FIM MotoGP World Championship Mugello, Italy May 30, 2008 Free Practice Two Results (wet conditions): 1. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 2:01.500 2. Nicky HAYDEN (Honda), Michelin, 2:02.010 3. Casey STONER (Ducati), Bridgestone, 2:02.305 4. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), Bridgestone, 2:02.327 5. James TOSELAND (Yamaha), Michelin, 2:02.412 6. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha), Michelin, 2:02.562 7. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda), Michelin, 2:02.569 8. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda), Michelin, 2:03.568 9. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), Michelin, 2:03.586 10. Dani PEDROSA (Honda), Michelin, 2:03.699 11. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda), Bridgestone, 2:03.765 12. John HOPKINS (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 2:03.950 13. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 2:04.049 14. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 2:05.397 15. Shinya NAKANO (Honda), Bridgestone, 2:05.634 16. Tadayuki OKADA (Honda), Michelin, 2:06.103 17. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 2:06.257 18. Toni ELIAS (Ducati), Bridgestone, 2:08.980 19. Marco MELANDRI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 2:14.112 Friday’s Best Combined Practice Times: 1. John HOPKINS (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 1:54.053 2. Loris CAPIROSSI (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 1:54.520 3. Anthony WEST (Kawasaki), Bridgestone, 1:55.021 4. Alex DE ANGELIS (Honda), Bridgestone, 1:55.141 5. Shinya NAKANO (Honda), Bridgestone, 1:55.528 6. Andrea DOVIZIOSO (Honda), Michelin, 1:55.718 7. Chris VERMEULEN (Suzuki), Bridgestone, 1:55.774 8. Dani PEDROSA (Honda), Michelin, 1:55.805 9. Casey STONER (Ducati), Bridgestone, 1:58.618 10. Valentino ROSSI (Yamaha), Bridgestone, 1:58.672 11. Randy DE PUNIET (Honda), Michelin, 1:59.240 12. Nicky HAYDEN (Honda), Michelin, 1:59.436 13. James TOSELAND (Yamaha), Michelin, 1:59.899 14. Jorge LORENZO (Yamaha), Michelin, 2:00.004 15. Marco MELANDRI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 2:00.162 16. Sylvain GUINTOLI (Ducati), Bridgestone, 2:01.718 17. Tadayuki OKADA (Honda), Michelin, 2:02.810 18. Toni ELIAS (Ducati), Bridgestone, 2:03.305 19. Colin EDWARDS (Yamaha), Michelin, 2:03.586 More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: MotoGP Showers and overcast skies in Mugello meant that MotoGP practice for the Gran Premio d´Italia Alice got off to a stuttering start, with neither of the two Friday sessions likely to help when it comes to choosing dry race settings. A wet track for the entirety of the afternoon session meant that morning times were difficult to improve, Kawasaki Racing´s John Hopkins not receiving any challenge to his timesheet-topping lap of 1´54.053. Said time had been recorded in the matutinal run, on a drying racing line, something not experienced second time around and reflected in the near ten-second difference in the Anglo-American´s respective hot laps. Remaining in second place, Loris Capirossi was once again the quickest Italian representative on his home circuit. The Rizla Suzuki veteran ran his GSV-R off-track during the rainier of the two sessions, a fate also experienced by third placed rider and second Kawasaki competitor Anthony West. San Carlo Honda Gresini´s Alex de Angelis and Shinya Nakano showed good early form for fourth and fifth on the timesheet, but the latter´s day was soured by a lowside in the final quarter of the afternoon. The light crash left the Japanese rider mud-sodden but uninjured, whilst some extensive repair work will be performed on his Honda RC212V in preparation for Saturday´s qualifying showdown. The combined top ten also featured JiR Team Scot local boy Andrea Dovizioso, fastest rider of the completely wet run Chris Vermeulen, and the early World Championship contenders Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi. The latter was the highest placing Yamaha rider in tenth, with factory teammate and title challenger Jorge Lorenzo in fourteenth. Both Fiat Yamaha riders had some early wobbles on their M1 bikes, but managed to stay upright and on-track. Riding the pneumatic valve Honda engine on his MotoGP wildcard return, Tadayuki Okada suffered a high speed lowside on the fast downhill section of the Mugello track, but escaped uninjured. 250cc Mattia Pasini proved to be the 250cc rider most adept at handling a wet Mugello track, taking provisional pole for the quarter litre category Italian race in the dying seconds of the first qualifying session. The Polaris World rider brought some sunshine to the day for local fans, being the only Italian to head a session over the course of Friday´s action. A lap of 2´05.711 on the last of 18 laps was enough to thwart another late surging rider, Metis Gilera´s Marco Simoncelli, by nearly a full second as Pasini found valuable tenths from nowhere. The provisional front row also includes Hector Barbera on the Team Toth Aprilia, whilst Red Bull KTM´s Hiroshi Aoyama prevented an all-Italian factory top four with a time over two seconds down on that of Pasini. Alvaro Bautista was caught out by the treacherous asphalt of Mugello after recording the fifth fastest time of the session, the 2007 racewinner thrown from his Mapfre Aspar bike in a spectacular highside. He is joined on row two at present by Manuel Poggiali, World Championship leader Mika Kallio and Thomas Luthi. 