Race Weekend - Mugello

Till today we had a very sunny and hot Gran Premio D’Italia Alice but today it started to rain. The 125cc race had some luck and was ridden at a dry track wherein Danny Webb with a good start was battling in the leading group. Unfortunaly the race ended too early for Webb by a crash. Randy Krummenacher had a bad start but rode a very strong race and take three points with a 13th position.

The whole weekend it was very nice weather but this morning the sky was cloudy and dark. The 125cc race could be ridden on a dry track. The start of British rider Danny Webb was perfect and went from 10^th to 5^th position. Webb was in the middle of the leading group and could battle for the podium positions. After a couple of laps Andrea Iannone’s bike broke down and that action split up the leading group in two groups. Webb was leading the second group on a 4^th position but crashed out a couple of laps later.

Danny Webb (DNF):

“I’m not happy with the result today! I had a superb start and connected directly to the leading group. I felt comfortable and it was fun to do the slipstream fights. My Aprilia is so fast so I knew I could stay with them. Unfortunaly Iannone broke down and that split up the group. I could lead the second group for a couple of laps but then I hit a bump in the track and crashed. Too bad but at least I know I can be up there but need some luck.

Next race I’m confident I can be up there again and this time I have to finish the race.”

The last British rider to lead a World Solo Championship was Barry Sheene who led the 1979 500cc World Championship after winning the opening round in Venezuela.

An exciting 125cc contest at the Italian Grand Prix saw Oxfordshire’s Bradley Smith (Bancaja Aspar) take victory from pole position, holding off a strong challenge from Spaniard Nico Terol on the last lap - to earn maximum points and the lead in the standings.

After morning rain the track dried relatively quickly and allowed for a highly competitive contest with Smith, Terol and Julián Simón (Bancaja Aspar) pulling away in the second half of the race to fill the podium. Smith eventually crossed the line 0.216 ahead of Terol, with Simón conceding the championship lead as he trailed his Aspar team-mate by seven seconds.

After a great performance from the English teenager on a drying track, following morning rain, Smith commented:

“I had Terol and Simón right on my rear wheel and I couldn’t shake them for a long time. It looked like I was going to break away but then I nearly went down on one corner on a wet patch so I had to be careful. The last lap I was pushing very hard and had a couple more dodgy moments but to finish first again is just superb, especially after such a good weekend.”

Smith’s compatriot Scott Redding had started behind him in second place on the grid and was involved in a great battle for fourth place in the second half of the race, but the Gloucestershire rider eventually had to settle for seventh, whilst Kent’s Danny Webb unfortunately crashed out on lap six after a good start.

In the wet-drying MotoGP race James Toseland made a brave decision to come in first and change bikes when running towards the back of the field and he just missed out on equaling his best MotoGP result of sixth as he was outdone by team-mate Colin Edwards on the last lap, having also dueled with LCR Honda’s Randy de Puniet who was eventually eighth. Seventh was nonetheless Toseland’s best result of 2009 so far.

The 250cc race meanwhile, saw a popular home win for Mattia Pasini in difficult wet conditions, with World Champion Marco Simoncelli second and title candidate Alvaro Bautista third – subject to a decision from race direction after Simoncelli and Bautista ran off track together in a controversial incident.

Bradley Smith arrives in Mugello for the Alice Grand Prix of Italy seeking some sunshine to help put pressure on 125 cc Championship leader Julian Simon. The 18 year old from Oxford finished a very mature fourth in the Le Mans rain last week and is just five and a half points behind his Aspar team-mate Simon who scored his first win of the season in France.

Smith, who won his first ever grand prix at Jerez in Spain three weeks ago, finished fifth in Mugello last year in a breathtaking race in which the first seven riders were separated by eight tenths of a second.

The three other British 125 cc teenagers will be looking for that change of weather and fortune in Italy. Both Gloucestershire’s Scott Redding, who’d qualified in second place and Kent-based Danny Webb crashed in the rain while Yorkshireman Matthew Hoyle failed to qualify on the Chinese Haojue machine. The new team is still struggling to build enough parts to make their machinery both reliable and competitive.

James Toseland travels to Mugello for the MotoGP race with a smile on his face for the first time this season. The Yorkshireman survived his first ‘flag to flag race in Le Mans to secure his second top ten finish of the season. Last year the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha rider finished sixth on his Mugello debut.

