Diversity in rear tyre selection a success at Mugello

Official MotoGP tyre supplier Bridgestone was highly satisfied with the performance of the two rear tyre options offered at a hot Gran Premio d’Italia TIM.

Bridgestone were extremely pleased with the results they saw at Mugello as the riders employed the widest variety of choice so far this season in terms of rear tyre selection for the race. Every rider opted for the hard front compound due to the hot conditions and hard braking demands, whilst seven went for the softer (medium) rear option and nine for the harder choice
This allowed a direct comparison to be made between the performance of the two rear specifications, and race winner Dani Pedrosa set a new circuit record of 1’49.531 on lap five on the harder rear slick during the 23-lap race.

“This is the second new lap record set on our tyres from the first four races of this season, which is an achievement I am proud of,” said Bridgestone Tyre Development Manager, Tohru Ubukata. “Although his best lap came on lap five, he also broke the lap record on only the fourth lap of the race which indicates good performance from the start. The new fastest total race time at this circuit demonstrates good consistency from our tyres over race distance.”

The number of riders using the softer rear option was also a show of confidence in the performance and durability of the slicks. “Casey and Marco Melandri were two of the riders to use the softer option rear, and they finished fourth and fifth which proves they were good over race distance,” continued Ubukata. “What’s more, Casey and Marco were also in a long battle with Randy de Puniet who used a hard rear tyre and all three riders did very similar lap times throughout.”

The diversity in rear tyre selection was down to the wider temperature operating range of both compounds, meaning both were able to deal with the demanding heat of the asphalt as the track temperature rose to 54ºC during the race. That left the riders to make their decisions based on a combination of riding style and machine set-up.

“Dani, Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso chose the hard compound rear because they could get good grip from it with their individual set-ups and it gave better stability because the rubber is stiffer,” explained Ubukata. “Casey and Marco, for example, chose the softer option rear because it gave more edge grip, and for their styles and set-ups durability was not a concern even with the high track temperature.”

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Re-live the Gran Premio d’Italia TIM!

motogp.com takes you through a full review of the fourth round of the 2010 MotoGP World Championship, with the best video action just a click away.

Mugello played host to the latest stage of the World Championship as round four called on the beautiful Tuscan countryside last weekend, and with the weather remaining fine throughout the weekend it was an eventful one in Italy.

The official pre-event on Thursday saw some World Championship riders attempt to make traditional Italian pizza, although their dough skills failed to match up to their abilities on board a motorcycle! The serious business began later that afternoon as a quintet of MotoGP stars – Nicky Hayden, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli – attended the pre-race press conference as anticipation for the race grew.

Friday afternoon arrived and the time for talking was over as the on-track action commenced and it was World Champion Valentino Rossi who took control of the opening practice session, setting the fastest time as Casey Stoner experienced a difficult start to the session.

On Saturday morning it was Jorge Lorenzo who topped the timesheet by the conclusion of FP2, but the main talking point of the session and the remainder of the weekend was Rossi’s crash which ruled him out of the race – and for an as-yet unknown number of rounds – with a fractured right tibia. The Italian was flown to hospital in Florence by helicopter where he had an operation later that day. Dani Pedrosa was the fastest man in qualifying in the afternoon as he secured his second pole position of the season.

Race day arrived and a spectacular 125cc race kicked Sunday off. Marc Márquez took the first victory of his career with a perfectly judged ride to win a thrilling four-way battle with Nico Terol, Pol Espargaró and Bradley Smith, who just missed out on the final podium spot by 0.045s.

Moto2 provided a similarly engrossing spectacle, but the battle was for second spot as Andrea Iannone raced to a clear victory. Jules Cluzel was one of a series of fallers as he crashed out when leading the chasing pack.

It was then onto the MotoGP race and before the main event got underway Rossi spoke to fans over the circuit PA via telephone from his hospital bed, thanking them for the overwhelming messages of support. Simoncelli and Lorenzo were amongst the riders who also wished the 31 year-old a speedy recovery as they lined up on the grid.

Pedrosa stormed to victory in the MotoGP race to take his first win of the campaign, with Championship leader Lorenzo and home hero Dovizioso taking the other podium spots. All expressed their delight in the post-race press conference. There was disappointment for Nicky Hayden and Mika Kallio, who both crashed out of the race.

Trackside the Mugello Paddock Girls complemented the stunning Tuscan landscape, and the OnBoard cameras provided the regular unique perspective of the riders.

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Rossi in high spirits after operation

The Italian expressed his gratitude to the medical staff at the hospital at which he is recovering from his operation and thanked his well wishers, even finding time to joke.

