MotoGP Mugello - Preview

[KUCIAR666]

Fiat Yamaha head home to magical Mugello

The Fiat Yamaha Team head to their home track of Mugello this weekend, which lies just a couple of hours drive south of their European base close to Milan. They arrive in Tuscany flying high at the top of the championship, with Jorge Lorenzo just ahead of Valentino Rossi on points. The riders have three wins and a further three podiums between this season.

The 23-year-old Lorenzo is in dominant form, having won the last two races in Spain and France to take his MotoGP win tally to seven since 2008. The Spaniard enjoys the high-speed Mugello circuit, where he won in 2006 on the way to his first 250cc title. He crashed out on his Italian Premier-Class debut in 2008 but in 2009 he recovered from a sighting-lap crash to take a strong second and get a taste of Mugello mayhem from the podium, when the fans traditionally storm onto the track to flood the finish straight.

Reigning World Champion Rossi has an unequalled record with his beloved Mugello having won there nine times in fourteen years, which included an extraordinary run of seven consecutive victories to 2008. Last year he had to be content with a slightly different view from the podium in third place but he will be out for win number ten this weekend as he bids to close the gap to his team-mate, which currently stands at nine points.

The spectacular Mugello circuit is one of the fastest in the world, with the 1,141m main street tempting the 800cc bikes to speeds of over 320km/h, before braking into the awesome downhill right-hander. The track is also one of the widest on the calendar and boasts some high-speed chicanes and frequent changes of gradient. It generally brings about some superb racing, all played out in the unrivalled atmosphere created by the fanatical Italian fans who throng the hillsides to cheer on their heroes.

Jorge Lorenzo - "The best circuit in the world"
"Last year Mugello was one of my best races! I crashed in the warm-up lap, but otherwise it was almost perfect and I was so happy to get on the podium. The sessions and the race were amazing because the weather kept changing. For me, Mugello is the best circuit in the world, joint with Phillip Island. It's a classic circuit with many ups and downs and an incredible atmosphere. I have had a great start to the season and once again our aim will be to be strong from the first day and get on the podium."

Valentino Rossi - "An incredible place to ride a motorcycle"
"After another rest I hope my shoulder is fully recovered and that I will be back to full strength for Mugello, my home race. We had some problems in Le Mans so we will be working hard from the first session to make sure that we're back to our best. Mugello is an incredible place to ride a motorcycle, there is nowhere else like it in the world with all the tifosi around the hills and when you go out for the first lap the sound is something amazing. I always look forward to racing there and I hope we will be in good shape this weekend."

Wilco Zeelenberg - "A close team"
"Jorge is riding in a very mature and focused way, and now he goes to Mugello which he loves and which is the home race for many of our team. Our team is very close now and working very well together, Jorge trusts us to make the right decisions for him and we have seen the rewards of this partnership in the first three races. We're looking forward to Mugello and we will be aiming for the podium once again."

Davide Brivio - "Our home race"
"Mugello is our home race and it's always fun to go there for all the team. It's a special place with an incredible atmosphere and all the fans make a huge party. It's one of Valentino's best tracks, even though he didn't win there last year for the first time in years! He's had some more time to recover from his shoulder now and we will be working hard from the first session in our team to be as strong as possible."

Valentino Rossi : Information
Age: 31
Lives: Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 104 (78 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 229 (169 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 59 (49 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
World Championships: 9 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 6 x MotoGP)

Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 23
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 28 (7 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 131 (36 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 35 (9 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 2 (250cc, 2006/7)

Mugello: Record Lap
C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'50.003

Mugello: Best Lap
V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2008, 1'48.130

Grand Prix Results: Mugello 2009
1. C. Stoner (Ducati) 45'41.894
2. J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) +1.001
3. V. Rossi (Yamaha) +2.076

 

[KUCIAR666]

Capirossi hoping for home success in the Tuscan countryside

Rizla Suzuki is on its way to Mugello in Italy with Loris Capirossi aiming to kick-start his season on home soil.

Capirossi has failed to finish the last two Grands Prix due to unexplainable crashes and is determined not to let that statistic hinder him as he aims for his 100th career podium. Capirossi has a good record at the 5,245m Mugello circuit and narrowly missed a podium place in last year?s race. He has started both Italian Grands Prix in his Rizla Suzuki career from the front row of the grid and is certainly hoping to keep that record intact.

?lvaro Bautista has had time to recover from his recent broken collarbone and a huge high-side crash at Le Mans that forced his withdrawal from the French Grand Prix. He has had plenty of physiotherapy on his numerous small injuries and is convinced he will be fit by the time he takes to the track for the first practice session on Friday morning. Bautista has a fantastic record at Mugello over the past four seasons in the 250cc class, with a front row start in every race - including two pole positions - and filling every podium place in that time.

Mugello is located in a beautiful area of Tuscany just north of Florence. It is one of ? if not the ? most scenic circuits anywhere in the world and this added to a magnificent track makes the Italian Grand Prix one of the must-see races in MotoGP. Thousands of fans will pack the hill-sides of the valley that the track runs up and down to add an amazing atmosphere to what is one of the most impressive spectacles on any sporting calendar.

Rizla Suzuki gets the weekend underway of Friday 4th June with an hour of practice, followed by a further 60-minute session on the next day. Saturday afternoon will see Capirossi and Bautista going all out in qualifying to get the best grid positions for Sunday 23-lap race. The longest race on this season?s calendar ? 120.635km ? gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT) on Sunday 6th June.

Loris Capirossi:

?I am still very disappointed and angry about what happened at Le Mans and Jerez, but that is in the past now and we can?t change that, but we can change what will happen in the future and we?ll certainly be trying to do that. Mugello is a good place to start a strong comeback and I?ll be trying as hard as I can to get the season off the ground. It is a track I love and I know I can go well there. I have a lot of fans and friends who will all be at the track and I will be giving it everything to give them a good result, but most of all we need a good result for the guys in the crew, they have done a great job this year and the bike is much better than 2009, we now need to start getting the results to show that!?

?lvaro Bautista:

?I am feeling a little bit better and I am getting stronger every day. I still have some bruising around my ribs, but that is starting to ease now. I am training to get myself up to fitness in time for Mugello, I think I am about 95% now, but it is that extra 5% that will be the hard bit, so I know I?ve still got a bit of work to do. Mugello is a great track and I have had some good results there and we need to start getting some points, I?ve only finished one MotoGP race and feel like I haven?t really got going yet, so let?s look to Mugello as the start of better things to come.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM HEAD TO MUGELLO FOR FIRST ?HOME? RACE OF 2010

The Ducati Marlboro Team is preparing for the first of two home races this weekend, with the target of making sure both its riders are capable of being competitive on the GP10. So far Casey Stoner has been unable to back up his undoubted pace with the results that truly reflect his talent and the whole team are working to ensure that he can do just that in the Italian Grand Prix.

Nicky Hayden is satisfied with the major steps forward he has taken already this season but the American is keen to continue making improvements as he targets a challenge for victories as the year progresses.

Supporting Ducati at Mugello this weekend, as every year, will be the thousands of Ducatisti who pack out the grandstand in the Correntaio corner.

CASEY STONER, Ducati Marlboro Team
?Obviously Mugello hasn?t come at a positive moment for us but this is our situation and we have to try and look forward, taking things race by race and not worrying too much about the championship. That is what I am most interested in right now and we want to get the bottom of this problem we?re having with the front end. We have a few things to try at Mugello and we will be working as hard as always to achieve our goals. Generally the bike is working well and we have the pace to fight with the guys at the front so it is just a case of continuing to work hard to solve this issue.?

NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Marlboro Team
?I can?t wait to go to Mugello and banish the memory of last year, when I was quite slow in front of the Italian fans and so many people from Ducati. Actually things went better in the race than they had done in practice but then I suffered a problem with my rear brake and the result was anything but good. We?re going into a run of races that could be quite decent for us and we?re confident. Mugello is a circuit that can be really nice to ride or really tough, depending on whether you can get your bike working well and have a good set-up. If you manage that you can have some serious fun. I?m expecting to see a lot of Ducati fans so hopefully I can have fun and they can too.?

