The Gran Premio d’Italia Alice is the venue for the next race on the MotoGP calender. With Italian rider, Valentino Rossi, leading the Championship race so far, and a long list of European races lined up, the Italian MotoGP race promises to add to the excitement of an already enthralling season.
Fiat Yamaha’s rider, Valentino Rossi is on top of the Championship scheduling with 97 points. The riders current form is sending out an ominous warning to all teams ahead of Rossi’s ‘favourite race’ on the calendar. Always the recipient of a rapturous welcome, for the first time in three years will Rossi come home while at the top of the standings.
Winner of the last two Grands Prix, at Shanghai and at Le Mans, the last time Rossi was able to win three-in-a-row was at Donington Park-Sachsenring-Brno, a treble in the summer of 2005. The odds are stacked heavily in his favour as Rossi has won each and every 4-stroke MotoGP race held at Mugello.
Jorge Lorenzo, Rossi’s team mate and debutante on the tracks, is in the midst of one crazy season. Just 3 points behind Rossi, Lornzo has injuries to both ankels. Although the injuries do not deter him One bit as he showed at Le Mans. The rider came in at second, behind Rossi, with two broken ankles. He was unable to stand at the podium after the race.
Lorenzo is level on points with perennial rival Dani Pedrosa. Pedrosa, on the Repsol Honda, is in third spot due to Lorezo finishing Le Mans above the 22 year old. Pedrosa was second-best to Rossi, last year, at Mugello while taking his first MotoGP podium in Italy. He has won, at Mugello, only once before but that win came in 2005 and on a 250cc bike.
Reigning World Champion, Casey Stoner, would probably have picked any other venue, than Mugello, at this stage in the Championship. With Rossi in invincible form, and Stoner’s past record of just one podium place on a 125cc bike at Mugello, the Ducati man’s hopes of getting some respite in the title chase seem dim. Stoner finished outside of the points places for the first time since coming to Ducati. Engine problems led to the poor result and Ducati will be itching to get out onto the tracks to make amends.
To stop the top 3 from going out of reach, Stoner in 4th and Colin Edwards in 5th would love to win and keep themselves in the hunt for the championship.
Loris Capirossi will be competing in his first home race with Suzuki on June 1st, currently without a podium to his name in 2008. Also chasing a first podium of the year is sixth placed Nicky Hayden, JiR Team Scot Italian Andrea Dovizioso, Tech 3 Yamaha rookie James Toseland and San Carlo Honda Gresini veteran Shinya Nakano, make up the remainder of the top ten.
A wild-card appearance will be made by 41 year-old Tadayuki Okada, returning for his first race since 2000 onboard a Honda RC212V. The Japanese rider will be making his 800cc debut, having last competed at Mugello with the 500cc Honda NSR500.