Valentino Rossi displayed some of his characteristic humour as he spoke from his hospital bed at the Centro Traumatologico Ortopedico (Centre for Orthopaedic Trauma) in Florence, Italy on Sunday.
The World Champion, who had an operation to repair his fractured right tibia on Saturday, was interviewed by journalist Guido Meda from Mediaset just before Sunday’s Gran Premio d’Italia TIM at Mugello, the first race he has missed since making his 125cc World Championship debut in 1996.

Rossi’s initial words were ones of thanks to Doctor Buzzi at the CTO, the man who performed his successful operation, and the nine-time World Champion also explained how touched he was by the range of tributes from his fellow riders on Sunday which included a message from Fiat Yamaha team-mate and rival Jorge Lorenzo calling him a ‘legend’.

“I want to thank everyone at Mugello and also all the riders who have wished me well: it’s always a great feeling,” said Rossi. “The operation went well, Doctor Buzzi has been exceptional and they are treating me like I’m part of the family here. I have had a pin inserted into my leg and tomorrow they will close and stitch the wound, then we will wait and begin a good rehabilitation programme.”

Rossi recounted the crash in the practice session which threw him from his bike. “They were difficult moments because it was a bad crash and a bad injury. I’ve watched the accident again and to see how my ankle looked was not a good feeling. There were a few moments of fear, but now I’m doing well,” he stated.

“Now I can say my morale is reasonably high because I’ve discovered I have a great rapport with morphine!” he joked, before going on to show that he was well and truly on the road to recovery with another comment about the race, which Dani Pedrosa won shortly after the interview. “I hope nobody wins!”

Rossi now wants to ensure that he takes enough time to fully recover, and added: “It will take some time, but the important thing is that I’ll return at 100%.”

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Ferrari sign Canadian karter to driver academy

Ferrari have selected 11-year old Canadian karter Lance Stroll to join their driver academy. The programme, which was set up at the end of 2009, was devised by the Italian team to find and support talented young drivers from around the world, with the eventual aim of helping them into Formula One racing.

Montreal-born Stroll has already clinched two wins in the Canadian national championship in the Rotax Mini Max category, as well as winning the Coupe de Montreal and Coupe du Quebec Micro Max championships in 2008 and both Mini Max championships in 2009.
“We are pleased to welcome Lance to our group,” said Luca Baldisserri, who runs the Ferrari Driving Academy. “He is very young, but he has already shown in karting that he is exceptionally talented. We will follow him step by step in his forthcoming events in North America and he will soon also take part in our courses at Maranello.”

Last year, Stroll finished sixth in the world finals at Lonato in the Mini Roc category and second in the Rotax Micro Max Florida winter tour, a series he won this year in Mini Max along with the championships for the Tag/Cadet Florida Winter Tour. In 2008 he was nominated by the Federation Sport Automobile du Quebec as rookie of the year and in 2009 was nominated as a driver of the year.

Others in Ferrari’s stable of young drivers include Brandon Maisano, Raffaele Marciello, Jules Bianchi, Daniel Zampieri and Mirko Bortolotti.

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Vettel: Red Bull's heads held high for Montreal

Red Bull have endured a rough ride in the ten days since May’s Turkish Grand Prix. As well as the furore that surrounded the crash between team mates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber at Istanbul Park, the team also know that this weekend’s Canadian race will be a tough test, with many tipping McLaren to dominate.

Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with its slow corners and long straights, should certainly favour the F-Duct equipped MP4-25 of the British team. But rather than feeling downcast, Vettel is optimistic the previously dominant RB6 has enough performance in reserve to overcome the dearth of high-speed corners, in which the car has been particularly quick, to maintain Red Bull’s advantage.

“It’s a very nice track - I like it,” the German told Red Bull’s official website. “On paper it’s probably not the best for our car, but on the other hand our car has been very competitive at every single race this year, so I think we can go there with our heads held high. We will try to do our best.”

McLaren’s much talked about F-duct system, which stalls the car’s rear wing at speed, reducing drag, should be particularly beneficial in Montreal. Red Bull trialled their own version in practice in Turkey, but results were inconclusive and the team are not expected to use the system in Canada.

“I think the McLarens will be very strong there because, whatever you call them - J-switch or F-duct system - should work there again very well,” added Vettel. “So we’ll see, but I think we have a very good chance. We’ll try to score the maximum amount of points.”

Red Bull arrive in Montreal after scoring seven consecutive pole positions and three race wins in 2010. While Webber is leading the drivers’ standings with 93 points, Vettel is down in fifth, 15 points adrift of his team mate. Red Bull, meanwhile, are one point down on constructors’ leaders McLaren.

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