FILIPPO PREZIOSI, Ducati Corse General Director
?Casey is definitely going through a difficult period but his talent is under no question and we will keep working calmly, as we always do, to try and improve the situation whether it is from a technical perspective like bringing some new forks, which we?ll be doing this weekend, or working on finding the right set-up for the race. As far as Nicky I cannot compliment him highly enough on the way he approached winter testing and the first few races. We are obviously working with him too to make the GP10 better and at Mugello we?ll have a new "link" to try and making the bike more stable in corner exit.?

THE TRACK
Measuring 5.245km in length, the Mugello circuit is one of the longest on the current MotoGP calendar and it stands out from other fast tracks thanks to the drastic elevation changes and the high-speed chicanes. The main straight, at 1.141km, is also one of the longest on the calendar and it is followed by a blind rise into the tight turn one, San Donato, where the riders? speed drops from around 320km/h to less than 100. The front straight is the fastest part of the track, with the rest an exciting mixture of fast sweepers, quick direction changes and long ?parabolica? corners, without any tight hairpins or stop-and-go sections to break up the flow. It is perhaps because of this that the Tuscan circuit is one of the riders? favourites. Mugello hosted its first GP in 1976 but did not become a permanent fixture on the calendar until major reconstruction works took place in the early 90s.


MUGELLO FACTS

Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati - 2008), 1?50.003 - 171.649 Km/h
Best Pole: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha - 2008), 1?48.130 ? 174.623 Km/h
Circuit Length: 5,245km
MotoGP Race 2010: 23 laps
MotoGP Schedule 2010: 14:00 Local Time
Number of laps: 23
Race distance: 120.635km

PODIUM 2009: 1st Casey Stoner, 2nd Jorge Lorenzo, 3rd Valentino Rossi
POLE 2009: Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha ? 2009) 1?48.987 - 173.250 km/h

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM?S BEST RESULTS AT MUGELLO
2009: 1st (Stoner)
2008: 2nd (Stoner)
2007: 4th (Stoner)
2006: 2nd (Capirossi)
2005: 3rd (Capirossi)
2004: 4th (Bayliss)
2003: 2nd (Capirossi)

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM ? RIDER INFO

CASEY STONER
Age: 24 (Born 16th October 1985 in Southport, Queensland, Australia)
Residency: Switzerland
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP10
GP Appearances: 129 (68xMotoGP, 31x250, 30x125)
GP Victories: 27 (20xMotoGP, 5x250, 2x125)
First GP victory: Valencia, 2003 (125)
First GP: Great Britain, 2001 (125)
Pole positions: 22 (18xMotoGP, 2x250, 2x125)
First pole position: Italy, 2003 (125)
World Titles: 1 (MotoGP, 2007)

MotoGP track record at Mugello:
2009: Qualified: 2nd. Race:1st
2008: Qualified: 4th. Race: 2nd
2007: Qualified: 1st. Race: 4th
2006: Qualified: 9th. Race: DNF

NICKY HAYDEN
Age: 28 (born 30th July 1981 in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA)
Residency: Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
Bike: Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici GP10
GP Appearances: 119 (119xMotoGP)
First GP: Japan, 2003 (MotoGP)
Number of victories: 3 (3xMotoGP)
First GP victory: USGP, 2005 (MotoGP)
Pole positions: 5 (5xMotoGP)
First Pole: USGP, 2005 (MotoGP)
World Titles: 1 (MotoGP, 2006)

MotoGP track record at Mugello:
2009: Qualified: 16th. Race:12th
2008 Qualified: 6th. Race: 13th
2007: Qualified: 13th. Race: 10th
2006: Qualified: 4th. Race: 3rd
2005: Qualified: 4th. Race: 6th
2004: Qualified: 2nd. Race: DNF
2003: Qualified: 17th. Race: 12th



A lap of Mugello with Nicky Hayden is available in html and swf format at:

www.ducaticorse.info
user: comdc
password: ducati2010

 

[KUCIAR666]

PRAMAC RACING TEAM IS GETTING READY FOR THE HOME GRAND PRIX OF MUGELLO

After the positive race of the Pramac Racing Team riders on Le Mans circuit, it is expected now a very important result for both riders on the "home" track of Mugello for the Italian Grand Prix that will take place on Sunday. In the French Gran Prix, both riders did not disfigured, resulting in ninth place with Aleix Espargar? and thirteenth place with Mika Kallio how had to settle the last position after suffering an injury during Saturday morning free practice. Unlucky race for the Finn rider, that has suffered a left shoulder injury after a fall in the second free practice, this has prevented him from taking part to the second free practice and that has affected his performance both in qualifying and in the race laps. The hope is that the treatments that he underwent after the Grand Prix, have served to alleviate his pain and that he will be able to give the best on the circuit that is situated only 100 km from Pramac's headquarters in Casole d'Elsa in Siena province. Great result for the Spanish rookie who gets his first placement in the MotoGP top ten, a good result that makes increase the trust in him and that is served to demonstrate to all its value. Mugello is a fixed stage of the Championship, on Sunday it will take place the twenty-sixth race on the Florence's province track, which equals the Italian record of Monza for the number of Grand Prix made. This event is one of the most favorite by the fans, as they flock for three days all the surrounding areas of the circuit, creating a non-stop-meeting based on the common passion for engines, parties and bikes. The Pramac Racing has always had a good relationship with this track, having finished three times on the third step of the podium the Italian race, the last Pramac rider on the podium here was Barros in 2007. There is also another good result here, in the eight years of operation, the Pramac's riders have always ended this race with the exception of Hofmann's withdrawal in 2006. Past results that gives good feelings for the Sunday's race, where both riders will have the possibility to increase their points and ranking position, which currently sees Kallio twelfth with 12 points and fifteenth Espargaro with 8 points.


Paolo Campinoti - Team Principal Pramac Racing

"Despite our riders have had mixed results, I am fully satisfied with the result obtained on the track of Le Mans. Mika has shown great courage to run in those conditions, has struggled to resist the temptation to retreat and has brought home three very important World Championship points. Aleix has demonstrated the enormous value that he has, I hope that this event marks the turning point to his season. He has been very quick for all the weekend and had the best on some riders with much more experience than him. The Italian Grand Prix in Mugello is what we considered our home Grand Prix, the Pramac headquarters are less than one hundred kilometers away from the track. Here we have always had good results including three third places, two with Biaggi and one with Barros. We have completed the race with both riders earning discrete placements in the past years. Our best year on this track was in 2003, when we finished third with Biaggi and fourth with Tamada. Last year things did not go well, Canepa was in fact ranked ninth, and Kallio thirteenth, the wish is that Mika can recoveries the best as possible from his injury and that he becomes the protagonist of a great race. "


Mika Kallio - Pramac Racing

"On Sunday I will run my twentieth MotoGP Grand Prix, shame to reach this goal with the shoulder in these conditions. I had subject myself to certain therapies and medical care to feel less pain, but I cannot lift or bend my arm so well. I hope that on Sunday I'll feel less pain so that this will allow me to ride in best way my bike. This is considered by my team the home circuit and I will give my best to get a good result. I never got outstanding results on this track, my best finish was fourth place in 2008 driving a 250. Last year I had some bad luck on this track, having started the race in seventeenth position, I had made a good comeback, I was in the sixth position behind the first after nine laps. I had a good race pace but I slipped during the tenth lap, this made me lose several positions. I still ended the race in thirteenth place. "

Aleix Espargaro - Pramac Racing

"I can't wait to run and to try my bike on this track. The Le Mans race has served to increase the confidence in my ability, I struggled and I had the best of some World Champions riders. The team has always been very careful to my instructions and has immediately found solutions to my problems and offered me a perfect bike, easy to drive. At Mugello I had run in the past only four times: two in 125 and two in 250, getting a ninth place as best result in 2008 while I was riding a 250. Here, I also hope, to instantly get confidence with the track so you can try to improve my lap times, lap after lap. "

 

[KUCIAR666]

Honda's Italian MotoGP trio all set for big weekend

This weekend MotoGP looks forward to one of its all-time greatest events ? the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. The fourth round of the 2010 MotoGP and Moto2 World Championships is hugely popular with everyone: riders, teams and spectators.