125cc A youthful top two head the provisional front row for the 125cc Gran Premio d´Italia Alice, with Belson Derbi´s Pol Espargaro and Blusens Aprilia rider Scott Redding the fastest duo of a soaking afternoon qualifying session. Espargaro continued his form from the first practice run by once again ending up as the fastest man on track, with a 2´18.932 lap in his final action of the day. One of the youngest riders in the World Championship, Redding had a fine afternoon in wet conditions more familiar to those with experience of British racing. The teenager was just over a tenth of a second slower than Espargaro, and if he can stay within the top four tomorrow will earn a second front row of the season. Series leader Mike di Meglio showed no ill-effects of his morning crash, just three-tenths of a second down on the top time in the session. The Ajo Motorsport man has placed on the podium twice in as many races, wet affairs in both Shanghai and Le Mans. Raffaele de Rosa was the highest placing Italian, onboard the Onde 2000 KTM machine, whilst Sandro Cortese, perennial poleman Bradley Smith, World Champions Gabor Talmacsi, Joan Olive, Andrea Iannone and Danny Webb completed the top ten. Crashes came from Tomoyoshi Koyama and Efren Vazquez. More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki Racing Team: MIXED WEATHER AT MUGELLO PUTS KAWASAKI ON TOP Kawasaki’s John Hopkins and Anthony West completed the two wet practice sessions at the Mugello circuit at the top of the field today, in first and third positions respectively on combined times. The first hour-long stint began with heavy rainfall around the 5.245km circuit, and both riders battled the elements in search of a comfortable wet setting aboard their Ninja ZX-RR race machines. However, as the session went on a significant dry line was evident out on track, which enabled riders to board their dry-weather prepared bikes. Hopkins, although dissatisfied with his set-up, shot to the top of the leader board, nearly half a second quicker than his nearest rival. Teammate West, who spent much of the session at the top of the field, finished with confidence in third position. The afternoon session saw no improvements in lap times following another rain shower, which left noticeable amounts of standing water around the circuit. In some places the Kawasaki pilots were forced to alter their lines to avoid aquaplaning their powerful 800cc machines when travelling at speeds in excess of 300kmh. Hopkins used the time to try different variants in his wet setting, which showed minimal improvements, while West found it unusually difficult to master the rain-soaked track, suffering with a lack of feeling on his Bridgestone shod machine. Hopkins and West remain optimistic for tomorrow’s qualifying, but both will be reliant on more stable weather conditions in order to find a better setting around the picturesque Italian circuit. John Hopkins #21: 1st – 1’54.053 “This morning started out very wet and we concentrated on our set-up to cope with the conditions out on circuit. We found something that worked quite well for us, and we gradually worked to a dry setting as the sun came out. On full slicks we found that there is quite a bit of work to do, although we did manage to finish the session at the top of the time sheets. In the second stint it was wet again and there was a lot of standing water around the circuit. We went in a different direction with our wet setting, which didn’t really work for us. If it’s going to be dry on race day I hope that tomorrow we have two dry sessions to set the bike up, if not then we’ll go back to our original wet setting and work from there.” Anthony West #13: 3rd – 1’55.021 “This weekend has got off to a bit of a strange start for me. The first practice session we went out on track with a full wet set-up and I didn’t feel very comfortable on the bike. However, as the track dried out we switched to full slick tyres and I was able to put in some reasonable lap times, finishing third overall. It’s usually the wet I’m more comfortable with and today it felt better in the dry! In the second wet practice session the bike was struggling to grip, particularly at the first corner and I couldn’t get out of the turns well enough without the rear spinning, which cost us a lot of time. It’s also pretty scary aquaplaning a bike at speeds of around 300kmh, so I had to change my lines in some places to avoid hitting the water at an angle. We need to find better traction and make the bike more stable, especially if it’s going to continue raining.” Naoya Kaneko Kawasaki Technical Manager “This morning the final times were achieved on slick tyres, but with only a small amount of dry track time it’s difficult to judge where we