Repsol Honda Team riders face the big italian challenge.
Nicky Hayden, leader of the MotoGP standings and Dani Pedrosa, fourth, ready for the big Italian confrontation.
The sixth scoring round of the 2006 Motorcycling World Championship will be staged this weekend in Mugello. Venue of epic confrontations in the premier class in the latest years, Italian riders always show an especially high level there and play unquestionably the leading role in their home race. The riders of the Repsol Honda Team know it well and they arrive in Mugello with one firm aim: not to succumb to the advantage of those who are racing at home.
For Nicky Hayden, the battle for the defence of the leadership goes on, a battle which the young Repsol rider started at the past Turkish Grand Prix. It was the first time that Hayden took the leadership of the premier class in his sports career since his arrival four years ago. Team mate Dani Pedrosa, with no doubt the surprise rider of the year, is now third in the overall standings, after his podium finish in France, only ten points behind leader Hayden. Dani will be facing this weekend again the challenge of getting to know the secrets of a track on a new bike. Next weekend won’t be easy because Mugello is one of the most complicated circuits of the calendar, not only because the complicated bike set-up needed by the layout, but also due to the technical features.
Shuhei Aoyama, one of the happiest men of the paddock one-and-a-half weeks ago in France after his first podium finish in the World Championship – after an intense duel with his brother Hiroshi – showed on the French track a special easiness to learn circuits, because with hardly any practice in Le Mans, young Shuhei was able to finish on the podium and very close to the top riders. Although he knows that Mugello is one of the most complicated tracks of the calendar, young Aoyama arrives in Italy ready to continue surprising, however, as he recognises himself, he will do it with ease and avoiding making the mistakes he made at the beginning of the season after too much self-pressure. Team mate Sebastián Porto will continue trying to find the way to be competitive again in the quarter-of-a-litre-class, as he did in China and France.
The brave Argentinean rider has the necessary will and the support of his team, and he will be back in the venue which saw him winning two seasons ago.In the eighth-of-a-litre class, Bradley Smith will face again the challenge of an unknown circuit. Improving his position on the starting grid and making a good start are right now the aspects to improve. The young British rider knows it and is working hard, day after day, getting ready in order to overcome these obstacles at the Grand Prix.
The venue of the GP:
Mugello circuitLocated in a spectacular valley in the countryside of Tuscany, 30km north-east of Florence, Mugello is one of the most fascinating, safe and modern tracks of the world.
Although the first race was held on the circuit back in 1914, the Mugello circuit as it is known today, was born in 1974. Thoroughly renovated by Ferrari in 1991, the circuit has become a permanent venue in the world championship calendar. Along its history, Mugello has gone through several changes until reaching its actual length of 5245 m, one of the longest circuits of the championship. The layout is divided almost equally between straights and corners (9 right-hand and 6 left-hand corners). Its main straight with 1141 m in length is one of the longest of the championship.
The track skilfully combines slow and fast corners, ups and downs, opening its way through forests and green areas, with several heights allowing the spectators to take fully part in the races. Well-known because of the variety of difficulties posed by the track, its safety and the beautiful surroundings, Mugello is a unanimously appreciated circuit but at the same time one of the most challenging circuits for riders and engineers.
Official website: http://www.mugellocircuit.it
Rider´s comments:
Dani Pedrosa:
‘Mugello is one of the most complicated circuits we race on. It has a lot of variation: slow corners, fast corners, elevation changes and there are quite a few bumps that make the suspension set-up critical. It’s a really challenging track and was very physical to ride on a 250, so on a MotoGP bike I think it will be very tiring. The straight is one of the longest of the championship and the speeds are really high which means slipstreaming in the race is really important. Hopefully we can have a nice weekend with the weather because so far we’ve had a lot of rain. My targets for Mugello are still the same as for every race – to put in the best performance possible and try not to make mistakes – like my tyre choice in Le Mans. I’m really looking forward to it.’
Nicky Hayden:
‘I’m really excited about going to Mugello because it’s an awesome place to race. The Italian fans really love their Grand Prix racing and it’s just an exciting place to be. The track is really good to ride and with that long straightaway drafting comes into play which usually makes for a close race. It’s an important one too, going into the summer, because we’ve got a lot of races coming up. I definitely need to get back on that podium after eight races on the trot and then missing out in the last race. So we’re going to have to raise our game and get ready – we’ve got to start off on Friday at a much higher level than we started at Le Mans. Plus, all the Italian riders are at home so motivation is going to be high for everybody – I can’t wait to get out there.’
Shuhei Aoyama:
‘After the podium finish in France we have to continue with the same mentality and to follow the same working line in Italy. The most important is to avoid making mistake and pressuring myself unnecessarily. I don’t know the Mugello circuit, only from video games, but everybody is telling me that it is a very difficult and demanding circuit, both as regards the mechanical aspects and the rider. I hope to be able to make another good weekend to thank for the excellent job my team is making. The most important will be doing good practices to prepare the race well.’
Sebastián Porto:
‘After the French Grand Prix we stayed a further day to test in Le Mans, but the bad weather conditions hindered us from carrying out the tests we had prepared. I like the Mugello circuit. I won there in 2004 and finished fifth last year. It’s a complicated and very demanding circuit that makes it essential to have a good set-up to be fast in the corners. We’ll see if we’re able to make me feel comfortable on the bike this time to make a good race on Sunday.’
Bradley Smith:
‘It looks like a difficult track lots of hills, lost of bits and pieces. I’ve playing on the Playstation watching DVDs, trying to get an overall feeling before I actually go. It’s never the same until you’ve ridden it but you get an overall idea. Well, different approach for then and hopefully we’ll be further up.’
