GRAND PRIX OF ITALY
Free practice / GOOD START FOR MARCO MELANDRI AT
HOME TRACK
The Team FORTUNA HONDA riders were back on track today for
the first free practice sessions at the spectacular circuit
of Mugello, which this weekend welcomes the sixth round of
the MotoGP World Championship, the Italian Grand Prix. Mixed
weather conditions made life hard for the team at what is
a particularly special Grand Prix for them. Marco Melandri
has arrived at his home race feeling fully motivated after
his victory in the Grand Prix of France two weeks ago. The
Ravenna youngster, who has stood on the podium four times
here in the smaller categories, enjoyed the two free practice
sessions to improve his feeling for the bike. It was also
a good start for Toni Elias, who spent his time studying a
track that is new to him on a MotoGP bike, having missed last
year’s race due to a broken wrist injury sustained at
Le Mans. The Spaniard has worked hard to find the right setting
and, specifically, improve rear grip.
MARCO MELANDRI (1’52”339, 7th):
“I’m satisfied with this first day of tests.
We’ve worked hard to improve the feeling with the front
end and today we had some more than positive feedback. The
bike and the tyres worked really well and alongside Michelin
we started to make a few tests which we will continue tomorrow.
I’m feeling happy and motivated – it will be a
challenging but fun weekend here in front of the Italian fans.”
TONI ELIAS (1’52”789, 11th):
“I really like the Mugello circuit and this was my
first time here on a MotoGP bike today. It is a challenging
track and I just worked to try and find the best lines. Unfortunately
the alternation between sunshine and rain didn’t help
with the set-up of the bike. We need to do some more tests
in the dry to understand thge bike better and resolve some
of the problems we had in the last race.”
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