Mugello has got it all: a superb high-speed circuit nestling in a beautiful Tuscan valley, the hillsides thronged with some of the world?s noisiest, most enthusiastic race fans. And outside you?ll find some of the world?s best restaurants, and only 35 kilometres miles away is Florence, cradle of the Renaissance.

The MotoGP circus always gets an extra special welcome in Italy because five of the best riders on the grid are Italian, three of whom ride Honda machinery: Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V), Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) and Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V).

Dovizioso goes into his home Grand Prix in perfect shape, fresh from a brilliant podium result at the French GP, his second top-three finish from the first three GPs. In last year?s wet-and-dry race at Mugello, the former 125 World Champion finished less than a tenth of a second off the podium, following an entertaining duel with reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha). Dovizioso has only climbed the podium once at his home GP, when he finished third in the 2006 250 GP, aboard a Honda RS250RW.

Dovizioso?s team-mate Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) had a 2009 Italian GP he would rather forget, a heavy race tumble leaving the Spaniard battered and bruised. However, Pedrosa has excelled at Mugello, winning the 250 GP at the track in 2005 and achieving top-three MotoGP results in 2007 and 2008.

Top privateer Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) aims to continue his impressive and super-consistent start to the 2010 MotoGP season with another strong ride. Sixth at the Qatar season opener and seventh at Le Mans two weeks ago, de Puniet has an extra reason to do well at Mugello ? team owner Lucio Cecchinello is an Italian, and himself a former Italian GP winner. Cecchinello won the 2003 125 race at Mugello, beating a certain Dani Pedrosa by seven tenths of a second! Dovizioso was fourth in that race, just another tenth of a second behind!

Italian star Melandri is currently riding a strong curve of improvement, having scored his best result of the season so far at Le Mans. The former 250 World Champion finished sixth at Le Mans, using Showa suspension for the first time this year. Melandri has good form at Mugello ? he won the 2002 Italian 250 GP and has two other podium results in the minor classes ? but has yet to make the top three in the elite category.

Team-mate Simoncelli has also enjoyed success at Mugello, in the 250 class. The hard-riding MotoGP rookie won the 2008 250 GP at the track, on his way to that year?s world title, and finished second last May after a tough battle with Alvaro Bautista, another 2010 MotoGP rookie.

Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V) is another continuing his MotoGP apprenticeship at Mugello. The last-ever 250 World Champion knows that the complex nature of the Italian track will pose him his biggest challenge so far on a MotoGP bike. Mugello is the kind of venue that rewards experience, so Aoyama and his fellow MotoGP beginners have a challenging weekend ahead of them.

Mugello is the kind of fast, flowing track that really allows MotoGP bikes to unleash their awesome horsepower. The circuit is as popular with riders as it is with fans and is also reckoned to be one of the most challenging, with a thrilling blend of fast and slow turns, rapid direction changes, plentiful off-camber corners and an ultra-rapid main straight. Mugello?s complexities are further heightened by a bumpy surface, which, combined with numerous adverse-camber corners, makes front-tyre choice particularly crucial.

Honda has enjoyed great premier-class success at Mugello, first with the NSR500 two-stroke, then with the RCV four-stroke. Honda?s Mugello NSR winners are Freddie Spencer (1985), Mick Doohan (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998), Loris Capirossi (2000) and Alex Barros (2001). Valentino Rossi won the 2002 and 2003 races on his RC211V.

The Mugello event has become one of the most popular GPs since it joined the calendar full-time in 1991, first as the San Marino round and then as the Italian GP. The circuit hosted its first bike GP in 1976 but only became a regular venue after total refurbishment in the early 1990s.

After Mugello the MotoGP World Championship has one weekend off before going into a frantic run of three races on consecutive weekends: the British GP on June 20, the Dutch TT on June 26 and the Catalan GP on July 4.


HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES

Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso says:
?We?re arriving at Mugello in a good situation. Two weeks ago at Le Mans I was able to ride fast, we had a good race and I ended up with a great podium finish ? plus we were quite close to the two Yamahas. I think that if I had been able to qualify further forward, we could have got an even better result. So that result has set us up well for Mugello which is a very special track for me. The circuit is really fascinating to ride - it?s so challenging and demanding to get right and this is what makes it so appealing. Plus the support of the Italian fans is incredible. I like everything here: the people, the circuit, Tuscany, Firenze, the food? I really look forward to racing at Mugello. It?s also a special appointment also for my fans gathered at the Casanova Savelli turns, so I?ll do everything I can to put on a good show for them this weekend.?

Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says:
?Mugello is one of the circuits you always look forward to because the atmosphere is incredible. It?s very similar to Spain, people are very passionate, the viewing areas are normally full from the first day of practice and it helps you to get quickly in the mood for the Grand Prix. We will have to work hard this weekend, for sure, but we are very motivated to improve on the final result we got in France. We are working well with the team, adapting the bike to get the best package possible for each track, and we need to get it absolutely right for the race. I hope we can do that in Italy. This season we go there in much better shape than last year and that's important because Mugello is a physically demanding track to ride, especially in the fast direction changes. The strategy for the weekend is simply to be totally focused and get the maximum out of every session."

LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet says:
?I like Mugello very much but I have never obtained a good result there in the premier class so far. Last year I finished the race in eighth position in strange conditions but I feel more confident this year on this bike. There?s the longest straight of the season and you need to have a really good bike set up to exit the last corner because during the race you can easily get passed by other riders. We will fix the engine mapping to be as fast as possible and we will keep on working in the same direction because our target is to maintain the sixth place in the World Championship.?

Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) says:
?I am happy to be going to Mugello with a more positive mentality than recent races. I had a good race at Le Mans and now I am sure we have the right base to start with at Mugello and can continue to work well. I love this circuit and your home Grand Prix is always a special occasion. Hopefully the weather stays stable, at least for practice so that we can work well and prepare for the race, whatever the conditions are on Sunday. I am feeling positive and looking forward to racing at a circuit I like, with its changes in pace and fast corners and all the fans banked around the circuit ? it is a unique and fantastic place.?

Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) says:
?Mugello is upon us and considering the fact that I could have come away with a much better result at Le Mans than I did I am confident about this one. We made a few changes to the bike in France after warm-up but in the race they didn?t seem to work ? maybe it was because of the higher temperatures. It was a shame because I?m sure I could have made up a few more positions but I?m thinking positive and looking forward to being even faster this Sunday. I have always liked Mugello a lot ? I won there in 2008 and last year in the rain I had a close battle with Pasini but unfortunately lost out at the line. Seeing all the people on the hillsides gives you an extra boost to do well. ?

Interwetten Honda MotoGP rider Hiroshi Aoyama says:
?Mugello is one of the most difficult tracks on the calendar. For me, this track is not very easy. It is a difficult and technically special track. You need to have a really good experience to be up at the front at Mugello. Anyway, I like the circuit. At Le Mans I improved on my performance from the race before, but I want to be better again and to keep improving. I know that we have the potential to be better, so we will try and we will see where we can be.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

Provisional front row for Capirossi at Mugello

Rizla Suzuki?s Loris Capirossi started the weekend of his home Grand Prix in Italy in fine form by securing the third fastest time in the first free practice session.

Capirossi (P3, 1?50.359, 22 laps) tried different set-ups in his two Rizla Suzuki GSV-Rs at the start of the session and once he found the direction he was happy with he made huge steps towards bringing down his lap-times. Despite a crash right at the end of the practice ? from which Capirossi walked away unhurt ? he is in a confident and up-beat mood for the rest of the weekend.

?lvaro Bautista (P17, 155.257, 21 laps) was riding a motorcycle for the first time today since the huge high-side that forced him to withdraw from Le Mans two weeks ago and found it tough around the demanding 5,245m Mugello circuit. He will probably have some pain-killing medication tomorrow to help him overcome discomfort he is suffering and is determined to finish Sunday?s race in a positive frame of mind.

Today?s practice was held in clear and sunny conditions with air temperatures getting up to 26?C and track temperatures reaching 49?C. World Champion Valentino Rossi set the fastest time of the day on his factory Yamaha.

