PREVIEW / GRAND PRIX OF ITALY
READY FOR THE HOME GP
We’re back! The long-awaited home date has finally
arrived for Team Fortuna Honda, who are ready to tackle one
of the most beautiful circuits on the World Championship calendar,
Mugello. Spurred on by the unique atmosphere of this circuit
and the support of the Italian fans, Marco Melandri heads
into his home race lying second in the championship thanks
to victories in Turkey and France with the objective of repeating
his result at Le Mans two weeks ago. Mugello is also an important
date for his team-mate Toni Elias, who arrives in Italy looking
to finally pick up the result he has promised on so many occasions
this season but has yet to achieve.
MARCO MELANDRI : “The victory at Le
Mans was a huge emotion, the best possible ‘antipasto’
before my home race. To head back to Italy straight after
a win is fantastic even though Mugello will be a completely
different story. My home GP in front of so many supporters
will be difficult because there are so many potential winners
but I am one of them and I am ready to fight for the podium.
The idea of racing in front of so many Italian fans is nice
but I have to be careful not to get carried away. Mugello
has come at an incredible time because at Le Mans we almost
had an entirely Italian podium. I’m sure, like every
year, it will be a great party!”
TONI ELIAS : “Mugello is a very technical
track that requires good physical preparation because of the
frequent changes in direction. In terms of riding it is one
of the most difficult tracks on the calendar. This year will
be my first time there with a MotoGP bike – last year
I was unable to take part because of the broken wrist I sustained
at Le Mans. I don’t have any references so hopefully
I can find a good base setting quickly and adapt well to Mugello.”
THE TRACK
Based in the hills of Mugello, just a few kilometres away
from the city of Florence, this is one of the most beautiful
race circuits in the world: spectacular and extremely technical,
where rider skill can make the biggest difference. It is a
difficult circuit, characterised by gradient changes, fast
“esses”, changes in speed, off camber corners
and an extremely long straight.
INTERESTING FACT: MICHELIN, the leading
French tyre manufacturer and providers to the RC211V machines
of Marco Melandri and Toni Elias, have won fifteen out of
the sixteen races held at Mugello since it first welcomed
the World Championship back in 1985.
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Inaugurated: 1974
Latest modification: 1999
Length: 5,245 m
Width: 14 m
Pole position: right
Right corners: 9
Left corners: 6
Longest straight: 1141 m
Race: 23 laps = 120.635 km
RECORD:
Circuit record: 2005 Biaggi (Honda) 1’50”117
Pole position: 2005 Rossi (Yamaha) 1’49”223
Race 2005 : 1st Rossi (Yamaha) 2nd Biaggi (Honda) 3rd Capirossi
(Ducati)
HOSPITALITY – THE OTHER RACE
A whole world revolves around the racetrack. A miniature
city that lives and works in the shadows, away from the glare
of the television cameras where the public don’t get
to see because it is surrounded by a wall of surveillance,
breached only by those wearing the most desired of objects:
the pass. This precious item allows you to step into another
world and enjoy a completely different atmosphere to what
you can see on the television. Because behind the ribbon of
the circuit is the true World Championship circus, a community
of hundreds of people, the offices where they work and a residential
area where the riders sleep. There is even a hospital, the
Clinica Mobile. The paddock is not short of anything. It is
a world that grows bigger every year as the needs of companies
and sponsors increase. For that reason the team led by Fausto
Gresini arrives each year with a new or renovated hospitality
unit, which stands out in the paddock for its elegance and
practicality.
Present at the eleven European rounds with a structure of
150m², as well as two truck-offices, the Team Fortuna
Honda hospitality covers around 30,000km a year per truck,
with each one using up around 120,000 litres of fuel.
The supply of most of the provisions actually comes from Italy
thanks to the partnership with ALTASFERA, who provide everything
from pasta to salami. Fresh ingredients such as bread, fruit
and vegetables are bought at the event.
The trucks arrive at the circuit on a Tuesday afternoon in
order to begin set-up on Wednesday morning. The structure
is complex and takes around sixteen hours to put together,
including the air conditioning system (thanks to the support
of BLUE BOX). But the team led by Maurizio Giordani can work
miracles and on Thursday morning everything is ready to begin
offering the complete service, from breakfast to dinner, including
lunch, snacks and aperitifs provided by CAMPARI. Six people
in all – three in the dining room and three in the kitchen
– help serve up around 700 meals at each GP.
The season in numbers
9,000 – meals served
1000 – extra meals at a major event such as Mugello
or the Spanish races
10,000 – litres of SAN BENEDETTO water
1,000 – litres of SAN BENEDETTO tea
3,000 – litres of CERES beer
12,000 - MOKADOR coffees
2,500 – packets of SAN CARLO crisps
600 – kilos of peeled potatoes
150 – litres of olive oil
1,000 – kilos of bread
1,000 – kilos of pasta
Interesting fact: The riders follow a strict
diet. Marco Melandri eats between 60 and 100g of whole-wheat
pasta dressed with oil. Toni Elias also eats Mediterranean
style and starts the day with a typical Catalan breakfast
of bread dressed with tomatoes and oil with ham.
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