Fiat Yamaha Team aim for home-race heroics at Misano

Just one week after their last outing at Indianapolis in the USA, the Fiat Yamaha Team will arrive on home shores this week for the second Italian round of the season, at Misano on the east coast of Italy. They touch down in fine style with riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo first and second in the championship and having won eight out of the twelve races between them so far this season. Misano is just 300km from the team's base just outside Milan and with many Italian team members it is an important weekend for all. 

Rossi's crash last Sunday saw his championship lead slashed to 25 points but the Italian favourite has quickly put that behind him and is thinking of nothing but a good result in front of his passionate home fans this week. Misano is just 15kms from his home town of Tavullia and he took an emphatic win there last year to the delight of his hordes of Tifosi. Having lost for the first time in eight years at Mugello this year he is doubly determined to make his second visit to home soil this season a fruitful one. 

Spanish showman Lorenzo arrives his team-mate's home race full of confidence after a return to the top step of the podium last time out. He has lost both Spanish races this season to Rossi and is therefore hoping for payback in Italy. He rode one of the best races of his rookie season there last year and will be aiming for more of the same this time as he seeks to stay in touch with Rossi at the top of the championship at a track he loves, having won there in the 250cc class two years ago. 

Grand Prix racing returned to Misano in 2007 after a 16-year gap, with the circuit altered to run in the opposite direction from previous years. Just a kilometre from the sea and Italy's famous 'east coast Riviera,' the track sits nestled between a string of small towns and villages, which turn into one huge party zone for the thousands of fans that pack into them during the race weekend. Like Indianapolis last weekend, Misano is completely flat but the similarities end there as the Italian track is tight and twisty, with no long straights and a fairly equal balance of right and left corners, meaning an agile bike is a must. 

Valentino Rossi - "Keep working at the maximum"

"I'm glad we don't have long until the next race because I quickly want to forget the mistake of Indianapolis! Last year at Misano was incredible, to win in front of all my fans and so close to home was a great emotion and after missing out in Mugello this year we are really focused on trying to get the best result there. As usual my Fan Club will make a big party there so I hope that we can give them a good show, it's always great to ride at home. As we saw last weekend, anything can happen and the championship isn't over, we have to keep working at the maximum and just try to take as many points as we can each time." 

Jorge Lorenzo - "Hoping for a good battle"

"Misano is one of the tracks where I was very fast in the past, so I'm really looking forward to going there in such good shape. I won in 2007, the first year we went there, on my 250cc bike and last year I was not far behind Valentino in second. I am very happy that I have cut the championship lead by 25 points in just one race, but I know that the title is still very difficult. My first aim is to keep enjoying riding my bike and try to do the best I can. I hope we can be as good as last year or even better, even though I know how hard it will be the best at Valentino's 'house'! I hope everyone there gets to see a big battle!" 

Davide Brivio - "Hit-back with a good result"

"Of course we're disappointed about last weekend but we know we're still in a strong position in the championship and this is what we're focusing on. 25 points isn't much when our rivals are this strong though so we need to hit back at our home race this weekend with a good result. Last year we did a great race there and it was wonderful to watch Valentino in front of all the fans, so we hope we can do the same again this weekend. We will keep pushing, try to find a good set-up early and hopefully we can come back to our best." 

Daniele Romagnoli - "The excitement is building"

"After the great result in Indy the team and Jorge have a great motivation to keep focused and to try to make the podium every time. Last year we had a great race in Misano and Jorge likes the circuit layout a lot. It's also the second home Grand Prix for the team, which makes it a special weekend. The championship is still very difficult but we will try, if possible, to keep recovering points and to stay in a position to challenge. Now the excitement is starting to build build towards the season finale and I think everyone will enjoy the fight to the end!" 

DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM HEAD TO SAN MARINO FOR SECOND HOME GP

Just a week after celebrating a podium finish for Nicky Hayden in his own home race at Indianapolis, the Ducati Marlboro Team heads to the factory’s second home race this weekend as the series returns to Europe and the Misano circuit on the Adriatic coast. The American, who is hugely popular amongst Ducatisti thanks to his cheerful character and determined approach to racing, will be congratulated and supported by thousands of them - packed once again into the “Variante del Parco” corner. And whilst all those Ducatisti had also been looking forward to welcoming back their favourite, Casey Stoner, the 2007 race winner’s replacement in the Ducati Marlboro Team, Mika Kallio, will get just as much support. Eighth place for the flying Finn at Indianapolis equalled the best result of his debut MotoGP season so far but he remains unsatisfied and is confident of more at Misano.