Rizla Suzuki has one more practice session tomorrow morning and a qualifying session in the afternoon to prepare for Sunday?s 23-lap race, which gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

Loris Capirossi:

?Apart from the crash it has been a very positive day here in Mugello! We started with two different bikes and one was very good and gave me a good feeling. Overall I am very happy with the day?s work. I made the mistake and crashed at the end, it was my fault and I know what caused it so it is no big problem. I know we can still improve this weekend and I am confident for the race.?

?lvaro Bautista:

?I had a very hard practice because I thought I was in better condition than I am. I feel better than I did at Le Mans, but it is still very hard to change direction and I don?t have enough strength in my left arm to ride the bike how I would like to. I am using all my body and this is making me go slower than I want. My target this weekend is to get more confident with the bike and to get a good feeling. I am determined to finish on Sunday, so that is my first goal.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?After a difficult start to the year it is obviously encouraging to see Loris put the bike in the top-three. The guys have made some setting changes which have helped his confidence and feedback on the bike. There are still some decent steps to make, but I think we have a good base to work from for the rest of the weekend and although Loris?s bike ended up in the gravel trap at the end, let?s hope that has got it out of the way for the weekend.

?For ?lvaro this afternoon was nothing more than re-acclimatisation and to find out what his body is capable of. After a visit to the Clinica Mobile this evening and perhaps some treatment to reduce the pain significantly tomorrow ? which he didn?t have today ? he should be in a position to improve a lot and to do his best to complete the Grand Prix on Sunday.?

Gran Premio D?Italia Tim Free Practice Classification:

1. Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) 1?49.751: 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) +0.369: 3. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +0.608: 4.Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +1.021: 5. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) +1.022: 17. ?LVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +5.506:

 

[KUCIAR666]

Rossi and Lorenzo top the charts at sun-soaked Mugello

Valentino Rossi looked as happy as ever at his beloved home track of Mugello this afternoon, shaking off the pain of his shoulder injury to set the fastest time on the opening day. His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo was 0.369 seconds behind him in second and the pair looked in command of the situation as this fourth round of the season got underway, deep in the Tuscan countryside
Local hero Rossi has won here an incredible nine times in his career and professes to this being one of his favourite tracks, and the 31-year-old certainly looked at his best today as he topped the standings for almost the entire session. He is still suffering from lingering pain in his right shoulder from the injury he sustained over a month ago, but a good base setting went a long way to allowing him to ride more comfortably today and he and his crew are hopeful of continuing in the same vein tomorrow.
After two wins on the bounce championship leader Lorenzo looked the same confident package today as he lapped consistently fast to finish the day second behind his team-mate. The Mallorcan is planning to try a few changes tomorrow to try to maximise the potential of his M1 around this high-speed track, but he is feeling relaxed after a good start to the weekend.

Valentino Rossi 1st Time: 1'49.751 Laps: 26
"I am so happy to be back here in Mugello and we did a good first practice. We worked well, trying a lot of different settings as well as soft and hard Bridgestone tyres, and we are quite fast. I still have pain in my shoulder but it seems that this track isn't as bad and today I wasn't suffering like I did in Le Mans. Of course we don't know how the shoulder will feel over the weekend but at this early stage I'm quite confident. The important thing is to work at 100% to find the right setting and make sure we're as fast as possible for Sunday."

Jorge Lorenzo 2nd Time: 1'50.120 Laps: 27
"I'm happy about this session and I'm feeling quite good. It's always difficult to be fast straight away here, because you need many laps to understand the track with all its changes in direction, but after I had done some laps I improved a lot. Now we have to try to improve some things on the bike. The most important thing is to get on the front row tomorrow and to do that we need to make some small changes. The weather is hot but it's okay, I'm fit, well prepared and have a good pace already."

Davide Brivio: Team Manager Valentino Rossi
"A very good session for us. Yesterday we had a long meeting and came up with a plan for today, then we tried many different settings and now we have some good information. Valentino is already fast and in the lead so it looks like we've found a good base for this weekend. He still has some pain in his shoulder but we expected this; hopefully if we can set the bike up properly then we can make up for this and allow him to ride how he wants. We've made a great start to the weekend and we will try to continue tomorrow."

Wilco Zeelenberg: Team Manager Jorge Lorenzo
"We're feeling relaxed and confident after this first practice in Mugello and Jorge's lap time is good. We have some ideas to make things even better and we need to work on the ability to turn the bike, because this could be improved at the moment. The set-up is working well so far even if it's not perfect, but we're pleased with the second position. Of course Valentino is very strong here but we have no complaints so far with our performance."

Edwards and Spies on the pace at magnificent Mugello

Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team duo Colin Edwards and Ben Spies were immediately on the pace in Mugello today as Yamaha made a flying start to the Italian MotoGP weekend. Edwards made a welcome return to form after a difficult opening to the 2010 season and a range of set-up changes on his YZR-M1 machine reaped immediate reward for the Texan. Reverting back to the same set-up he used to finish sixth in the 2009 Italian MotoGP, the confidence Edwards has lacked with the front-end of his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 machine in the early part of the campaign instantly returned.
Edwards was a permanent fixture in the top six before he surge d into the top three shortly before the halfway stage. He briefly dropped out of the leading trio before a lap of 1.50.772 moved him behind dominant Yamaha duo Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo back into third spot in the closing stages. Only a late attack from circuit specialist Loris Capirossi prevented Edwards from helping Yamaha claim a stunning 1-2-3 start to the fourth round of the world championship. The spectacular Mugello circuit is one of the most technically challenging and physically demanding on the MotoGP calendar. But Spies once again exhibited his talent for learning tracks at a remarkably fast rate to clock the sixth quickest time and finish just over 0.2s behind Edwards.
Spies is still suffering slight discomfort from left ankle ligament damage he suffered in a practice crash in Le Mans. But the 25-year-old quickly got to grips with Mugello's hard br aking points, high-speed corners and undulation to finish with a best time of 1.51.004. Spies is confident with more time to work on the set-up of his YZR-M1 machine he'll be able to fight for a leading position in Sunday's 23-lap race.

Colin Edwards 4th Time: 1'50.772 laps: 21
"I'm really happy with today because the first three races have not been easy at all. Nothing had worked at all so far this season, so basically I completely changed the set-up of the bike today. I just told my team to change the set-up so it was completely the same as Mugello last year when I had my best result at this track. We changed riding position and got my weight moved forward because I've been having a problem keeping weight on the front this season. Now it just feels so natural and the bike does exactly what I want it to do. When I want the bike to do something it actually does it instead of me waiting and wondering why it didn't work. Now it just turns and it feels like I'm spending much less time on the side of the tyre. I turn in now really quickly and don't run wide or have to work hard to get the bike round the corner. I want to say a big thanks to Tech 3 and Yamaha because it feels like my bike again and I'm riding with much more confidence."

Ben Spies 6th Time: 1'51.004 Laps: 25
"This track is definitely a more difficult place to learn but it is a super fun track. There are a couple of corners that are really difficult to learn and it can take a while to get into a rhythm. But coming here on the back of a couple of bad results and being immediately this fast on such a technically challenging track is really good for me. It doesn't feel like I should have been sixth and I guess that is a good sign. I thought I was doing fine so to see I was sixth, I was blown away with that because I thought I'd be about tenth or just outside the top ten. I'm still having a bit of trouble with the ankle I hurt in the practice crash in Le Mans. There's quite a bit of ligament damage but the only time I really feel it is when I'm trying to tuck in tight on the straight. It's not a major injury but it will take a few weeks to fully recover. On the bike it hurts but it's not slowing me down. I'll analyse the data tonight because as always when I'm starting fresh on a new track, there is more time to come from my riding and the bike. But to be sixth on my first day at such a difficult track is a good lift for my confidence."