are really. With the wet set-up we need to improve rear stability for both riders, as this is not helping their confidence to get out of the turns. Anthony felt good this morning, but the rain this afternoon made it difficult for him to get into the corners, and we are looking for a solution to make his machine more stable. The weather is going to have a big part to play here, and I hope that given more track time in the wet or dry we can progress further forward.” More, from a press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: ROSSI HOMECOMING MARRED BY HEAVY RAIN IN MUGELLO It was a wet and gloomy return to home turf for Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi today, as heavy rain greeted the MotoGP paddock on the opening day of the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. The weather was in stark contrast to the bright Tuscan sunshine that’s generally expected at this race and made for a muddy day on the hillsides for Rossi’s army of Italian fans. An early morning shower meant that this morning’s first free practice was run on a drying track, with times decreasing throughout. Rossi was quite fast early on but did not go out when the track was at its driest and times were fastest, finishing the session in tenth. This afternoon was an even wetter story, with a heavy shower during the first quarter of the session and steady drizzle from then on meaning that there was standing water on the track throughout, but it gave Rossi and his crew an important chance to gather more information about the Bridgestone rain tyres and also to refine their wet set-up. The Italian was very pleased with the improvement and finished the afternoon session in fourth, setting a best time in the wet of 2’02.327, although he remains tenth in the combined standings due to the faster times from this morning. Rossi’s team-mate Lorenzo meanwhile was also impressively fast in the wet this afternoon, finishing the second session in sixth. Luckily today’s rain looks like being a one-off and better weather is forecast for the next two days, with both Fiat Yamaha riders looking forward to getting started on their race set-up in the dry tomorrow. Valentino Rossi Position: 10th Time: 1’58.672 Laps: 35 “There was really a lot of water here today! It’s a pity because it’s wonderful here when it’s sunny and I think that like this it’s not so fun for the fans, plus we’ve really lost a whole day of practice because it seems it’s going to be dry from now on! This morning was very tricky with the track quite patchy, so I preferred to take it easy in these conditions. This afternoon was very useful however and we were able to make some important modifications to our wet set-up, which enabled us to go quite fast at the end and finish fourth. At the start of the session it was so wet that it felt a bit dangerous, so it was necessary to be very careful, but it was better in the second half and I am glad we’ve had this session because it reassures us that we’re fast also in the wet. From now on here I think, and hope, that it’s going to be dry so we will start again tomorrow. Missing one day like this means that our setting for Sunday in the dry won’t be as perfect as it might have been, but anyway we would still prefer it to be dry, for us and for the fans!” Davide Brivio Team Manager “It’s been varying degrees of wet all day which means it’s been quite difficult, with a lot of work for the team, but anyway it hasn’t been so bad and it’s given us a great opportunity to understand more about Bridgestone in the wet and also to work on the set-up of our bike in these conditions. We’ve made some good steps forward in the rain but now it seems that the race at least will be dry so we’re hoping for good weather tomorrow as well so that we can start with our race set-up.” More, from another press release issued by Fiat Yamaha: LORENZO IMPROVES IN WET ON RAINY DAY IN ITALY Heavy rain greeted the Fiat Yamaha Team as they began their home race at Mugello today, but it was a promising day nonetheless for their Spanish youngster Jorge Lorenzo as he was able to make significant steps with his rain set-up. Sunday will be the 21-year-old’s 100th Grand Prix start but today was only his 99th Friday session as he did not turn 15 until the Saturday of his first ever race, the 2002 Spanish Grand Prix, and was therefore unable to take part in the opening day’s practices. Lorenzo is still recovering from the two fractured ankles that he sustained in China earlier this month but his physical condition is much improved and he is now finding riding much easier. With heavy rain early on making for extremely tricky conditions on a drying track this morning however he took it easy and refrained from taking any risks, finishing the session in 14th. With the track fully wet this afternoon it was a different story and he and his crew made the most of the conditions to work their way through some new Michelin wet tyres and to improve the rain set-up of their M1. The Mallorcan completed 25 laps, more than any other rider, and a best time of 2’02.562 put him sixth this afternoon, although with times this