilia has been able to lock down a high-value rider as a replacement, it will likely be for two years to keep in line with the contract cycles of rest of the factory riders.

Shortly after the news came through of Iannone's punishment, Aprilia issued a statement, in which CEO Massimo Rivola branded the decision as "absurd"

Having fallen out of favour with Ducati and Suzuki, it's hard to see any other manufacturer picking up the flawed Italian. A satellite team could offer salvation, but with Pramac, LCR, Petronas SRT and Tech3 all factory-backed and seats likely to be filled by established superstars or the new generation of talent, there will likely be limited room for a baggage-laden 31-year-old come 2022.

Should Iannone be fully acquitted, it's likely he'll remain with Aprilia beyond 2020 if he shows well on the bike when racing resumes, assuming he can attend another hearing during the coronavirus-enforced hiatus. Rivola remains committed to both Aprilia's riders in the long-term.

Aprilia's unshakeable belief in Iannone's innocence has to be admired. But it must be wary, as it has worked far too hard to produce a bike for 2020 which offers it a platform from which to launch a proper challenge in MotoGP.

It would be a shame for that work to be shrouded in doubt by its own convictions to a rider who will forever remain under the gun...