Lorenzo leads as Rossi looks to reclaim his home

It’s still anyone’s championship after a dramatic weekend in France, the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM is set for another fiery race.

Marc Marquez’s (Repsol Honda Team) perfect podium record came to an end in France as he fell at the Musée corner, remounting for 13th. It might have been a disaster of a weekend, but it has set the remainder of the season up nicely. Victory in Le Mans allowed Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) to retake the championship lead, edging five points clear of Marquez. While Lorenzo was untouchable, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) managed a safe second and the top three are subsequently split by just 12 points.

Mugello is a favourite circuit of almost every rider, the run down to San Donato something that very few circuits can match. It’s an even more special place for Valentino Rossi, the hills a sea of yellow. Even when he doesn’t finish on the podium, chants of his name draw him out to greet the fans. On seven straight occasions Rossi has claimed victory in Mugello but hasn’t won there since 2008. The last six years have seen Spanish riders win at Rossi’s home; it’s time for ‘The Doctor’ to take it back. Mugello will see another of Rossi’s famous one-off custom helmets, always a special moment of the weekend.

In those six years four victories have gone to Jorge Lorenzo, his silky smooth style fitting the sweeping curves of the circuit perfectly. Since making his MotoGP™ World Championship debut, Lorenzo has only once missed the podium and has never finished lower than second place. It’s certainly an ominous historical record and fresh off his biggest win in the premier class, Lorenzo will be tough to beat.

Not only does Lorenzo have to contend with his teammate, he’ll also have to fight off Marc Marquez. Le Mans saw him make his first mistake of the year and the young Spaniard needs to get right back on the podium. This could be tough at Mugello, a track where Marquez has only once finished a MotoGP™ race. His one race finish was a victory in 2014, but Mugello still remains as one of his least successful circuits alongside Jerez and Phillip Island.

Marquez’s trouble in France was nothing compared to that of Ducati’s, neither of their factory riders able to finish the race. Not since Phillip Island have both Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) finished a race together. What makes the crashes even harder to swallow is that in many of them the pair were in podium contention before falling. Mugello offers yet another chance of redemption, both riders having tested at the track before the French GP.

In 2015 Iannone secured pole in Mugello, his first in the premier class, despite riding with a recently dislocated shoulder, and go on to take third. Another podium would certainly help to get Iannone and Ducati back on track, but don’t rule them out of a win. The long straight should play into Ducati’s hands if the race becomes a race to the line. 2016 could very well see Ducati break their own top speed record again.

Recent years have seen Dovizioso struggle in Mugello, taking sixth in 2014 and failing to finish due to a mechanical issue in 2015. During Rossi’s Ducati years, Dovizioso was frequently the highest placed Italian in Mugello and delighted crowds with his podiums. Three of Dovizioso’s last four races have been disturbed by other riders or issues outside of his control, his falls in Le Mans the first mistake of his own doing. Both Italians are eager to impress at Ducati’s home race, especially as only one seat remains in the factory team.

Race by race Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) and Honda have slowly been resolving their issues and getting closer and closer to a podium return. Only once in his premier class career has Pedrosa stood on the top step in Mugello, but he has taken a total of five podiums.

Like Pedrosa, Maverick Viñales (Team Suzuki Ecstar) is out to return to the podium in Mugello, the young Spaniard having delivered on his potential in France and taken his first MotoGP™ podium finish. He also returned Suzuki to the box for the first time since 2008, Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) keen to do all he can to make it two in a row and prove he can match his teammate.

Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) arrives in Italy with an ever-increasing lead in the Independent Team championship, now eight points clear of Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing). Yamahas have almost always gone well at Mugello, Espargaro hoping to maximise the M1’s potential to stay ahead of Barbera and the other Independent Team riders.

The Tuscan hills will fill with the roar of MotoGP™ World Championship machines approaching 350km/h at 09:55 Local Time on Friday the 20th of May before racing begins at 14:00 Local Time on Sunday.

Seesawing Moto2™ Championship arrives in Mugello

Just when one rider appeared to have the edge, his rivals bounced right back and cut it down bringing it back to even.

The French GP was a mixed weekend for most riders, practice saw several emerge as early favourites but none were able to deliver on race day. Eyes were on Jonas Folger (Dynavolt Intact GP) to deliver a strong weekend after signing a deal to ride in the MotoGP™ World Championship with Monster Yamaha Tech 3 but his weekend was filled with crashes. Instead if was Alex Rins (Paginas Amarillas HP 40) who left France with the winner’s trophy in hand.