morning having been faster on the drier track he remains 14th in the combined standings. His team-mate and the home favourite Valentino Rossi was slightly faster than him in both sessions, finishing tenth this morning and fourth in the wet this afternoon. Better weather is now forecast for the next two days so tomorrow will mean a new start for everyone in hopefully much drier conditions. Jorge Lorenzo Position: 14th Time: 2’00.004 Laps: 41 “Today I am actually very happy because we were quite fast in the rain! When I first rode the M1 in the wet I found it very hard but bit by bit we have improved and today I felt quite confident. The morning was very strange and I didn’t want to take too many risks; my ankles are feeling much better but I don’t want to make any more mistakes! This afternoon however when it was fully wet I did a lot of laps and I was able to make one long run of 19 consecutive laps, during which I was able to find a good rhythm. We tried some new Michelin rain tyres and it seems they’re very good, so I’m happy about this. Now though I hope it’s going to be dry because it is easier like this and also it means the race will be shorter, which I prefer while I am still not physically at 100%.” Daniele Romagnoli Team Manager “This has been a very important wet session for us today and it’s been Jorge’s best performance so far in the rain. He is really starting to understand how to ride the M1 in the rain and we are refining the setting to suit him, so this is very encouraging. He did a string of 19 laps when it was properly and it was good to see him growing in confidence lap-by-lap. Michelin have some good wet tyres so I think we’re going to be in great shape for the next wet race. Luckily though it seems that the sun is going to come out tomorrow we hope so anyway and we are now looking forward to getting started on our set-up for a dry race.” More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda: REPSOL HONDA’S HAYDEN SECOND QUICKEST IN RAIN Italian Grand Prix, Mugello First day of practice, Friday May 30 2008 Inclement weather and changeable track conditions dominated today’s proceedings at Mugello, riders contending with a damp track this morning and heavy rainfall this afternoon. Repsol Honda rider Nicky Hayden excelled in the conditions, the American leading the morning session at one point and ending the afternoon outing second fastest. On combined session times Hayden was 12th overall while team-mate Dani Pedrosa was eighth and wild card rider Tadayuki Okada 17th. Okada’s progress was watched with special interest because he is giving Honda’s pneumatic-valve-spring engine its MotoGP debut this weekend. The Japanese rider, who hasn’t contested a GP since October 2000, was satisfied with progress, though he had a high-speed tumble this afternoon when he lost the front while braking for the downhill Casanova right-hander. The six-time GP winner was forced to sit out the remainder of the session because he has only one bike here. Dani Pedrosa, 8th fastest, 1m 55.805s “This morning track conditions were 50/50, not completely dry, not completely wet. We started working on wet set-up and we needed to do a lot of testing. We also tested different rain tyres as the track conditions always change a lot when it’s raining. In the afternoon the track was properly wet, in one area there was a lot of standing water which made riding quite dangerous. At the end of the session the rainfall slowed and the lap times improved. If it’s wet again tomorrow we are in quite good shape, though there is still room for improvement. If it’s dry, as the weather forecast suggests, it will be a completely new story as far as set-up is concerned. Mugello is a very technical and demanding track where you need perfect chassis settings. So if it’s dry tomorrow we will have to work hard for the race.” Nicky Hayden, 12th fastest, 1m 59.436s “Everything went pretty smooth today apart from the weather. This morning right at the end it didn’t look good because we were on wets and the guys on slicks took a lot of time out of us, but earlier when it was raining, we were on top with not long to go. This afternoon at the beginning things weren’t great, we were maybe a little bit too hard on set-up, then when the heavy rain stopped the tyres and bike worked better. We tried a few things for the rain but we ended up with the bike exactly how it was when we got it off the truck and that seems the best set-up for us. I know it’s only in the wet, but the way things went at Le Mans, it’s certainly a bit more fun when you’re near the front and competitive, whether it’s wet or dry or snowing or whatever. If it’s dry tomorrow it’ll be really important to make the most of the two hours for the race on Sunday.” Tadayuki Okada, 17th fastest, 2m 02.810s “When I crashed, it was my second lap on new tyres and they were not warm enough, so when I braked the front end tucked under. Till then, I was setting up the machine smoothly. Although it is almost eight years since I last raced in a GP I had a good feeling and felt confident riding with the other riders. Of course, wet conditions hide the