Despite contesting the practice and qualifying sessions Hayden missed last year’s race at Misano due to the effects of a foot injury, whilst in 2007 after starting from the front row he was forced off track by a crash for De Puniet on the first lap and could only manage thirteenth. Kallio has shown good pace at this circuit during practice for the 250cc races over the past two seasons but he was unable to finish in either of them.

NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Marlboro Team (12th in the championship on 73 points)

“The little time we’ve had since Indy has flown by and even though I would have liked to have a bit more time to reflect on last weekend, Misano is right on us and that is what we have to focus on. Last year I rode in practice but wasn’t able to take part ion the race because of my foot injury but I like the circuit - there are a couple of fast right-handers at the end of the lap in particular that are a lot of fun. At Mugello I realised how special it is to race for Ducati in Italy so hopefully I can give all the Ducatisti even more reason to party. I know it won’t be easy and I can’t get overconfident even though everything went so well at Indy. I’ve learnt that this bike can quickly put you back in your place if you get cocky so once again I’ll just be putting my head down and giving it my maximum.” 

MIKA KALLIO, Ducati Marlboro Team (15th in the championship on 42 points)

“I equalled my best ever MotoGP result at Indianapolis and even though the race went better than practice I still wasn’t satisfied. My main objective now is to find another half a second off my lap times and to do that I simply need to find more confidence in the front end of the bike. I know the potential is there so hopefully I can make the most of it at Misano. It is not exactly my favourite circuit but it’s okay. In 2007 I went pretty fast in practice – not so much last year – and crashed out of the race both times. Hopefully this year we can build on the work we did at Indy and get a good result.” 

LIVIO SUPPO, MotoGP Project Director

“We arrive at Misano in high spirits thanks to Nicky’s excellent performance at Indy and we are happy to be getting back on track and hopefully continue with this positive trend of results. Mika will be with us once again as we await the return of Casey at Estoril and I really hope he is able to reap the fruit of all his recent hard work. He has demonstrated during his debut season in MotoGP that he has what it takes to do well and I’m sure he will confirm his potential soon.”

REPSOL HONDA TEAM BACK ON TRACK IN SAN MARINO

The Repsol Honda Team arrives back in Europe this week and moves directly to the Misano circuit on the east coast of Italy to begin immediate preparations for Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix. With more than two thirds of the season now complete, the factory Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso both have extra motivation to achieve strong results this weekend as the 2009 MotoGP world championship enters its final phase. 

For Dovizioso, Misano will represent the second ‘home’ race of the season and the fervent Italian crowd is sure to give the former 125cc World Champion an extra boost. Having come within half a second of a podium finish in the Indianapolis Grand Prix last weekend and with the crowd behind him at a circuit which is just 65km (40 miles) from his home town of Forli, Dovizioso will be going all out for a top-three finish this time. Fourth place at Indianapolis has edged Dovi two points closer to Colin Edwards, who finished fifth, in the world championship standings. With Edwards on 123 points and Dovizioso on 120, another strong finish for the Italian looks likely to promote him to fifth spot in the title race.

Pedrosa’s extra motivation at Misano comes courtesy of his exceptional pace in Indianapolis which saw the 23-year-old Spaniard dominate practice, set a new pole position lap record and lead the early stages of the race. The fact that he was unfortunate to fall from the lead - remounting to take a creditable tenth place - will simply spur on the three-time World Champion to take his second win of the season this weekend. Sixth place or higher at Misano would be enough for Pedrosa to overtake Casey Stoner for third place in the points table before the Australian’s planned return at the subsequent race at Estoril, Portugal.

Practice for the San Marino Grand Prix begins at 13.55 on Friday. The 28-lap race around the 4.226km (2.626 miles) circuit, which has run in the clockwise direction since its reappearance on the MotoGP calendar in 2007, begins on Sunday at 14.00 (GMT +2 hours).

DANI PEDROSA – World championship position: 4th, 141 points

“It’s really good that I’ll get an immediate chance to make up for the disappointment of the Indianapolis race result. Although that was obviously a big let down and you never want to crash, the pace we set over the whole weekend was very encouraging and the fact that I could finish the race riding very fast again means that I’ve already been able to put the fall behind me and we can concentrate on being quick from the start of first practice on Friday. Misano always has a great atmosphere because there are so many passionate fans. Even though most of them are supporting the Italian riders, it’s still a special feeling for everyone at this circuit. To be quick you need to ride quite aggressively there, and machine stability on the brakes and powering out of the corners is very important. I’m confident that we can be up front and fight for the win again this weekend.”

