After the training sessions held at Brno on the Monday and Tuesday after the race in the Czech Republic, the two riders in the Repsol Honda Team will tackle this race with optimism because of the good results there. The Repsol Honda Team, HRC and Michelin are working flat out to achieve the level of competitiveness necessary to get back among the race leaders. The track in Italy, an unknown for all the participants in the World Motorcycling Championship, can even things out as none of the teams have any tyre references.
Dani Pedrosa returns to Italy this weekend as the third placed rider in the classification, after having cut the gap that Valentino Rossi, the second placed rider, has over him by 4 points at the recent Czech Republic GP. The difference between the Spanish rider and the Italian Yamaha is now 18 points, and there are now just six races left. His teammate Nicky Hayden wants to carry on with his good run after having finished on the podium in three of the last four races. A new chassis and the latest evolution of the engine on the RC212V are the decisive factors helping the American to be competitive.
For the young riders under the eye of Alberto Puig and competing in 125cc and 250cc, Misano will be another chance for them to learn more. Julián Simón and Shuhei Aoyama are optimistic as the circuit of Misano should suit the technical characteristics of their bikes. For the youngest in 125cc, Bradley Smith and Esteve Rabat, the fact that their rivals do not know much about the track may help to make things more equal as everybody will start from zero.