subtle differences between settings changes, so we will have to see how it goes in the dry. I hope it will be dry tomorrow and that I can find a good set-up for the race.” More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: RAIN DAMPENS PROGRESS FOR DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM AT MUGELLO Bad weather took centre stage at Mugello today as the Italian Grand Prix got underway beneath heavy black skies and a series of showers that affected every practice session. Light rainfall in the morning session saw the riders start out on wet tyres and it was only towards the end that a dry line formed, allowing them to change to slick tyres – even though the pace was still much slower than usual. Stoner, who was leading the time sheets at that point, decided that the track wasn’t dry enough to gather any accurate data and opted not to run slick tyres. As a result he ended the day ninth fastest despite lapping third quickest in the afternoon, when the conditions were completely wet. Marco Melandri struggled more than his team-mate in the difficult conditions, which didn’t give him the opportunity to work on a new engine braking system that the team have brought to Mugello for him. Short of the time necessary to find the right setting, the Italian ended the day with the 15th fastest time. CASEY STONER (Ducati Marlboro Team) 9th fastest: 1’58.618 “This morning was half dry and half wet so it was pretty pointless going out on slick tyres and doing slow times. That’s why we decided not to use them at the end of the session, as a few other riders did. This afternoon we got some track time in fully wet conditions, which is much more useful. Having said that it was very wet and visibility was almost non-existent – especially behind the screen. It’s hard enough trying to see through the screen without having rain splattered all over it and we don’t exactly have windscreen wipers to get rid of the water! So it was quite hard visibility-wise but it was actually quite a lot of fun because the grip was good, especially at the beginning. The only problem was aquaplaning but other than that I felt safe and I enjoyed it. We don’t really feel as though we’ve got the setting down yet. I didn’t really feel 100% comfortable on the bike – it was very nervous and I wasn’t getting much feeling from the tyres so we definitely need to work a little bit harder tomorrow and try to find a different solution if it’s going to be wet. As far as I know the forecast is dry, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” MARCO MELANDRI (Ducati Marlboro Team) 15th fastest: 2’00.162 “Today has been really difficult because we haven’t been able to find a good setting with the engine braking – to the point that this morning on a damp track I ran straight twice because the wheel was locking. In the afternoon the rain increased and the situation clearly got worse, so much so that I didn’t feel I could ride. Tomorrow we need to find a solution so I hope it is dry.” More, from a press release issued by Rizla Suzuki: Chris Vermeulen showed his wet weather skills to the full again today as he rode his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R to the top of the time-sheets at a rain-sodden Mugello in Italy. Vermeulen put in consistently fast laps during the full wet afternoon session to record a time over half-a-second quicker than his nearest rival. He had showed his intentions in the morning session which started wet but dried out later on as he also topped the classification early on. Towards the end of the session Vermeulen was able to get out on the 5.2km Italian circuit on slick race tyres to get some valuable data in readiness for Sunday’s race, and registered the seventh fastest time. Loris Capirossi was making his home debut onboard a Suzuki and didn’t disappoint the Italian fans as he set one of the quickest times of the day in the drying morning session. He headed the time-sheets right until the final seconds before being pushed into second place by John Hopkins on his factory Kawasaki. Capirossi also looked comfortable in the full wet conditions and recorded some competitive times on his Rizla Suzuki. Even a fall later on couldn’t dampen the Italian’s spirits as he now gets ready to attack on race day in front of the vibrant Mugello fans expected on Sunday. Rizla Suzuki MotoGP has one more free practice session tomorrow morning, followed by an hour of qualifying in the afternoon to decide grid positions for Sunday’s 23-lap race. The main event on Sunday gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT), when both Rizla Suzuki MotoGP racers will be going for glory. Loris Capirossi: “I am very happy today as we now understand a bit more about the bike in these types of conditions. When it was really wet I went well and felt good. I made one mistake today and went straight on, but that was just one of those things that can happen in those conditions. I think we have started the weekend for Mugello in a good way and are quite optimistic. We just hope we have good weather tomorrow so we can get the bike set-up for here. I want to say a big thank-you to