Mugello Preview
MotoGP 2013
www.motorcycle-usa.com By Byron Wilson
The 2013 MotoGP World Championship heads to Italy for Round 5 at
Mugello with Repsol Honda riders Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez holding first
and second, respectively, in the points standings. Yamaha Factory Racing’s
Jorge Lorenzo, on the other hand, is off the championship-winning pace he set
in 2012, leaving the previous round at Le Mans with a seventh-place finish. His teammate,
Valentino Rossi, continues to struggle for a spot among the front-runners while
satellite rider Cal Crutchlow of Monster Yamaha Tech 3 will look to maintain
the momentum he picked up in France, where outpaced all but one of the full
factory-backed bikes with an impressive podium finish.
Pedrosa opened the current season stronger than any other in his career and
enjoys a six-point advantage over his teammate, Marquez. His last victory at
Mugello came in 2010, where he beat out Lorenzo by over four seconds.
“After the race in Le Mans, I've managed to relax this week and I feel good
physically,” said Pedrosa. “ I am leading the Championship which is very
special so I hope we can arrive in Mugello and that the bike works well there
too and we can do a good race.”
Rookie Marquez has exceeded expectations, taking podiums in every race of his
young premier-class career, including a Round 2 win at CoTA. The GP
rookie staged a remarkable come-from-behind performance in his first wet race
aboard the 1000cc machine at Le Mans, where he moved up from eighth to finish
third. The Spaniard took fifth in Moto 2 at Mugello in 2012 but scored the win
at the circuit in 2011.
Lorenzo enters the Italian round 17 points adrift of the leader. His
seventh-place finish at Le Mans is an outlier in comparison to the majority of
his GP races, and after the contest he cited bike issues and lack of grip as
the primary reasons for his uncharacteristic performance. He’s also had to face
an increasingly strong Repsol Honda duo that has bested him in three of the
four rounds of 2013. Lorenzo beat Pedrosa at Mugello in 2012 and will look to
replicate that performance in the coming race to avoid slipping down the points
tally any further.
Rossi, too, will look for a change in fortune at the Italian circuit. The
Doctor seemed to be back in business in the first round of 2013 at Losail,
where he placed second, but has since failed to stand on the rostrum. The wet
conditions and heavy pressure from the field got the best of Rossi at Le Mans,
causing him to push a bit too hard late in the race and lose traction. He
remounted after his fall but finished outside the top-10. Prior to his
incident, though, Rossi was battling for podium position. He’ll have plenty of
home crowd support at Mugello.
Crutchlow is looking more and more likely to complicate battles in the lead
pack, especially after his career-best second-place finish at Le Mans. The
British rider sits fourth overall, 11 points behind Lorenzo. His teammate and
GP rookie, Bradley Smith, has improved with every round, finally breaking the
top-10 at Le Mans.
Andrea Dovizioso provided a rare sight at Le Mans, the Ducati leading the
race for a number of laps in the first half of competition. He made the front
row in qualifying and ended the race in fourth, marking Ducati’s best race
weekend of the current season so far. His teammate, Nicky Hayden, was also
strong in the contest, finishing fifth. The two will be joined once again by
wildcard rider, Michele Pirro, and the three will have loads of home-town
support as Mugello serves as the Italian marque’s home race.
GO & FUN Honda Gresini’s Alvaro Bautista continues to seek the edge that
will help him break the top-five for the first time in 2013. LCR Honda MotoGP’s
Stefan Bradl has been the victim of bad luck through the opening rounds,
failing to finish two races and falling in the wet at Le Mans while running
inside the top-10.
Energy T.I. Pramac Racing’s Andrea Iannone is expected to be joined by
teammate, Ben Spies, of Ignite Pramac Racing at Mugello. Spies stayed in Texas
following Round 2 at CoTA to undergo extended rehabilitation following his
shoulder surgery and to address issues with his pectoral muscle.
Power Electronics Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro leads the CRT championship and came
through as the fastest Claiming Rules rider at Le Mans with his 13th-place
result. His teammate, Randy de Puniet, didn’t make any headlines after crashing
out at Le Mans, but immediately following the round he jetted off to Japan to
test a 1000cc prototype with Suzuki at Twin Ring Motegi. Additional sessions
are planned for later this season.