ROUND 5 – ITALIAN GP – PREVIEW SETE’S CHALLENGE AT MUGELLO Protagonist of an extraordinary race which led to a podium finish during the last GP of France on the historic track of the 24 hours of Le Mans, Sete Gibernau has returned to take up the position which best suits him: up front every Sunday, fighting for the victory. Able to use his RC211V to the maximum of its potential, Sete Gibernau finds himself recuperating positions in the championship and fighting again on June 5th on the Mugello track. A track where generally ‘home riders’ are favoured. Gibernau doesn’t let this bother him though. The Spanish rider has in fact an extraordinary feeling with the Italian fans and on the track of Mugello he can consider himself almost at home: Sete in fact racers for an Italian team, he is loved in Italy, so much that he is considered to be the fifth Italian rider in the MotoGP championship, by the Italian press. “I am taking on the Italian GP with my usual motivation. I am sure of my potential and the potential of my team. It will be a difficult race as the Italian riders, riding for their home fans, will have an extra motivation factor. Mugello isn’t really a track I particularly love, but this is irrelevant as every time I get onto the race track, I am there to race. I have many Italian fans and it would be a wonderful gift for my Italian mechanics and for my team if I win here. Last season the Mugello race was one of the best of the 2004 season: we were quickest on both Friday and Saturday qualifying sessions. I hope to boast the same good work this year as well. The Italian riders are extremely competitive on their home track, but they are also under a lot more pressure. On our side, we have to take advantage of their tension, it will be a very challenging weekend, but at the end of the day, it really isn’t very different than any other race. To be able to dispute a good race we will need a good qualifyin! g position, so that means we have to do a very good job during qualifying. The Italian riders will in fact try to obtain a good race pace from the very beginning; for this reason it is important to start from the first row or, at most, from the second row, in order to fight for the title.” READY FOR HIS HOME GP With two podiums and two fourth places Marco Melandri is defending his second place in the championship with 37 points dividing him and the leader, Valentino Rossi, and 5 points diving him with his team mate, twice vice world champion, Sete Gibernau. The twenty two year old rider, ex 250 World Champion, has demonstrated his best aspects : quick, consistent, in continuous growth Marco Melandri continues to acquire confidence with his RC211V and thanks to the support of HRC, Michelin and under the expert guide of his head tech, Fabrizio Cecchini, Marco has once again started to enjoy riding his bike, and, most importantly! , riding it quickly. MARCO MELANDRI’S COMMENTS ABOUT THE MUGELLO TRACK “The Mugello track can be defined as a real MotoGP circuit because it is quick, there is space to take advantage of the full gears and it gives a lot of riding satisfaction. The track is really good. The sessions I prefer are the Casanova Savelli and the two Arrabbiata corners. These two corners distinguish the track. Mugello is a fun track to ride on, there are different areas where it is possible to overtake: in particular while braking for the first corner, the San Donato, and the first variation as well. The secret to a good lap? To be quick here at Mugello you need to have a good rhythm, be fluid while taking on the corners but without being too aggressive. The part that makes the biggest difference is the downhill “s” and the Arrabbiata corners. It is fundamental to ride through these sectors well in order to make a quick lap time. The biggest! problem of the track? The only negative thing about this track is the condition of the tarmac. In fact there is quite a bit of unevenness to it. The atmosphere: it’s probably because I’m Italian and this is my home race, but it is an incredible feeling to ride looking at all those people all over the hills. When you ride a bike you can feel the warmth of the fans that come to fill the hills that surround the track, it is incredible. My best memory? My victory in 2002 when I was racing in 250cc class. My worst memory? The 2004 GP: I was racing with the leaders, I was in third place for a while, and after a while the front part of my arms just blocked and I could no longer ride.” A curiosity: 4 times in his career has Marco Melandri stepped onto the podium of the Mugello: the first time in 1998 in the 125 class at the age of 16. Marco steps up onto the second step of the podium in 1998 and repeats himself again the following year, again ! with a second place finish in the 125 class. In 2000 he finishes 4th, but returns to the podium in 2001 (3rd place 250 cc class) and in 2002 he wins the Italian GP in the 250 class. In the MotoGP class his best result was in 2004 when Marco Melandri finishes the race after having kept up for the most part with the leaders. A problem with his arms was the cause of his relenting and losing the pace with the front runners. THE TRACK On the hills of Mugello, not very far from Florence, is one of the most beautiful tracks of the championship: spectacular, very technical, and a track where the rider can make a difference during every moment of the race. But it is also a difficult track, characterized by slopes, very quick chicanes, speed changes, sloping corners and a very long straight where riders obtain some of the fastest speeds of the entire championship. Due to all the characteristics, time is a valuable asset when learning the secrets to! this track. “This is a challenging track, very technical. From a riders’ point of view it is amongst the toughest of the championship. The track is characterized by some of the most difficult and quickest sessions of the championship. The best point to overtake is definitely the San Donato corner, the first right corner at the end of the starting straight, but the session I prefer is the Arrabbiata 1 and 2. This is the Mugello ‘trade mark’, it is a quick session, unique of the entire championship. The best memory I have of this track? My pole in the 2004 GP with a time of 1’49″920. The Mugello is the home GP for the Italian ridres and the support of the ‘tifosi’ is very felt. It is lucky that I have a lot of Italian fans, my team is Italian and I have always received a warm welcome from the Italian public” comments Sete Gibernau. TECHNICAL DATA Name of the circuit: Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello Opened: 1974 Modified: 1999 Lenght: 5.245 m Width: 14 m Pole position: right Right corners: 9 Left corners: 6 Longest straight: 1141 meters Motogp race: 23 laps = 120,635 kms RECORD: Track record: 2004 Gibernau (Honda) 1’51″133 pole position: 2004 Gibernau (Honda) 1’49″920 2004 race: 1° Rossi (Yamaha) 2°Gibernau (Honda) 3° Biaggi (Honda)