QUOTES

Bradley Smith

“After the rain and cold at Le Mans let’s hope for a dry sunny weekend. I finished fifth last year but with the first seven riders separated by eight tenths of a second anyone of us could have won the race. I was pleased with my fourth place in the French rain but I must keep up the pressure on Julian at the front.”

Danny Webb

“I will be on it at Mugello because I was not happy with the race at Le Mans. I crashed when the rear slid away without any warning. I wasn’t even on the throttle but the bike was too damaged to continue.”

Scott Redding

“I was really fed up after crashing in Le Mans especially after qualifying second which was my best ever. We thought the track was going to dry and chose the wrong rear sprocket and it didn’t stop raining. Let’s hope I can qualify as well in Mugello and we get it right for the race.”

James Toseland

“It was my first time there last year, and I got my equal best result of sixth position. So I’m looking forward to going there. It’s a really amazing track, with what I think is one of the best layouts on the calendar, I’ve had a smile back on my face since the ninth place in Le Mans because I really feel like I’m turning the season round.”

CAN ANYBODY STEAL KING ROSSI’S MUGELLO CROWN?

For the last seven glorious years Valentino Rossi has returned home to his beloved Italy to turn the Mugello circuit into a partisan frenzy of passion and pure excitement by winning the Italian Grand Prix. The 30 year old World Champion returns home once again on Sunday to chase his eighth successive premier class victory in the Alice Grand Prix of Italy after a chastising last round of the Championship at Le Mans in France where he scored no points.

Everything about the magnificent 3.259 miles Mugello circuit symbolises Italy and Rossi. The superb location of the track that embodies the gentle contours of the Tuscan hills high above the beautiful City of Florence. The sheer explosion of passion from an audience steeped in the tradition and success of grand prix motor cycle racing and a track constructed to provide high speed motorcycles and their pilots with an examination of skill and bravery rarely matched by any other venue in the World.

To wrestle the Mugello crown from the head of Italy’s favourite son will take a supreme effort but the first four rounds of the Championship this year have proved there are usurpers to the King’s crown ready and willing to lead the revolution.

Twenty one year old Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo leads that charge from first place in the World Championship. Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha team-mate has won two grands prix this year, including the last one in France. That precious Championship lead is by a single point from this year’s other grand prix winners Rossi and Australian Casey Stoner. Lorenzo, a 250 cc winner at Mugello, arrives bursting with confidence but the real threat could come from Stoner or Dani Pedrosa who is just nine points behind his bitter rival Lorenzo.

Mugello is not only the home of Rossi but also Ducati and Stoner has shown tremendous maturity riding the revered GP9 Desmosedici Marlboro Ducati to points scoring finishes at circuits where both the rider and the machine have been devoid of previous success. Mugello and many of the circuits at the forthcoming grands prix present a very different picture for a totally focused Stoner who shares second place in the Championship with Rossi.

Almost unnoticed Pedrosa has crept up on the leading trio despite missing all the pre-season because of injury. Riding the Repsol Honda he’s finished on the podium in the last three races and is a former 250cc winner at the track. It’s also a big race for his team-mate Andrea Dovizioso who shares fifth place in the Championship with Marco Melandri but who has never won in any class at his home race.

In the winter Melandri thought he may never ride another grand prix at Mugello following the withdrawal of the Kawasaki team. Hayate saved both his and Kawasaki’s grand prix future and they were both rewarded with an emotional second place in France. The Italian won the 250 cc race at Mugello seven years ago which was the same year that Rossi started his incredible run in the Premier class.

The last man on the current grid to beat Rossi at Mugello was Rizla Suzuki veteran Loris Capirossi back in 2000 riding the 500cc two-stroke Honda. After crashing at the opening round in Qatar the Italian has scored consistent points and lies ninth the Championship, four points behind his team-mate Chris Vermeulen.

The 250 cc World Championship is equally as close with four separate winners in the opening four rounds. Just one point separates Championship leader Spaniard Alvaro Bautista and Japanese Honda star Hiroshi Aoyama. Bautista is a former Mugello winner riding the Aspar Aprilia but both the two Championship leaders will be keeping a close eye on World Champion Marco Simoncelli. The Italian Métis Gilera rider failed to score points in the opening two rounds but finished on the podium in Spain, won in France and also won the race at Mugello last year. He’s still 26 points behind Bautista but a repeat win would put him right back in contention.

