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Valentino
Rossi reached another milestone in his outstanding
career today by matching the all-time premier-class win
record. His 68th premier-class victory brings him level
with his great countryman Giacomo Agostini and the fact
that he was able to do it at his home track of Misano
made it all the more special for the flamboyant Italian.
His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo put the icing on
the cake for Yamaha with an impressive return to the
podium to make it the second one-two finish for the team
this season.
Rossi had a good start but Dani Pedrosa had an even
better one and the seven-time world champion was forced
to ride at his maximum to pass the Spaniard back, which
he did on the second lap. Casey Stoner was by then some
three seconds clear but Rossi’s M1 was working well and
he was gradually able to start making up some ground,
setting the fastest lap of the race on lap six. One lap
eight of 28 Stoner sensationally slid out into the
gravel in a carbon copy of the last race in Brno and
Rossi was left in the lead. There was no opportunity to
rest however as the twisty nature of the circuit was a
very different task to face alone than the flowing
curves of Brno and Lorenzo, another three seconds
behind, was giving Rossi no chance of a let-up. The
local hero was able to bring his M1 home safely however
to the rapturous cheers of his home fans, who flooded
onto the track in typical Italian fashion.
The sixth win of the season for Rossi and another
non-finish for Stoner means he is now 75 points clear at
the top of the championship, with a maximum of 125
points remaining from five races. Lorenzo stays in
fourth and Yamaha remain on course for a treble of
Teams’ and Manufacturers’ championships as well.
Valentino Rossi - Position: 1 Time: 44'41.884
“Today is a truly fantastic day and I can’t believe that
I have matched Agostini’s record! He was one of my
heroes so it’s quite incredible to have made it to 68
wins. This was quite a difficult weekend for us from the
start and there has been the added pressure of a home
race, which makes it harder to concentrate because there
is so much distraction! Mugello has always been ‘my’
track, even though it’s further away from Tavullia, but
here, after the bad time last year, we haven’t found it
so easy. Once again today however my team gave me a very
competitive bike and I felt very confident. I got a good
start but then Dani came past me very fast and I then
lost a lot of time getting past him and had to take some
big risks – I had a big slide! Once I was past him I
could see Casey, although I have to admit that today I
wasn’t as confident as I was in Brno that I could win.
Anyway I kept pushing because it’s not in my nature to
ride for second place and I think it still could have
been a battle; I was very fast once I found my rhythm.
Then I saw Casey slide out. I’m sorry for him once again
but this is very good for our championship so I am happy
for our team. We have 75 points, which is a lot, but
there are still five races and I will ride to win at
every one, as I always have done throughout my career.
Thanks to my fantastic Yamaha team, to Bridgestone and
of course congratulations to Jorge as well, he kept
pushing me today and I wasn’t able to relax even for one
minute! It is a great day for us all.”
Davide Brivio - Team Mananger
“What a day! It’s very positive for our championship and
to come out with 75 points after three wins in a row is
amazing. Once again the team and engineers did an
excellent job to fix some problems in time for the race
to give Valentino a competitive bike, so well done to
them. Despite losing a bit of time at the start
Valentino was able to come back and set the fastest lap
and keep pushing. Of course the championship isn’t done
but our advantage is very big and all the team are
concentrated and motivated for the final five races.
It’s great to see Jorge back on the podium as well – a
great race and a great team!”
Lorenzo returns to podium with stunning second in
Misano
Jorge Lorenzo made it a fantastic home-race double
podium for the Fiat Yamaha Team today, finishing second
behind his team-mate Valentino Rossi at Misano. It was
the rookie’s first podium since the team’s last one-two
finish in Le Mans and it was a deserved one following
the injuries that have plagued him since.
Lorenzo lost some time at the start when Dani Pedrosa
passed him and then had to wait for Rossi to pass his
Spanish compatriot before he could make his move, which
he did on lap five. When Casey Stoner crashed out of the
lead on lap eight, leaving Rossi in front, Lorenzo was
elevated to second and he rode a strong race from then
on, exerting constant pressure on his team-mate, who was
unable to relax and had to keep pushing to keep the gap
at about three seconds. Lorenzo was followed home by
another Spaniard, Toni Elias, who crossed the line 8.54
seconds off in third.
The 21-year-old Mallorcan’s fifth podium of the season
sees him consolidate his fourth place in the
championship and his leading rookie status, whilst Rossi
is now 75 points clear of Stoner at the top. There are
five rounds remaining with the next one coming at
Indianapolis in the USA in two week’s time.
Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 2 Time: +3.163
“Seeing the party Valentino’s fans were making for him
around the track today reminded me how much I want to
start winning again, but as a start this second place is
fantastic for us! I lost some ground at the early on but
then I took my rhythm, passed Dani and started to push,
and then I kept pushing until the end. To be one and two
on the podium again, like in Le Mans, is wonderful and
after four months of problems I am enjoying this moment
very much – it’s perfect. Since the Brno test and with
the improvements that Michelin have made here my
confidence has being going up all the time and my riding
style has improved as well, so I want to say thank you
to them. I hope the situation is the same at the next
races, then we can continue to be strong like this.
Thanks to all of my team and congratulations to
Valentino and Toni.”
Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager
“It’s really great to be back on the podium after a long
time and we are very happy for Jorge. We never lost
confidence that he would come back to this level even
though it has been very hard for him at times, but
everyone has kept focused and here we are, so well done
to all involved. Our Michelin tyres have worked much
better here and this has made everything easier to
achieve, it seems that the Brno test was a turning point
and the improvement in the tyres has helped us to find a
new set-up. Now we’re looking forward with confidence to
the next races. Congratulations to Valentino and the
other side of the garage for a great victory.”
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