all the team because they are all still working so hard to make it happen!” Chris Vermeulen: “It was quite difficult here with the weather today at Mugello. This morning it dried out and at the end of the session I was able to go out on slicks, which was good for me as I am still learning a lot about this track. Unfortunately it was still wet in places and that made it difficult to go too quick, but I do feel like I know the circuit again. This afternoon was completely wet and at the start of the session it was a bit dangerous as there was so much water on the track. It stopped raining though and the standing water ran off and the surface became very consistent. I am obviously very happy with the way the bike performed in the wet and I hope it is dry tomorrow so we can try to do the same as we have done today!” Paul Denning Team Manager: “It is a pleasure to be back in Mugello, the race-track and the setting is just amazing, and with Loris in the team we now feel a little bit ‘Italian’! The only drawback here has been the ‘English’ weather today which has spoilt everyone’s preparations, but having said that we have to be happy with the commitment shown by both riders. Loris was second quickest in the half-wet half-dry session this morning and then Chris dominated the fully wet session this afternoon. As with all the other teams we have no idea how these results will translate into Sunday’s race unless it’s raining and if it continues like this tomorrow and dries up for Sunday, the race could be a bit of a lottery as nobody will have the correct data and settings. We have two very motivated riders and the small improvements we made in Le Mans have already translated well to the Mugello circuit, so we are certainly looking forward to building on today’s good progress.” More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Hopkins, Vermeulen lead rain-hit Mugello practice sessions Round 6: Italy Free Practice Mugello Circuit, Friday 30 May 2008 Kawasaki’s John Hopkins posted the quickest time during the opening day of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at the Mugello circuit today, as rain hampered both practice sessions. As conditions improved during the closing stages of the session, some riders, including Hopkins, were able to switch to slick tyres to set their best times. Bridgestone-shod riders took the top five positions with Loris Capirossi (Suzuki), Anthony West (Kawasaki), Alex de Angelis (Honda Gresini) and Shinya Nakano (Honda Gresini) following Hopkins on the timesheets. Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen topped the afternoon session but with rain prevailing throughout the afternoon, lap times remained significantly slower than the morning best. Ducati’s Casey Stoner and Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi were the only other Bridgestone-shod riders to lap within a second of Vermeulen’s wet pace. A wide range of Bridgestone’s wet weather tyres were used during today’s practice with soft and medium compounds, full and shallow wet specifications. Tyre Talk with Tohru Ubukata – Bridgestone Motorsport Manager, Motorcycle Race Tyre Development Did Bridgestone obtain any meaningful data today? “In the conditions we faced today, we have been able to work a lot on our wet weather tyres, and give the teams some time to set-up their machines for the wet. In this regard, it has been quite productive, but we have not been able to conduct any meaningful dry running. The few laps that some riders did on slick tyres at the end of the morning session will not give us any really representative or useful data. We have used a wide range of tyres today with full and shallow wet tyres of soft and medium compounds, as well as medium compound slicks.” What is the plan for tomorrow? “If it is dry tomorrow morning, we will have a very busy session as we try to reclaim as much dry running as possible. We have yet to carry out the evaluation of slick tyres for this weekend and the weather forecast suggests it will be a dry day on Sunday, so a proper evaluation will be very important around such a demanding race track as Mugello.” Bridgestone-shod Riders’ Combined Practice Session Results Pos. Rider Team Session 1 (pos) Session 2 (pos) Gap P1 John Hopkins Kawasaki Racing Team 1m54.053s (P1) 2m03.950s (P12) Fastest P2 Loris Capirossi Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m54.520s (P2) 2m04.049s (P13) +0.467s P3 Anthony West Kawasaki Racing Team 1m55.021s (P3) 2m05.397s (P14) +0.968s P4 Alex de Angelis San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m55.141s (P4) 2m03.765s (P11) +1.088s P5 Shinya Nakano San Carlo Honda Gresini 1m55.528s (P5) 2m05.634s (P15) +1.475s P7 Chris Vermeulen Rizla Suzuki MotoGP 1m55.774s (P7) 2m01.500s (P1) +1.721s P9 Casey Stoner Ducati Corse 1m58.618s (P9) 2m02.305s (P3) +4.565s P10 Valentino Rossi Fiat Yamaha Team 1m58.672s (P10) 2m02.327s (P4) +4.619s P15 Marco Melandri Ducati Corse 2m00.162s (P15) 2m14.112s (P19) +6.109s P16 Sylvain Guintoli Alice Team 2m01.718s (P16) 2m06.257s (P17) +7.665s P18 Toni Elias Alice Team 2m03.305s (P18) 2m08.980s (P18) +9.252s Weather: Session 