Circuit Length: 5245
Temp: 30
Weather: Sunny
Lap Record: 1'50.117 (Max Biaggi, 01/01/2005)
Fastest Lap Ever: 1'42.837 (Valentino Rossi, 04/06/2006)
Last Years Winner: Casey Stoner
2010 MotoGP Italy - Mugello 04/06/2010
Free Practice
Pos. Rider Manu. Nat. Total Time
1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'49.751
1 Valentino Rossi Yamaha ITA 1'49.751
2 Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha ESP 1'50.120
3 Loris Capirossi Suzuki ITA 1'50.359
4 Colin Edwards Yamaha USA 1'50.772
5 Daniel Pedrosa Honda ESP 1'50.773
6 Ben Spies Yamaha USA 1'51.004
7 Casey Stoner Ducati AUS 1'51.128
8 Andrea Dovizioso Honda ITA 1'51.255
9 Nicky Hayden Ducati USA 1'51.387
10 Hector Barbera Ducati ESP 1'51.582
11 Randy De Puniet Honda FRA 1'51.605
12 Marco Simoncelli Honda ITA 1'51.717
13 Marco Melandri Honda ITA 1'51.782
14 Aleix Espargaro Ducati ESP 1'52.202

 

[KUCIAR666]

BUSY DAY AT MUGELLO FOR STONER AND HAYDEN

It proved to be a demanding opening to the Italian Grand Prix for Ducati Marlboro Team riders Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden, who struggled to adapt their Desmosedici GP10 machines to the demands of the Mugello circuit in today?s first free practice.

In an attempt to solve the front-end problems that have affected his early season form, Stoner switched back to last year?s front suspension system on one of his bikes today. His early impressions were good but unfortunately that particular bike was damaged in an crash just eight minutes into the session.

CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 7th (1?51.128)
"I think I only managed three ?proper? laps and none of them were decent! I had a crash at the start, which obviously didn?t help. Basically when I went to grab the brakes at the ?Bucine? corner there was nothing there! I tried to tip the bike into the corner but she was skipping wide so I just had to run her into the gravel. Stones got everywhere and that kind of stuffed that bike up for the rest of the session. It was a shame because we?d switched back to the old forks on that bike and even though I only had a couple of laps on them it was enough to make me want to use them on both bikes tomorrow. The feel with them is more aggressive but we have feel. The other bike had the new forks on but I just don?t have the same confidence with them and I was losing the front in the same kind of corners that I have been in the last races. Nothing we tried seemed to work today, it was just one of those days! All we can do is start again tomorrow ? hopefully the weather stays good because we need laps.?

NICKY HAYDEN ? (Ducati Marlboro Team) 9th (1?51.387)
?Today wasn?t as smooth out of the gate as we would have liked. The bike didn?t feel too bad but we were struggling in some of the downhill corners to get it to hold the line and change direction without using the brake to get the weight onto the front. We certainly need to take a good look at things together tonight and see where we can make it better because nothing came easy out there. It is not just a front-end thing, we need a little bit of improvement all over the bike. I know my guys will be working hard as always and tomorrow we need to get our head down again because this is such an important race for Ducati.?

Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati - 2008), 1?50.003 - 171.649 Km/h
Best Pole: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha - 2008), 1?48.130 ? 174.623 Km/h

 

[KUCIAR666]

DE PUNIET COMPLETES HIS ?TO DO LIST? AT MUGELLO OPENING DAY

Mugello, 4 June: LCR Honda MotoGP rider Randy De Puniet posted the eleventh fastest lap time today in a very hot opening day of Sunday?s fourth round of the season at the magnificent Italian Mugello race track. The first free session of the Italian Grand Prix was conducted with track temperature of 50?C and the 29-year-old riding the Honda RC212V no. 14 completed 25 laps at the 5.245 km circuit clocking his best lap time of 1?51.605.

Following his strong start of the season, the LCR squad arrived in Tuscany to consolidate his hold on sixth place in the standing as a best private Team. The Frenchman completed a productive day of race set-up in advance of Sunday?s 23 lap race working on engine mapping. The air temperature rose up to 30?C and the premier class riders had to battle hard against the hot conditions. Today?s pacesetter Rossi set a fastest lap time of 1?49.751.

De Puniet ? 11 th ? 1?51.605


De Puniet ? 11th: ?People could be disappointed about our position in the classification but we have followed our standard TO DO list lapping on the same tyre throughout the session and we are pretty satisfied about the bike set up. We did over the race distance with the front and rear race tyre and we have been working on the race set up. I jumped onto bike number two with different settings but I felt more comfortable on bike number one. Anyway the overall package is quite good and I am confident ahead tomorrow?s qualifying: we can easily aim to a second row start but we need to improve the traction control?.

 

[KUCIAR666]

INIZIO DIFFICILE PER I PILOTI DEL TEAM SAN CARLO HONDA GRESINI

The fourth round of the MotoGP season did not get off to the best of starts for Team San Carlo Honda Gresini?s two Marcos, Simoncelli and Melandri, who were unable to make noticeable improvements throughout the first free practice despite an encouraging first few laps. Their Honda RC212V machines looked slightly nervous around the Mugello circuit, which is not in ideal shape this weekend, and both riders are struggling to get power to the ground. A long technical meeting this evening should determine a fresh approach for tomorrow, with the team still hopeful of mounting a competitive challenge at their home circuit.

Marco Simoncelli (12th - 1? 51? 717) ?Things didn?t start out too badly but it?s fair to say that the changes we made as the session progressed did not have the desired effect. In the end we have finished twelfth so we need to rejig our ideas for tomorrow on how we work with the bike. The track conditions certainly aren?t the best and there are a lot of bumps that mean I can?t get the bike to go where I want. We are trying to solve this problem by improving the balance of the bike and get some more confidence in the front.?

Marco Melandri (13th - 1? 51? 782) ?The Grand Prix has started out in a difficult way. The first run felt okay but after that we tried a few things to make the bike better and it just felt worse. By the end the feeling was terrible. Now we need to analyse the data and try to work out why the path we took was so wrong and what we can do to find the right way forward. The track isn?t in good shape - it gets worse every year and has a lot of bumps ? but it is the same for everybody so that is no excuse.?


Fausto Gresini ?Unfortunately we?re a little behind and we are still a long way off finding the right set-up. We have made several changes without finding a way to get the most out of this bike at this track and at the moment both riders are struggling to get the power to the ground. We will have a look at the data from this session and try to work out what we can do tomorrow to get our strategy right. This is obviously an important Grand Prix for us, we want to do well in it and we will do our best to turn things around.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

ROSSI FRACTURES RIGHT TIBIA IN MUGELLO

Valentino Rossi has suffered a displaced and exposed fracture of his right tibia after crashing in practice for the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello this morning. The reigning World Champion crashed his Fiat Yamaha M1 at turn thirteen, the fast chicane at the top of the hill, and was taken immediately to the circuit Medical Centre for x-rays. Further information will be made public as soon as a more detailed examination has been completed.

Rossi will not take any further part in this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

 

[KUCIAR666]

Mugello, Italy

Saturday 5th June, 1230 CET

ROSSI INJURY UPDATE - 1230 CET

Following his crash in practice for the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello this morning, Valentino Rossi has been taken by helicopter to the Careggi Hospital in Florence for a deeper medical examination. After that he will be moved to the CTO (Centro Traumatologico Ortopedico), which is close by.

The official diagnosis, made by the circuit Medical Centre and the Chief Medical Officer, is that Rossi has suffered a displaced and exposed fracture to the third medium of the right shinbone.

More information will be released once it is available in due course.

 

[KUCIAR666]

Mugello, Italy

Saturday 5th June, 1430 CET

ROSSI INJURY UPDATE - 1430 CET

After undergoing further medical checks at the Careggi Hospital Emergency Centre and afterwards at the CTO (Centro Traumatologico Ortopedico) in Florence, it has been decided that Valentino Rossi will undergo an operation this afternoon on his fractured right shinbone. He is going under anaesthetic now and a further update will be sent once the operation has finished.


Rossi crashed in practice for the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello this morning, suffering a displaced and exposed fracture to the third medium of the right shinbone.

 

[KUCIAR666]

Capirossi ready for a tough fight at his home Grand Prix

Publish Date: Saturday, June 05, 2010

Rizla Suzuki Racer Loris Capirossi is prepared for a race-long battle at his home Grand Prix at Mugello tomorrow after qualifying on the fourth row today.

