Three-way fight headlines MotoGP Mugello return

Monday, 25 May 2009
Gran Premio d’Italia Alice takes place this weekend at famous circuit.

It’s one of the most eagerly-awaited rounds on the MotoGP calendar, and this season there is a title battle equally as breathtaking as the Mugello scenery. The Gran Premio d’Italia Alice takes place this weekend to mark the fifth race of the 2009 season, with the top three riders in the premier class separated by just a single point.
Leading the World Championship for the second time in the present campaign, Jorge Lorenzo has sixty-six points to his name after a blistering start to the year. Victories in Japan and, most recently, France have been the standout results for the Fiat Yamaha rider since the beginning of the season, with a further visit to the podium making up the rest of his total. Only a crash in Jerez has blotted his copybook thus far, something rectified at Le Mans, and the Spaniard is keen to make amends for his 2008 DNF at Mugello with another sterling result.
Trailing teammate Lorenzo by one point, Valentino Rossi’s record at Mugello speaks for itself. Victory at the last seven MotoGP visits to the Italian track give the reigning World Champion an incomparable pedigree at a single circuit. Rossi has won in all conditions and on a variety of machinery at Mugello, but a win is never a done deal with the high talent level in MotoGP. The six-time premier class titlist is gunning for his ninety-ninth triumph and, most importantly, the leadership of the classification in front of his home fans. If any further motivation were needed, Rossi arrives in Italy following a last place finish at Le Mans.
Adopted by a section of the Italian crowd as one of their own, Casey Stoner is level on points with Rossi in a tightly-packed top three. Like his rival, Stoner also finished off the podium in France, meaning that no rider has stepped onto the rostrum at every race in 2009. A win in Mugello would not only be a huge psychological advantage for the Australian, but would also bring delight to Ducati and their fans at the Italian factory’s home race. Stoner has taken a second place and qualified on pole position in the past two visits to Mugello.
Rapidly catching the leading group, Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa is building confidence and fitness with every race. He chased down teammate Andrea Dovizioso for a third consecutive podium at the last round, and has been one of the few riders to give Rossi problems at the scene of this weekend’s race in recent years. He is currently nine points behind leader Lorenzo in the classification.
In some respects, fifth-placed Marco Melandri is the surprise package of 2009 so far. Riding an under-developed Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR for the Hayate Racing team, the Italian took an unexpected podium at Le Mans in the flag-to-flag MotoGP race. However, despite his setbacks in recent years Melandri’s talent has never been in doubt, and the former MotoGP World Championship runner-up will be out to show as much at his home Grand Prix. He is currently level on points with fellow local rider Dovizioso in the standings.
The Gran Premio d’Italia Alice is also a home round for Rizla Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi and Pramac Racing rookie Niccolò Canepa, who both have extensive experience of the Mugello track. Capirossi’s laps have come over the course of eighteen race visits in his World Championship career –including a MotoGP victory in 2000- whilst Canepa was a frequent visitor to the circuit last year as Ducati’s official test rider.
Only seventeen riders will participate in the first Friday practice session for the Gran Premio d’Italia Alice, as Sete Gibernau will sit out the event after fracturing his collarbone at Le Mans.
The race itself takes place on Sunday, May 31st, with practice and qualifying on the two days prior.

Getting closer

do ur best vale!!!i hope u will win in mugello!!!!
I LUV U

He will....We are talkin abt Mugello here... 8 in a row...who else can do it...

and i can`t wait to see the helmet

I had a dream that Vale's helmet for Mugello this year had on it a copy of the painting I gave to him last year, showing his racing achievements as a childhood dream.
In my dream the helmet looked bloody good too. I think it's not going to be any more than just a dream though somehow LOL

What if it comes true???

MotoGP: Rossi feeling Mugello pressure

By Visordown News

The crowd expect it, we expect it - the world expects it: can Valentino take his eighth consecutive Mugello win?

VALENTINO ROSSI has admitted that he is feeling the pressure going into this weekend's MotoGP round at Mugello. The eight-time world champion said: "Racing at Mugello is something incredible for me, but every year it gets more difficult to keep my record going and seven wins in a row is already a lot! I do feel pressure going there, but at the same time it is always amazing and the fans give me an extra motivation that helps me to perform in a different way there. I hope it's the same again this year, because after Le Mans I really need a good result! It was disappointing but everyone has the occasional bad day and that was ours. Everything possible went wrong but hopefully that is all our bad luck for now and this time, at our home race, we will be back to our best. I always look forward to this race; it's very busy for me but I have so many amazing memories. Let's hope to create some more this weekend.”
But his on-form team-mate Jorge Lorenzo can't wait to get back out on track in front of the hugely exciteable Italian crowd. He added: "“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."

This is the weather forecast at the moment.
Doesn't look too good, but over the last few days the rain has moved ever later (when i checked a the weekend, it was full on rain for all three days) so my hopes are high that when I check again tomorrow it will have cleared off

Thanks for the news! I can't wait to see Vale's new helmet!!!

Gi