1 / Wet Air 18°C, Track 20°C (Bridgestone measurement) Session 2 / Wet Air 18°C, Track 20°C (Bridgestone measurement) More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Racing: Rossi homecoming marred by heavy rain in Mugello It was a wet and gloomy return to home turf for Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi today, as heavy rain greeted the MotoGP paddock on the opening day of the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. The weather was in stark contrast to the bright Tuscan sunshine that’s generally expected at this race and made for a muddy day on the hillsides for Rossi’s army of Italian fans. An early morning shower meant that this morning’s first free practice was run on a drying track, with times decreasing throughout. Rossi was quite fast early on but did not go out when the track was at its driest and times were fastest, finishing the session in tenth. This afternoon was an even wetter story, with a heavy shower during the first quarter of the session and steady drizzle from then on meaning that there was standing water on the track throughout, but it gave Rossi and his crew an important chance to gather more information about the Bridgestone rain tyres and also to refine their wet set-up. The Italian was very pleased with the improvement and finished the afternoon session in fourth, setting a best time in the wet of 2’02.327, although he remains tenth in the combined standings due to the faster times from this morning. Rossi’s team-mate Lorenzo meanwhile was also impressively fast in the wet this afternoon, finishing the second session in sixth. Luckily today’s rain looks like being a one-off and better weather is forecast for the next two days, with both Fiat Yamaha riders looking forward to getting started on their race set-up in the dry tomorrow. Valentino Rossi 10th in combined standings – Time: 1’58.672; “There was really a lot of water here today! It’s a pity because it’s wonderful here when it’s sunny and I think that like this it’s not so fun for the fans, plus we’ve really lost a whole day of practice because it seems it’s going to be dry from now on! This morning was very tricky with the track quite patchy, so I preferred to take it easy in these conditions. This afternoon was very useful however and we were able to make some important modifications to our wet set-up, which enabled us to go quite fast at the end and finish fourth. At the start of the session it was so wet that it felt a bit dangerous, so it was necessary to be very careful, but it was better in the second half and I am glad we’ve had this session because it reassures us that we’re fast also in the wet. From now on here I think, and hope, that it’s going to be dry so we will start again tomorrow. Missing one day like this means that our setting for Sunday in the dry won’t be as perfect as it might have been, but anyway we would still prefer it to be dry, for us and for the fans!” Davide Brivio Team Manager; “It’s been varying degrees of wet all day which means it’s been quite difficult, with a lot of work for the team, but anyway it hasn’t been so bad and it’s given us a great opportunity to understand more about Bridgestone in the wet and also to work on the set-up of our bike in these conditions. We’ve made some good steps forward in the rain but now it seems that the race at least will be dry so we’re hoping for good weather tomorrow as well so that we can start with our race set-up.” It was a promising day Spanish youngster Jorge Lorenzo as he was able to make significant steps with his rain set-up. Sunday will be the 21-year-old’s 100th Grand Prix start but today was only his 99th Friday session as he did not turn 15 until the Saturday of his first ever race, the 2002 Spanish Grand Prix, and was therefore unable to take part in the opening day’s practices. Lorenzo is still recovering from the two fractured ankles that he sustained in China earlier this month but his physical condition is much improved and he is now finding riding much easier. With heavy rain early on making for extremely tricky conditions on a drying track this morning however he took it easy and refrained from taking any risks, finishing the session in 14th. With the track fully wet this afternoon it was a different story and he and his crew made the most of the conditions to work their way through some new Michelin wet tyres and to improve the rain set-up of their M1. The Mallorcan completed 25 laps, more than any other rider, and a best time of 2’02.562 put him sixth this afternoon, although with times this morning having been faster on the drier track he remains 14th in the combined standings. Jorge Lorenzo 14th in combined standings – Time: 2’00.004; “Today I am actually very happy because we were quite fast in the rain! When I first rode the M1 in the wet I found it very hard but bit by bit we have improved and today I felt quite confident. The morning was very strange and I didn’t want to take too many risks; my ankles are feeling much better but I don’t want to make any more mistakes! This afternoon however when it was fully wet I did a lot of laps and I was