ANDREA DOVIZIOSO – World championship position: 6th, 120 points

“I love the atmosphere at Misano and this will be a special weekend for me. It’s my home Grand Prix and this is the track where I started my motorsport adventure so I’m really looking forward to riding here for the factory Honda team - that’s a dream come true. I used to race at Misano while I was racing in the Italian Championship so it’s great to return and ride in such familiar surroundings as a MotoGP rider. I think we can have a strong race here, especially after the good job we did on the machine at Indianapolis. We will start this weekend with the new set-up that we used for the Indianapolis race because my crew came up with some very useful adjustments to the machine which allowed me to get a better feeling and move forward in the race. All in all, I’m confident for Misano and I can’t wait to get back out on track.”

THE YOUNGEST MOTOGP DUO READY FOR MISANO GRAND PRIX 

The MotoGP World Championship is back in action after only four days from the Indianapolis Grand Prix. On September 6th the Misano Adriatico circuit will in fact host the thirteenth round of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship. The Pramac Racing duo, the youngest in the top category, is ready to battle up in one of the latest circuit added in the MotoGP calendar. The Misano World Circuit has in fact been renovated only a few years ago and since 2007 it hosts the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini Grand Prix on the 4226 meters long circuit with the main straight of 600 meters.

For Niccolò Canepa this will the second time on the Misano circuit after the race in the Superstock 1000 in 2007. His teammate has instead ridden here in the last two seasons when he was riding in the 250cc category: in 2007 he has concluded in twelfth position, while the year after he didn't unluckily managed to finish the race after qualifying in the front row on the starting grid with the third fastest time.

Niccolò Canepa:

"It will nice to race close to home again. I already know the circuit even if when I rode here with the Superstock 1000 things didn't go too well. I really hope that after Indianapolis race things will go in the right direction for me. I have been really unlucky this year and I confide in a bit of luck to be able to show my true value. The bike has improved a lot since the beginning of the season and I hope to be able to obtain a good result really soon."

Aleix Espargaro:

"I am sure that things here in Misano will go only better for me. This is a track I really like and where last year I conquered the front row with the third fastest lap time during qualifying. It will not be easy, I know this, but as usual I will give 100% to conquer the best result possible. With the Pramac Racing Team I felt good straight away and this allowed me to reach a good level since the first laps. For this reason I want to thanks the technical staff who have helped me a lot to adapt to this new adventure."

Capirossi's homeward bound for 13th round

Loris Capirossi heads to his home track of Misano in Italy for the San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix this weekend with hopes of a strong performance in front of his fellow countrymen.

Capirossi hails from Bologna, approximately 130kms from Misano, so can be assured of plenty of local support at the 4,226m circuit. He will be heading home in a confident mood after giving a strong race-day performance in Indianapolis last weekend and with the introduction of the new chassis and engine for the Rizla Suzuki GSV-R recently, Capirossi will be determined to improve on the seventh place he scored at Misano last year.

Chris Vermeulen also has high expectations for the forthcoming race. He was second at Misano two years ago and produced an equally impressive result there last year, after nearly high-siding early on and damaging his bike he pushed his way through the field to take fifth place.

The Misano World Circuit is located near Rimini on the Adriatic Riviera and will be hosting its third MotoGP event since motorcycle Grand Prix racing returned to the venue after a 14-year absence. The track features many first and second gear slower corners where overtaking is almost impossible and a long sweeping curve with two high speed right-handers that certainly make for exciting racing. It is a circuit where ultimate top-speed is not essential, but smooth and tidy riding certainly plays a part in mastering the layout.

Capirossi and Vermeulen will take to the track on Friday 4th September at 13.55hrs local time (11.55hrs GMT) for the first free practice session. Sunday's 28-lap race is scheduled to get underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).

Loris Capirossi:

"I am really excited about going to Italy for my home GP. Misano is a beautiful place and I really like the circuit. I will have many friends and family there and for sure the Italian fans will certainly be giving me a lot of support. I have been fifth and seventh here in the last two years and would love to get on the podium this time - especially because it is in Italy - and will certainly be trying as hard as I can to achieve that. We made big steps with the chassis at Indianapolis and will have a good start point on Friday, we don't know the full potential of it yet, but we will certainly be trying to find out in Misano!"

Chris Vermeulen:

"I am looking forward to going to Misano as it is a track I enjoy a lot; also it has been really warm there recently so it will be good to get back to the hot weather. I was fast there last year, apart from a small mishap on the first lap and I was on the podium two years ago so it holds some good memories for me. It is a track that has suited the Suzuki well in the past and we have good experience with the bikes there, I am sure we're going to roll the bikes out of the box with a good set-up on Friday and push for a front-running position all weekend."