After the 32 crashes in the 125 cc race carnage in the French rain last week surely the weather will be dry for another epic encounter on Sunday. Spaniard Julian Simon won his first race of the season to lead the Championship by 5.5 points from his Aspar team-mate Bradley Smith. Italian Andrea Iannone seeks a change of fortune in front of the home crowd. He won the first two grands prix but has crashed out of the last two races although he did remount to finish seventh in France.

EVENT TIME SCHEDULE

Friday 29 May

12.40 – 13.40              125cc Free Practice 1
13.55 – 14.55              MotoGP Free Practice 1
15.10 – 16.10              250cc Practice 1

Saturday 30 May

09.00 – 09.40              125cc Free Practice 2
09.55 – 10.55              MotoGP Free Practice 2
11.10 – 12.10              250cc Free Practice 2
13.00 – 13.40              125cc Qualifying
13.55 – 14.55              MotoGP Qualifying
15.10 – 15.55              250cc Qualifying

Sunday 31 May

08.40 – 09.00              125cc Warm Up
09.10 – 09.30              250cc Warm Up
09.40 – 10.00              MotoGP Warm Up
11.00                           125cc RACE (20 laps)
12.15                           250cc RACE (21 laps)
14.00                           MotoGP RACE (23 laps)

The fifth Grand Prix of the season started today under sunny and warm circumstances. The Gran Premio D’Italia Alice brought British rider Danny Webb a 13th position in the first free practice. Swiss rider Randy Krummenacher was only half a second slower than his teammate and ended on a 16th position. 

The DeGraaf Grand Prix Team used the one hour free practice to create a good basic set-up. For the riders Danny Webb and Randy Krummenacher it went ok to find a good set-up and were able to ride competitive lap times. Danny Webb had a good session and was nearly all the session in the top 10. In the last minutes Webb dropped to a 13^th position. Randy Krummenacher tried to get into the top 10 and nearly succeeded but at the end he was on the 16th spot.

Danny Webb (13^th,2:00,959):

“It went all right today. I have a really good feeling and the bike is good. The set-up was pretty ok in the beginning and it went better and better. It is too bad that the position doesn’t tell you it went good.

During the whole session I was able to ride in to the top 10 and even top 5 halfway the session. In the last ten minutes I tried to ride a faster lap but I had a big moment in my fast lap.

Even the laps after this there were something going on at the track and I was not able to improve my lap time.

My ideal time is half a second faster and that gives me a good feeling for tomorrow’s qualification. I’m aiming tomorrow for the first two rows.”

At the Sunny and hot track of Mugello the DeGraaf Grand Prix Team manage to qualify at the third and fourth starting row during the Gran Premio D’Italia Alice. Danny Webb grabbed the 13^th position and Krummenacher rode his Aprilia to a nice 13^th position at the fourth row.

The second free practice this morning was a good one for the DeGraaf Grand Prix Team. Danny Webb and Randy Krummenacher ended this session on a good 8^th and 9^th position. This result gave hope for the team to hold on this positions or even better in the afternoon qualification. 

It’s all about slipstreaming at the high-speed track of Mugello. In the thirst half of the session Danny Webb tried to get a good race pace and concentrate at the second half of the session to catch a good slipstream at the long straight. One time Webb had a perfect slipstream and manages to set his fastest lap time in that lap. In the last ten minutes Webb waited for another slipstream but couldn’t find a good one. In his last lap of the session Webb had a good tow of Nicolas Terol but this time Terol wasn’t so fast and Webb couldn’t improve his lap time. The British teenager will start tomorrow from the third row of the 10^th position.

Danny Webb (10^th,1:59,478):

“I’m not really happy with the 10th position of today. I can do better but now days it is very important not only to ride fast laps but also how you tactical build up a session. I tied to hook up several times to get a good tow at the straight but only once it was a really good tow and gave me a fast lap time.

The other try’s to get a tow the rider in front of me got off the throttle and I lost a lap. In the last lap of the session I was together with Nicolas Terol but unfortunaly he wasn’t as fast as I thought and I couldn’t improve my lap time. Tenth position is not so bad and with a good start I can hook up with the leading group.”