Login | Password dimenticata? | Registrati

GP Mugello, Fiat Yamaha team preview

In MotoGP

27 maggio 2009

The Fiat Yamaha Team head to the spectacular Italian circuit of Mugello this weekend flying high at the top of the championship after a formidable start to the season. Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi lie first and second in the riders' standings while the team, which is based at Gerno di Lesmo, just outside Milan, is leading the team table and Yamaha the Manufacturers'.

22-year-old Lorenzo comes to Italy this weekend in stunning form, lying first in the championship after two wins from four races, with the second having come at the last round in Le Mans. The Spaniard has a good record at Mugello and took victory there from pole in 2006 on the way to his first world championship, but he has a score to settle with the track this time around after sliding out on lap seven on his MotoGP debut there last year. This time he is fully fit and determined to continue the momentum of his season with another trip to the podium.

Rossi shares an unmatched relationship with this Tuscan track, having won there an incredible nine times in thirteen years. The last seven victories have been consecutive, including the last five with Yamaha and this weekend he will be more determined than ever to add another victory to his stunning record. Last time out saw a rare error from Rossi when he fell at Le Mans and he eventually finished last in a race for the first time in his career, meaning he took zero points and surrendered his championship lead to his team-mate, albeit by just one point. This weekend he will put all that behind him in pursuit of more home glory and a second win of the season, when tens of thousands of his passionate Italian fans fill the Mugello amphitheatre and turn the hillsides yellow.

Mugello is one of the fastest and most spectacular circuits in the world, with the 1,141m main straight seeing the 800cc machines reach speeds of over 320km/h before Braking into the fearsome downhill right-hander. The track differs from other fast circuits in its frequent changes of gradient and the speed of its chicanes. There is a mix of slower and high-speed corners, although even the slowest corners are still wide - allowing plenty of scope for overtaking as the riders get a choice of line, putting the emphasis as much on their skill as on the precision of their chassis set-up and generally leading to some spectacular racing in an unrivalled atmosphere.

Jorge Lorenzo - "A beautiful circuit"
"Mugello is, along with Phillip Island, the most beautiful circuit that we race at; I love it! Plus I am feeling very confident after our good race in Le Mans. We have had some very strange races with the weather conditions and I would never have expected to recover 24 points in one go. Now we arrive in Italy (where the weather I hope will be better) as leaders, but the most important thing is that I am confident and feeling fit. Last year was not easy for me; I already had problems with my ankles and then I crashed when trying to pass Andrea Dovizioso. Mugello and Montmeló were horrible for me and finished that period of the season having taken no points. This year, just to take some points at this track and at Catalunya will be an improvement and that's my aim! On Wednesday I will be in Rome, watching Champions League Final with my team, Barcelona, against Manchester United. I hope the weekend begins perfectly for me with that title!"

Pagina 1 di 2