Capirossi (P12, 1?50.579, 25 laps) had a tough afternoon?s qualifying as a technical issue with his preferred Suzuki GSV-R forced him to use the other bike for most of the session. He persevered throughout qualifying and although he brought his times down, he was unable to be nearer the front of the grid and he will face a tough start tomorrow to fight his way through the pack.

?lvaro Bautista (P16, 1?53.243, 25 laps) is having his own personal battle this weekend as he fights through the pain to achieve at least a finish in Sunday?s race. He did manage to take over two seconds off his best time from yesterday during today?s qualifying, but will still start the 23-lap race from the rear of the grid as he continues to struggle with pain and lack of strength in his left shoulder.

Today?s qualifying was held in very warm and sunny conditions, with high air temperatures of 29?C forcing track temperatures up to 52?C. Dani Pedrosa took pole position on his factory Honda.

Tomorrow?s race is the fourth round of the 2010 season and the main event gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00 GMT).

Loris Capirossi:

?It?s been tough today, because a setting we found this morning didn?t work at all in the warmer temperatures this afternoon and we had a little problem with one of the bikes and we couldn?t use it. Overall we tried very hard today, but it just didn?t happen, so we will need to do something in warm-up tomorrow to make things better. I am upset with my position on the grid, but I think I can do much better than that in the race tomorrow and I will be going full-out to show it!?

?lvaro Bautista:

?In this race I am fighting more with the pain than with other riders! I am still in a lot of pain and I can?t ride like I want to. I am not able to change direction quickly because I need more strength to do it quicker and I just don?t have that in my left side. I need to use all my body to change direction and this is very difficult and tiring. It is good that I can still ride though, I am three of four seconds off the pace but it is important to me to find some confidence and feeling in the bike. For the race I will do my best and try to finish. I need to get to the end of the race and get the full distance in and if that happens I might even manage to score some points.?

Paul Denning ? Team Manager:

?After a promising start to the weekend yesterday, the qualifying result for Loris was massively disappointing today. We have a lot of work to do to get the bike in a better position to handle the hotter track temperatures that we had this afternoon, but this is Mugello, the rider is Loris and one thing we can guarantee is 23 laps of full effort from him tomorrow afternoon.

??lvaro is very disappointed that his condition isn?t as good as he expected before the weekend. His strength hasn?t returned enough for him to push any harder and if he can see the chequered flag at the end of the Grand Prix tomorrow it will be a brave and somewhat painful effort!?

Gran Premio D?Italia Tim Qualifying Practice Classification:

1. Dani Pedrosa (Honda) 1?48.819: 2. Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) 0.177: 3. Casey Stoner (Ducati) +0.613: 4. Nicky Hayden (Ducati) +0.727: 5. Colin Edwards (Yamaha) +0.864: 12. LORIS CAPIROSSI (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +1.660: 16. ?LVARO BAUTISTA (RIZLA SUZUKI MOTOGP) +4.424:

 

[KUCIAR666]

Edwards and Spies aim for top six at Mugello

Colin EdwardsThe Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team is confident Colin Edwards and Ben Spies can mount a strong challenge for the top six in tomorrow's Italian MotoGP race at the spectacular Mugello circuit.

The French team's optimism ahead of the 23-lap encounter soared after an impressive qualifying performance from the Texan duo in warm and sunny conditions this afternoon.

Evaluating a new LeoVince exhaust silencer, Edwards continued his brilliant revival by clocking the fifth best time as he continued to flourish on a more comfortable 2009 setting on his YZR-M1 machine.

A first front row start of the 2010 campaign looked a distinct possibility with Edwards holding third place as the session reached a typically exciting climax. In the frantic final few minutes Edwards dropped down to fifth but his best time of 1.49.683 enabled him to easily notch his best qualifying result of the season. He was less than 0.3s away from Casey Stoner in third and the experienced American is confident he will be able to follow up today's eye-catching display with his best race result of 2010 having shown strong form on Bridgestone's race tyres.

Spies was equally impressive as he continued to successfully acclimatise himself with the technically challenging Mugello circuit. Despite his inexperience the 25-year-old was able to save his best form for his last lap, a time of 1.49.861 securing him his best qualifying position of the season in seventh.

Spies was just 0.124s away from a second row start but painstaking work on the race set-up of his YZR-M1 machine has boosted Spies' confidence of recording his second top six for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team tomorrow.

Colin Edwards 5th 1.49.683 ? 25 laps

?I'm back! And it feels so good to be back up near the front where I know I belong. In the early part of the season I knew I hadn't forgotten how to ride a bike but nothing was really working and it has been a struggle. The first three races have been terrible but reverting back to last year's set-up that we know works has given me a massive confidence boost and at least I know I'm not slowing down in my old age. It is still hard work but I certainly think it's easier than the start to the season. I just feel way more comfortable, particularly with the front-end of the bike and at one stage I thought a place on the front row to wasn't going to be out of the question. I could push like I wanted to and I feel confident for the race tomorrow. I'm ready for a fight and a good battle because all this year it feels like I've just been riding around and not being very fast. I feel sorry for Valentino and Yamaha and I wish him a speedy recovery because the championship is not the same without him.?

Ben Spies 7th 1.49.861 ? 25 laps

"Coming to a track that is as different as Mugello, I'm quite happy with today having been so close to the second row. I'm a little upset because I did make a few mistakes on the fast lap and left a couple of tenths out there, which would have got me on the second row. But to be in the top eight with the limited track time I've had, I'm really happy and after Jerez and Le Mans it was good to bounce back and get back to normal. Now we'll look at some data and try to figure out where to go faster. There are a couple places where I think I'm doing the wrong thing but overall it was good session. I definitely didn't get the most out of the softer tyres but I stepped up a bit in qualifying and it wasn't like I did that lap time on a perfect lap. But that happens and I'll try and get a good start and stay in there on the first few laps and let the race come in and put my head down. It's a shame for the championship and for Yamaha that Valentino is injured but I'm sure we'll see him back soon and just as hard to beat."

 

[KUCIAR666]

FRONT ROW FOR LORENZO, ROSSI OUT OF HOME GP

Jorge Lorenzo kept his 2010 front-row record intact in Mugello this afternoon, qualifying in second place for the third race in a row. Dani Pedrosa took pole whilst Casey Stoner will line-up outside Fiat Yamaha rider Lorenzo. Valentino Rossi will miss out on his home race after crashing in practice this morning and suffering a compound fracture of the lower right tibia.

Lorenzo looked effortlessly comfortable today, topping the time sheets in warm-up and for part of this afternoon's session. The 23-year-old and his team had made some small modifications to his M1 and he was able to lap consistently faster than yesterday around the flowing curves of the Tuscan track. In the final stages he looked on course for a first pole of the season but Pedrosa snatched it from him inside the last minute, leaving the Mallorcan 0.177 adrift.

While Lorenzo will be chasing his third win in a row when the lights go out at 2pm tomorrow, Rossi will be recovering from the surgery on his right tibia taking place this afternoon. The reigning World Champion crashed in practice this morning and was taken to the CTO (Centro Traumatologico Ortopedico) in Florence to undergo an operation to fix the break.





Jorge Lorenzo Position: 2nd Time: 1'48.996 Laps: 26



"Firstly I want to say how sad I am for Valentino. I know how bad it is to be injured, especially at your home race, and it looks very painful for him. I hope he recovers quickly because the championship will not be the same without him. Today we made some good steps forward and I am very happy about how my bike is feeling here in Mugello. I have a good race pace, the Bridgestone tyres feel good and I think I can make a fight tomorrow. We have to stay calm, focused and concentrated and hopefully it will be a good race for us here in Italy, at the home track for many of my team."




Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager



"We want to say how sorry we are for Valentino; everyone wants to beat him but only on the racetrack and all the riders and our team members are sad that he has so much pain and that he can't race. It was a good session for us, second seems to be ?our' grid position at the moment and I think it's okay, less pressure than being on pole and it keeps Jorge sharp! Now is the time to keep focused and not make mistakes, we have a good race pace and now we will see what tomorrow brings. We didn't think about the weather but it seems it might be an issue, let's hope not."




