MotoGP World Championship. Italian GP. Preview
 THE
REPSOL HONDA TEAM FACES THE ITALIAN GRAN PRIX WITH REINFORCEMENTS
Tadayuki Okada, Repsol rider between years 1996 and 2000,
will compete this weekend in Mugello with Honda's new pneumatic-valve
engine
After the French Grand Prix, this weekend the World Motorcycling
Championship lands in Italy, more specifically on the Mugello
track, located in a pleasant valley surrounded by mountains,
and the permanent setting for tight and exciting races. The
highlight of the sixth event of the 2008 season within the
Repsol Honda Team ranks is the return of Tadayuki Okada to
the paddock, where he rode between the years 1996 and 2000,
and which saw him become World Runner-up in 1997.
Okada will participate, at his 41 years of age, as guest rider
in Mugello, and will do so with the new pneumatic-valve engine
which both Dani Pedrosa and Nicky Hayden hope to try out soon.
So, this weekend all eyes of the Repsol Honda Team will be
set this weekend on the performance of the Japanese rider
during Friday and Saturday's training sessions, and during
the race on Sunday.
For Dani Pedrosa, the Mugello circuit is one where the Repsol
rider has claimed a number of podiums and one single victory.
Pedrosa was second while competing in 125cc in 2003, 2nd again
the following year, though this time in 250cc, and finally,
first in 2005 during his last season in the quarter-litre
category. His two races in MotoGP on the Italian track have
ended in a fourth place in 2006 and a second place last season
behind local hero Valentino Rossi. Nicky Hayden's best result
in Mugello is a third place, claimed by the American Repsol
Honda Team rider in 2006, the year he became World Champion
in the top category.
Dani Pedrosa reaches Mugello occupying second position in
the general classification, at an even score with fellow countryman
Jorge Lorenzo and just 3 points behind Valentino Rossi, who
after the victory in France a fortnight ago now leads the
score chart. Nicky Hayden is in seventh position, 60 points
behind Rossi.
In the 250cc category, Julián Simón has brushed
the podium over the last few races, though physical or mechanical
problems finally prevented him from obtaining good results
in the quarter-litre category. At the last French Grand Prix,
Simón got off to a good start for the season and was
in a podium position for over half of the race, though mechanical
problems finally dragged him down to eighth position. Mugello
is a very demanding circuit both mechanically speaking and
also on the physical condition of the riders, and Simón
hopes to confirm his improved physical condition there -the
recent pains in his forearms-, and make the most of the potential
of his KTM to claim that well-deserved podium.
In the 125cc category, a totally new Grand Prix for both
Team Repsol KTM 125cc riders. Neither Esteve Rabat nor newcomer
Marc Márquez have ever run on the Italian circuit,
so they have a tough weekend ahead of them. Mugello is not
such an easy circuit for inexperienced riders; it's twisting
and fast layout, with changes in elevation, will represent
an enormous challenge for Rabat and Márquez, who in
France started to stand out among the aggressive pack in the
smallest of the three categories.
Quotes
MotoGP
Dani Pedrosa >>
“We made some positive forward steps when we tested
at Le Mans after the race, so we will be working hard to get
back up front at Mugello. We have many races over the next
few weeks, so it’s important to get into a good rhythm
and maintain that rhythm. Mugello is a great circuit in an
amazing valley full of people which makes the atmosphere fantastic.
The circuit is one of the most complicated in the championship.
It’s a very high-speed track, so if you want to be fast
you need to concentrate 100 per cent everywhere and take a
lot of risks. You need as much corner speed as possible and
you need a very stable bike that’s also fast through
all the direction changes. You have to find a balance of riding
aggressively and smoothly, using hard tyres because this track
is quite hard on the tyres. It’s about time the track
was resurfaced because it’s getting very bumpy.”
Nicky Hayden >>
“Mugello will be another hard one, because right now
we’re missing a bit – we know it’s there,
we’ve just got to put it all together. Mugello is awesome,
I’d say it’s one of the best tracks, the best
races we go to all year, the atmosphere is pretty unique.
The track has a little bit of everything.
The big front straightaway looks straight and easy on TV but
when you’re in the saddle it’s got a little kink
in it over a rise. The wheel’s off the ground through
there, so you can’t be leaning too much or sawing on
the ‘bars! The track has got lots of chicanes, though
they’re fast chicanes, not the little Mickey Mouse go-kart
chicanes you see at other tracks, they’re quite quick
switchbacks. There’s also a lot of elevation changes
and a few downhill corners that are tricky so you need a front
end with feeling, you’ve got to trust the front end
a lot. The surface is getting well used, quite bumpy and abrasive.”
250cc
Julián Simón >>
“I think the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello is the most
difficult of all the races held in the World Championship,
or at least one of the most difficult, because you need a
good setup that lets you take fast successive turns through
elevation changes. You need a chassis that performs well in
those curves. We're going to work a lot on that aspect.
We'll also have to work on the setup of the engine, so that
we can can close in on the Aprilias on the long straight at
Mugello. I'm really looking forward to racing in Italy, and
hoping to finish up front. Right now my arms feel OK. The
osteopath is very happy with how they've developed; I'm also
feeling good, I've been working on this method for three races
and it's been working. We're going to a crucial circuit, because
if we leave Mugello without any problems, we can say that
we've taken a step towards ending the troubles which have
affected me so much.”
125cc
Esteve Rabat >>
“It's a new circuit for me, because last year I didn't
race here due to the injury I had in France. We'll see what
it's like once we're on the track, but for now, from what
I've seen on the TV, it looks like a nice circuit.
We'll see if we can maintain the good performance we had in
Le Mans, following the leading pack, though I hope that this
time I can keep up with them until the end of the race. It
will be tough and I don't think I'll be up ahead right from
the start, but if we work hard we can make it.”
Marc Márquez >>
“Mugello Circuit looks quite complicated, with a lot
of elevation changes, and I've been told that it's one of
the circuits where I'll have to be most patient, because it
takes a while to get the hang of it. When we get there we
can see what it's really like and how to adapt to it.
There's a very long straight and a good engine is important,
but acceleration will be important too, because it has to
be able to push the bike up the slopes. The bends are quite
technical, and as far as I've been told it's very bumpy. We'll
have to work a lot on the suspension.”
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