With victory came the championship lead, Rins surpassing rival Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) by five points. Having struggled all weekend, the Brit took sixth, unable to even challenge for the podium. Both Lowes and Rins have had their good weekends and their bad weekends, the playing field remaining almost always equal throughout the early part of the year. They now head to Mugello where neither rider has won before. Of the two, Lowes has the best intermediate class record in Mugello, pole in 2015 helping him to take fourth place in the race. There battle for the title doesn’t look to be cooling off anytime soon.

Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) took second at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM in 2015 behind Tito Rabat, the Frenchman out for redemption with a similar result after a terrible home weekend. Crashing in the race was not how he wanted to celebrate racing at home as a World Champion for the first time, not only disappointing himself but also losing valuable championship points. The Frenchman is 31 points behind Rins in the championship, ground to be made up.

Zarco’s loss was Tom Luthi’s (Garage Plus Interwetten) gain as the Swiss rider moved up to third in the championship. With his incredible record in France, many were expecting a lot more out of Luthi who finished third after a mid-race dip in performance. Now Luthi prepares to keep his title hopes alive, currently 18 points behind Rins, by securing a strong finish in Mugello, a track where he has DNFed in both 2014 and 2015.

While Luthi may not have delivered on expectations, Simone Corsi (Speed Up Racing) continues to go above and beyond. Spending the entirety of 2015 without a podium, the change to Speed Up machinery has given the Roman a much-needed boost. France saw him take second place, his best result since the French GP in 2014. Many riders might overlook Corsi in Mugello, but he’s had four top ten finishes there during his time in Moto2™.

Back in the 250cc days Mugello was host to a number of titanic clashes. But it is 2009 that stands head and shoulders above the rest, Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) charging through the field to battle Marco Simoncelli till the very end. The fighting was hard but fair as Pasini’s bright pink Aprilia crossed the line in first. Pasini’s return to the Moto2™ World Championship hasn’t been easy, having scored points just twice but returning to one of his favourite tracks could be the much needed boost to return him to running at the front as he did in the 250cc and 125cc classes.

Be sure to follow the Moto2™ World Championship action from 10:55 Local Time onwards as they do battle between the picturesque Tuscan hills.

Binder ready to fight off Italian charge

Two victories and an ever-growing lead have Brad Binder sitting confidently atop the championship but the Italians will be out in force.

The French GP produced a thrilling battle in the lightweight class, four riders tussling with each other for the entirety of the race. As in Jerez it was Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) who came out on top, taking his second victory of the year and of his career. The South African’s lead now stands at 24 points, almost a whole race victory ahead of Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0). His lead may be sizeable but Binder knows as well as anyone that there’s no time to rest, Mugello always producing exciting and highly tactical Moto3™ races.

Never in the history of the Moto3™ World Championship have first and second place riders in Mugello been separated by more than 0.1s, the races always coming down to a drag to the finish line. Jorge Navarro will no doubt bear this in mind as he looks for his first World Championship victory, having once again just missed out in France. The Spaniard needs to start beating Binder and reduce his lead, the South African only getting faster with each win.

Of all the riders in the Moto3™ class, Romano Fenati (Sky Racing Team VR46) is certainly the most successful at the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM. The Italian has taken three podiums at his home circuit including victory in 2014. Fenati’s consistency is improving, especially in Qualifying, but like Navarro he needs to start beating Binder to keep his championship ambitions alive. No doubt the home fans will give their full support to the feisty Italian.

Fenati won’t be the only Italian out looking for victory, his teammate, Nicolo Bulega (Sky Racing Team VR46), has already shown he can battle with the best after a debut podium in Jerez. A highside in Le Mans had him less than fully fit for the race, but expect Bulega to be back and as strong as ever in Mugello. 55 points behind Binder, a championship challenge is likely a bridge too far but Fenati has to watch his back, Bulega 20 points behind. Having raced in the Italian championship before heading to the Spanish series, Bulega has at least some amount of track knowledge.

All eyes were on Niccolo Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold) after he took the first victory of the year in Qatar, but he has since failed to finish inside the top five. Antonelli certainly has the speed to win but is also known to crash too often, upsetting the rhythm of his weekends. His teammate Jules Danilo (Ongetta-Rivacold) will also be out to turn his season around after a disappointing weekend at home in France.

Francesco Bagnaia (Aspar Mahindra Team Moto3) leads Mahindra’s efforts in the World Championship, sixth with 38 points. While many may expect the Mahindra, which has classically struggled with top end speed, to have difficulties down Mugello’s incredible straight, the MGP3O was twice finished fourth in 2013 and 2014 in Mugello with Miguel Oliveira aboard. One to watch, especially if there’s a slipstream for him to take advantage of.

The gaggle of Italians will be begin attempting to overthrow Binder from Free Practice 1, which begins at 09:00 Local Time on Friday the 20th of May.