Qualifying Times



FRONT ROW

1. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda Team
1'48.819

2. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team
1'48.996

3. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro Team
1'49.432

SECOND ROW

4. Nicky Hayden (USA) Ducati Marlboro Team
1'49.546

5. Colin Edwards (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3
1'49.683

6. Randy de Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP
1'49.737

THIRD ROW

7. Ben Spies (USA) Monster Yamaha Tech 3
1'49.861

8. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) Repsol Honda Team
1'50.065

9. Aleix Espargaro (SPA) Pramac Green Team
1'50.168

FOURTH ROW

10. Hiroshi Aoyama (JAP) Interwetten-Honda MotoGP
1'50.224

11. Marco Simoncelli (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini
1'50.434

12. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
1'50.479

FIFTH ROW

13. Hector Barbera (SPA) Aspar Team
1'50.561

14. Marco Melandri (ITA) San Carlo Honda Gresini
1'50.664

15. Mika Kallio (FIN) Pramac Green Team
1'50.970

SIXTH ROW

16. Alvaro Bautista (SPA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
1'53.243


Mugello: Record Lap
C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1'50.003

Mugello: Best Lap
V. Rossi (Yamaha) 2008, 1'48.130

 

[KUCIAR666]

FOURTH AND FIFTH ROW STARTS FOR SIMONCELLI AND MELANDRI AT MUGELLO
Sat, 05 June 2010

Team San Carlo Honda Gresini?s two riders will start the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello tomorrow from the fourth and fifth row of the grid respectively. Marco Simoncelli moved up the order to qualify eleventh after improving his feeling for the RC212V. The Italian is satisfied and confident about tomorrow?s race because he knows he still has room for improvement. His compatriot Marco Melandri was in more trouble today, struggling to find a way forward after a difficult opening day, with front-end confidence a major issue. Tomorrow both riders will aim to make improvements in the warm-up as they look to take a starring role in the race, as they did two weeks ago at Le Mans.

Marco Simoncelli (12th - 1? 50? 434) ?This afternoon went much better than yesterday and this morning. You could say we have finally seen the light and now we hope to improve a little more for tomorrow. I am satisfied and happy. At the end of the technical debrief we will make a few decisions about the plan for tomorrow?s warm-up and try to gain a few more tenths. The circuit and the atmosphere are both fantastic here, the only bad thing is the bumps. Obviously the incident with Valentino will take away from the show. Ever since I began watching racing I?ve never seen a race without him in it. I?m really gutted for him and all I can say is ?get well soon?.?

Marco Melandri (13th - 1? 50? 664) ?That was a really bad session for us and since we arrived at Mugello we haven?t found anything to make even the slightest improvement. We started out badly and only got worse. It will be a difficult race tomorrow but in the warm-up we?ll try again to find something. At the moment I?m not very confident and it will be difficult for me to even fight for the top six.?


Fausto Gresini ?It has definitely been tough for us all weekend and I?m not happy with the positions of my riders on the grid for our home Grand Prix. I would have liked to offer San Carlo, our other team partners and the fans something more but unfortunately this is our situation at the moment and we will try and analyse how to do better. Having said that Simoncelli did take some important steps forward this afternoon and if he can improve again in the morning he?ll be able to have a good race. Melandri on the other hand is still in a hole and we can?t seem to find what he?s looking for. All we can do is study the data and try something different in the morning that we hope can help him ride as he wants. I hope we achieve that because this is an important Grand Prix for us.?

 

[KUCIAR666]

STONER ON FRONT ROW, HAYDEN FOURTH FOR DUCATI?S HOME RACE

Ducati Marlboro Team riders Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden will start the Italian Grand Prix from top four positions after today?s qualifying session following a thrilling finale that saw both riders briefly holding second place before eventually giving best to Jorge Lorenzo and eventual pole setter Dani Pedrosa.

Stoner and Hayden made some progress with the setting of their Desmosedici GP10 machines, making up four and five places respectively on their free practice positions from yesterday, but both profess to still having work to do in tomorrow?s warm-up.

CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 3rd (1?49.432)
"To start from front row is always a positive thing but even if I?d love to say this lap time shows we?re ready to race tomorrow, we?re far from it. To be competitive with Jorge and Dani and to run with them consistently we?re going to have to find six tenths at least. We?ve been trying a lot of things, including going back to last year?s forks, which I?ve got a lot of feedback from, but now we are just trying to get the bike turning well and reacting well over the bumps, things like that. Qualifying doesn?t really reflect our race pace ? it was a bit of a banzai lap to be honest! Having said that we?ve got to be happy with a front row start and if we can find something tomorrow in warm-up we?re in a good position. We have some work to do tonight ? I?m going to sit down with the team and see what we can come up with for the race. I feel sorry for Valentino because all three guys on the front row know what it?s like to be injured and miss races. It will be hard for him to even train so I wish him all the best with his recovery.?

NICKY HAYDEN ? (Ducati Marlboro Team) 4th (1?49.546)
?Things haven?t been silky smooth in free practice and qualifying was tough too ? I really had to dig deep and take a few chances because here on the Ducati I qualified at the back last year and I?d rather have crashed than do that again. So we went for it and almost got on the front row. Considering how the weekend has gone fourth is not a disaster but we need to make it better in the warm-up. The team has done a good job but still we need to soak up the bumps a little better because this track has got really bumpy in a few places. The good thing is our engine is really fast and that?s going to be important tomorrow. We?ll try our best and just give everything for those Ducati fans, I?m looking forward to seeing them out there. It?s a real bummer about Valentino because on the track he?s a warrior. He?s good for the racing, he?s good for the show and even though he never makes it easy for us we all respect him and nobody wants to see a colleague in pain like that. I?m sorry for him and his fans and just wish him to get well soon.?

Circuit Record: Casey Stoner (Ducati - 2008), 1?50.003 - 171.649 Km/h
Best Pole: Valentino Rossi (Yamaha - 2008), 1?48.130 ? 174.623 Km/h

 

[KUCIAR666]

Pedrosa grabs Mugello pole in final seconds

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) won a thrilling battle for pole position during this afternoon?s Italian Grand Prix qualifying session, beating compatriot Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) by just under two tenths of a second. This was Pedrosa?s second pole position of the year, following his brilliant qualifying performance at last month?s Spanish Grand Prix.

The former 125 and 250 World Champion enjoyed an intense battle for pole with his fellow Spaniard, the pair lapping considerably faster than final front-row qualifier and 2009 Mugello winner Casey Stoner (Ducati). Pedrosa led most of the session, Lorenzo taking over at the top with 11 minutes to go, before Pedrosa fought back in the final seconds to better the Yamaha rider by 0.177 seconds.

Tomorrow Pedrosa will bid to score his first Grand Prix victory of the year. He is confident that he will be able to run a fast and consistent pace but expects a serious challenge from current points leader Lorenzo. The 2010 Italian GP will go ahead without reigning World Champion Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) who crashed heavily during this morning?s session, breaking his right tibia. Pedrosa and team mate Andrea Dovizioso were among the many MotoGP riders who wished Rossi all the best for a speedy recovery.

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda RC212V) was today?s second best Honda qualifier, securing a place on the second row of the grid during a determined final run. The Frenchman is proving to be an impressively consistent qualifier this year ? sixth quickest today, he was also sixth on the grid at Jerez and Le Mans and now has four second-row starts from four attempts. Today he had hopes of making the front row but he lost time when another rider crashed ahead of him during his best lap.

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V) will start the fourth race of the 18-round series from the third row after struggling to get the best out of his softer rear tyre at the end of the session. Dovizioso had been second fastest in this morning?s practice session but had to be content with eighth place in qualifying. He will be doing everything in his power to get a good start tomorrow so he can get away with the leaders.

Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V) qualified tenth, missing row three by a tantalising 0.056 seconds. Nevertheless it was an impressive performance from the rookie, equalling his amazing tenth place during qualifying for his debut MotoGP race at Qatar earlier this year. Aoyama and his crew worked well and improved their understanding of the RCV during today?s sessions.

Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) also learned much at this most challenging of circuits, the Italian ending up 11th on the grid, two tenths behind fellow rookie Aoyama. Team-mate Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) had an altogether more difficult today, unable to find a set-up that gives him confidence over the bumps.


HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES

Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda RC212V:
pole position at 1m 48.819s, said: ?It?s great to be on pole here and we?ve been working very hard through free practice and in qualifying this afternoon to improve things from yesterday. We have achieved this, so I?m satisfied. Being on the front row is the important thing and we have to keep our concentration because to win the race is the target - we have to make it tomorrow! We were pushing very hard right to the end of the session and we were able to do a good final lap, but the most important factor is that we?ve been able to be consistent too. Lorenzo will be the man to beat tomorrow, but we are confident, the machine is working better here and we are in better shape than the last race in Le Mans . So tomorrow for the race we hope to maintain our performance right to the end. We still have to improve our race pace a little but I?m feeling very well here, I like this circuit, and I think it will be a fun race with a great atmosphere created by the fans. I didn?t see Rossi?s crash, but what I?ve heard about the injury doesn?t sound good. It?s a pity because all of us riders know how you feel when you are hurt, and I just hope that the operation goes well for him because the first operation is always the most important.?

Randy de Puniet, LCR Honda RC212V: 6th at 1m 49.737s, said:
?I am a bit disappointed because I had the potential to start from the front row but I did lose some time at the end of my best flying lap because somebody crashed in front of me and after that I made a small mistake on turn five. We could have improved a couple of tenths there. Anyway considering the overall package we are very pleased about this fourth consecutive second row. We still have to fix something about the race tyres because we had some small grip issues on the maximum angle in this afternoon session but it looks like everybody has to face the same problem on race set-up.?

Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda RC212V: 8th at 1m 50.065s, said:
?This morning we did a good job, improved the performance from yesterday and we finished second on the timesheets. In the afternoon however, the track conditions changed and, even though I pushed very hard, I couldn?t use all the potential of the bike. The gap to Dani and Lorenzo has increased a bit and unfortunately I wasn?t able to use the soft tyre at its best, which means tomorrow we will start from the third row. This is an area where I have to improve because starting in this position makes things more difficult for the race. Anyway I?m still confident for tomorrow. If we can stay with the front group of riders I think we can make a good race. Mugello is a very special place and I?m sure the Italian fans will give me an extra boost for the race. It?s a real shame about Valentino?s injury. It?s always very bad when a rider crashes like this and I?m very sorry for him. I wish him a quick recovery and send him all the best.?

Hiroshi Aoyama, Interwetten Honda MotoGP RC212V: 10th at 1m 50.224s, said:
?Today we finished in the top ten. This was a really good qualifying for us. We still have to be even stronger and have to keep improving, but the set-up and the bike did work well today and I was able to fight from the beginning. We learnt to understand the bike during this session better. I hope we will have a similar good or even better race tomorrow.?

Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V: 11th at 1m 50.434s, said:
?This afternoon went much better than yesterday and this morning. You could say we have finally seen the light and now we hope to improve a little more for tomorrow. I am satisfied and happy. At the end of the technical debrief we will make a few decisions about the plan for tomorrow?s warm-up and try to gain a few more tenths. The circuit and the atmosphere are both fantastic here, the only bad thing is the bumps. Obviously the incident with Valentino will take away from the show. Ever since I began watching racing I?ve never seen a race without him in it. I?m really gutted for him and all I can say is ?get well soon?.?

Marco Melandri, San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V: 14th at 1m 50.664s, said:
?That was a really bad session for us and since we arrived at Mugello we haven?t found anything to make even the slightest improvement. We started out badly and only got worse. It will be a difficult race tomorrow but in the warm-up we?ll try again to find something. At the moment I?m not very confident and it will be difficult for me to even fight for the top six.?
Pole position : 1m48.819s (173.517Km/h) Dani Pedrosa, Honda
Circuit record lap : 1m50.003s (171.649Km/h) Casey Stoner (Ducati, 2008)
Circuit Best Lap : 1m48.130s (174.623Km/h) Valentino Rossi (Yamaha, 2008)
Qualifying position
1 Dani Pedrosa 1m48.819s SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
2 Jorge Lorenzo +0.177s SPA YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
3 Casey Stoner +0.613s AUS DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
4 Nicky Hayden +0.727s USA DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
5 Colin Edwards +0.864s USA YAMAHA Tech 3 Yamaha
6 Randy De Puniet +0.918s FRA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
7 Ben Spies +1.042s USA YAMAHA Tech 3 Yamaha
8 Andrea Dovizioso +1.246s ITA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
9 Aleix Espargaro +1.349s SPA DUCATI Pramac Racing
10 Hiroshi Aoyama +1.405s JPN HONDA Interwetten Honda MotoGP
11 Marco Simoncelli +1.615s ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
12 Loris Capirossi +1.660s ITA SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
13 Hector Barbera +1.742s SPA DUCATI Aspar Ducati
14 Marco Melandri +1.845s ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
15 Mika Kallio +2.151s FIN DUCATI Pramac Racing
16 Alvaro Bautista +4.424s SPA SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
17 Valentino Rossi *Time within 107% of fastest ITA YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
Championship standings
1 Jorge Lorenzo 70 pts SPA YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
2 Valentino Rossi 61 pts ITA YAMAHA Fiat Yamaha Team
3 Andrea Dovizioso 42 pts ITA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
4 Dani Pedrosa 40 pts SPA HONDA Repsol Honda Team
5 Nicky Hayden 39 pts USA DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
6 Randy De Puniet 26 pts FRA HONDA LCR Honda MotoGP
7 Marco Melandri 21 pts ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
8 Marco Simoncelli 16 pts ITA HONDA San Carlo Honda Gresini
9 Colin Edwards 16 pts USA YAMAHA Tech 3 Yamaha
10 Hector Barbera 15 pts SPA DUCATI Aspar Ducati
11 Hiroshi Aoyama 13 pts JPN HONDA Interwetten Honda MotoGP
12 Mika Kallio 12 pts FIN DUCATI Pramac Racing
13 Casey Stoner 11 pts AUS DUCATI Ducati Marlboro Team
14 Ben Spies 11 pts USA YAMAHA Tech 3 Yamaha
15 Aleix Espargaro 8 pts SPA DUCATI Pramac Racing
16 Loris Capirossi 7 pts ITA SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP
17 Alvaro Bautista 6 pts SPA SUZUKI Rizla Suzuki MotoGP

 

[KUCIAR666]

ROSSI UNDERGOES SUCCESSFUL SURGERY IN FLORENCE

Valentino Rossi underwent a successful operation at the Centro Traumatologico Ortopedico in Florence, Italy this afternoon to repair his fractured right tibia. The injury was sustained when he crashed in practice for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello this morning.

He was operated on by Dr. Roberto Buzzi of the CTO, assisted by Dr. Claudio Costa of the Clinica Mobile. Dr. Buzzi made the following statement following the 2.5 hour operation:

"We received Valentino Rossi at the Careggi Hospital, where we made detailed checks in order to rule out any other injuries, and the results were satisfactory. We therefore decided to proceed with the surgery for the exposed fracture of the right leg. We performed a spinal block (epidural) and cleaned and washed the fracture, which was then aligned and stabilised with a pin. The surgery had good results; the alignment was good and the bone is now stable. The wound remains open, as is usual in these cases, and it will be stitched in the next few days with another short surgery. We are confident that Valentino will be able to leave the hospital in a week to ten days, able to put weight on the leg with the aid of crutches.

"It is difficult to say how long the post surgery rehabilitation will take, we need to evaluate the progress of the patient and also what the x-rays will show. But I think that we can reasonably think of six weeks partial weight-bearing with crutches, after which Valentino needs to be re-evaluated, according to his feedback and further x-rays."

Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing Lin Jarvis added "It was a very sad day today for Yamaha and the Fiat Yamaha Team, seeing Vale in so much pain and seriously injured for the first time in his career. It is especially tough for Vale to have this accident at his home Grand Prix and this will surely be a huge disappointment for him and for all his fans here at the Mugello circuit and around the world. As a Team we are very deflated right now because we had our two riders challenging for the championship lead and now that challenge is over - at least for the immediate future. We wish Vale the very best for a speedy recovery and hope to have him back with us as soon as possible."