able to make one long run of 19 consecutive laps, during which I was able to find a good rhythm. We tried some new Michelin rain tyres and it seems they’re very good, so I’m happy about this. Now though I hope it’s going to be dry because it is easier like this and also it means the race will be shorter, which I prefer while I am still not physically at 100%.” Danielle Romagnoli Team Manager; “This has been a very important wet session for us today and it’s been Jorge’s best performance so far in the rain. He is really starting to understand how to ride the M1 in the rain and we are refining the setting to suit him, so this is very encouraging. He did a string of 19 laps and it was good to see him growing in confidence lap-by-lap. Michelin have some good wet tyres so I think we’re going to be in great shape for the next wet race. Luckily though it seems that the sun is going to come out tomorrow – we hope so anyway – and we are now looking forward to getting started on our set-up for a dry race.” James Toseland impresses in Mugello monsoon Tech 3 Yamaha rider James Toseland produced a masterful exhibition of wet weather riding this afternoon to set one of the fastest times in a rain-lashed second free practice session in Mugello. The British rider, who was using a new shorter wheelbase set-up for the first time to help improve rear grip, clocked a best time of 2.02.412 to finish just 0.085s behind MotoGP world championship leader and Mugello expert Valentino Rossi. Toseland led the session for long periods as he took full advantage of a special wet tyre test he took part in at Michelin’s Clermont-Ferrand headquarters last week, first moving to the top of the timesheets just before the halfway stage. Toseland was untouchable as conditions worsened with riders fighting to control big straight-line slides as they powered through large patches of standing water at 190mph. At one stage, Toseland’s advantage over the field was an impressive 2.585s, but as the appalling conditions improved towards the end, Toseland was dropped to fifth, and he finished 13th on the combined timesheets after the best times of the day were logged on a drying track this morning. American Edwards ended the session eighth, though he had been as high as third shortly after the halfway stage as he looks to build on his third place finish in Le Mans. Edwards, who has been on the front row of the grid four times in the opening five races, finished 19th overall after a problematic session this morning. James Toseland 13th in combined standings – Time: 1.59.899; “I’d done a few laps on a MotoGP bike back in 2004 when Ducati gave me a present for winning the World Superbike title, so at least I knew which way the track goes. I’ve really noticed at the last three races that have been brand new for me that it is a big disadvantage and it was nice to come somewhere a little bit familiar. On a new track I have always felt one step behind and that has been frustrating, but I’ve got a good set-up now. I’ve got the shorter wheelbase that the other Yamaha guys have been using and it has given me much more confidence with the rear, especially in the wet conditions. That extra weight on the rear makes a big difference and there’s a lot more contact patch and that gives me the confidence to push. I was quite confident in the rain because I was pretty fast on Sunday morning in China, so we’ve obviously fallen on a good base setting for the rain. I’m really happy with the session and at the end I was a bit disappointed to drop out of the top three. But at one point I thought they would have to stop the session. There was a lot of standing water and one time I was going down the straight pinned in sixth gear and the bike just flicked sideways as I hit the crest. That’s when conditions started getting borderline because there was so much water, no wet tyre in the world could disperse it all. Going to Michelin last week was good timing for wet conditions and they have done a great job.” Colin Edwards 19th in combined standings – Time: 2.03.586; “The bike is working good and I spent this afternoon just trying to find a tyre that could last the distance if we get a wet race on Sunday. I kept the same front tyre for the whole session and it is brilliant, so Michelin have done a great job with that. The front is so good I could probably run it in the dry! It seems to work okay, but we are just looking for a bit more grip on the rear. I’ve got good grip but I just need it to be a bit more consistent. I’m sure I can find a bit more time from the set-up which we can improve, and the front doesn’t feel perfect, especially when it starts to dry out a little bit. It’s a shame it wasn’t dry because we changed the set-up a bit in Clermont-Ferrand to help the bike change direction a bit faster for this track, but we haven’t run it. It should be a good direction though if we get a dry track. I only did slick tyre testing last week for Michelin and at times conditions today were pretty bad. It grabs your attention when you are flat-out in sixth gear going over the hill at the end of the straight and the rear decides to step out.”