Rossi leads with autority in a very contended day in Mugello.
Fonsi Nieto third in the 250cc, and Pablo Nieto fourth in the 125cc, best qualified Repsol riders in the remaining categories
With temperatures over thirty degrees, the weather is turning Mugello into a natural oven and keeps on making things difficult for the riders of the three classes. In MotoGP, the expected duel between the three Italians, Capirossi, Biaggi and Valentino Rossi, has resulted in a provisional victory for the Repsol rider, who after finishing second yesterday, reacted at the end of the session, setting the fastest time. Its the third pole of the Italian rider this season. The second qualifying practice has been a very contended session, with the five top riders separated by only a tenth of a second. Nicky Hayden, still learning on what is considered to be one of the most complicated ant technical tracks of the World Championship, finished seventeenth.
In the 250 cc, Fonsi Nieto and Toni Elias could not improve the times they had set yesterday. Fonsi Nieto lost one place but is still on the front row of the grid with the third fastest time, right behind De Puniet and Pogialli. His team-mate Toni Elias kept the fifth place he got yesterday and will take the start from the second row of the grid. On the same row but with the seventh fastest time, there is Sebastián Porto, and one row behind Joan Olivé, twelfth fastest. Héctor Faubel was not able to improve his times either and will start from the fourteenth place of the grid.
In the 125cc class and despite the intense heat, most of the riders were able to improve the times set yesterday. Pablo Nieto made the fastest time of the day during this mornings free practice, even improving the circuit record of his class. In the afternoon he was not able to keep yesterdays third place and will start tomorrow from the fourth place of the starting grid. Dani Pedrosa had mechanical problems and will take the start from the tenth place. Young Héctor Barberá, showing himself more and more satisfied with his bikes set-up, managed to improve the time he made yesterday by almost 1.5 seconds and will start tomorrow from the twelfth place of the grid.