Grand Prix of San Marino - Preview
FIAT YAMAHA TEAM TAKE TITLE CHALLENGE HOME TO MISANO
The Fiat Yamaha Team contest their second ‘home’
race of the season this weekend, with the San Marino Grand
Prix taking place on Italian soil at the Misano circuit on
the Adriatic coast. The trip is a short one for the team,
whose base is just 300km away in Milan, but even shorter for
Valentino Rossi, with his hometown of Tavullia located a mere
15km down the road.
The multi-World Champion heads to the thirteenth round of
the current MotoGP series with his sights firmly set on a
sixth premier-class title after extending his advantage over
Casey Stoner to 50 points in the last round at Brno. Having
missed out on the title for the past two seasons following
a five-year winning streak, Rossi’s improvement is outlined
by the fact that a fifth-place finish this Sunday will see
him outscore his tally for either of those campaigns.
The 29-year-old’s army of local supporters are sure
to be in party mood at the lively seaside resort as he looks
to make up for the disappointment of a mechanical breakdown
in this race last year and score three consecutive wins for
the second time this season. Also within Rossi’s range
is the all-time record for premier-class victories, set at
68 by Giacomo Agostini back in 1976.
Jorge Lorenzo continues his Grand Prix education at full
fitness after a troublesome period of injury and tyre woes.
The rookie from Mallorca won the 250cc race at Misano last
year after having qualified on pole and he will be looking
to support Rossi in the quest to improve on Yamaha’s
total of 283 points in last year’s Constructors’
World Championship, which will be secured if any of the factory’s
riders finish in the top two.
Valentino Rossi
“OUT TO MAKE UP FOR LAST YEAR”
“I’m really excited to be going to Misano in such
good shape and leading the championship. Last year the race
was a huge disappointment for us, a very low point of the
season and especially sad because it happened in front of
my home fans. But this time things are very different; we’ve
had two fantastic races in a row and we are feeling very strong
and very confident. We are out to make up for 2007! Misano
is so close to my home town of Tavullia that I know there
will be an army of Italian fans there, and I hope it’s
going to be a great party for all of them. Last year there
was some terrible weather before the race as well so I really
hope that this year we have sunshine and we can enjoy a fantastic
race by the sea!”
Jorge Lorenzo
“GOOD MEMORIES!”
“After the disaster of Brno I’m going to Misano
with the belief and the will that everything goes much better
and that we’re able to score a positive result in my
team’s second home Grand Prix. I’m riding well
at the moment and in the post-race test in the Czech Republic
we were able to shave off a few tenths that will be vital
for the next GP. Misano is a small track for MotoGP but it
is safe. Last year I won in 250cc so my only memories of it
are good ones!”
Davide Brivio
“TARGETS ARE THE SAME”
“Last year we arrived in Misano with a 60-point disadvantage
to Stoner and now we are 50 ahead so the situation is completely
reversed and obviously that’s great for us. Having said
that, we still have six difficult races left and there are
circuits coming up where we know our rivals will be very strong.
Misano is one of the places where last year we were not so
bad so it could be one of the places we can fight. It is difficult
to overtake but I expect and hope for another good show. Valentino’s
targets haven’t changed since the start of the season
– the first priority is to be on the podium, which is
even more crucial at this stage, and when possible fight to
win. Those objectives remains the same regardless of the points
situation.”
Daniele Romagnoli
“MISANO IS ANOTHER STORY”
“We go to Misano in good spirits but knowing that we
can’t afford a repeat of the last two races, where our
performance has been completely dictated by the tyres –
especially Brno. Hopefully Misano will be another story because
it’s a completely different kind of circuit. It is not
as fast, it is flat, and last year Michelin were competitive
there. We did a lot of work on the tyres in the test at Brno
and found something with durability on the front and a solution
for the rear that helps under acceleration. Hopefully we can
carry those improvements through to this weekend because Jorge
is riding well, this is a circuit he likes and we saw earlier
in the season what he is capable of if he has the necessary
tools.”
Valentino Rossi : Information
Age: 29
Lives: Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 93 (67 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 204 (144 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 50
World Championships: 7 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1
x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)
Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 21
Lives: London, UK
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 22 (1 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 105 (11 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 29 (3 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 2 x 250cc
Misano: Record Lap
C.Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 1'34.649
Misano: Best Lap
C.Stoner (Ducati) 2007, 1'33.918
Grand Prix Results: Misano 2007
1. C.Stoner (Ducati) 44'34.720
2. C.Vermeulen (Suzuki) +4.851
3. J.Hopkins (Suzuki) +16.002
. V. Rossi (ITA) Yamaha NF
Jorge Lorenzo Result: Misano 2007
1. J. Lorenzo (SPA) Aprilia 42'54.427 (250cc)
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