Andrea Dovizioso was born less than an hour’s drive from Mugello and is looking forward to this weekend’s ‘unique’ Grand Prix.
The Gran Premio d’Italia Alice is regarded by many as a special event in the World Championship season and for Repsol Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso it is a visit to highly familiar surroundings and a ‘unique’ race weekend.
Dovizioso is relishing his first home race as a Honda factory MotoGP rider and will be assured of plenty of support at Mugello. The 23-year-old Italian star was born in Forli, just 60 km from the circuit, and he gave a typically Italian and poetic summary when describing what there is to look forward to this weekend.
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“Mugello is a unique place in terms of atmosphere and, although it’s part of the World Championship, for me it’s an event that stands alone,” he enthused. “It’s like a kind of ritual with so many memories from previous years. Tuscany, the colours and smells, the people, the food and the passion of the fans.”
His team-mate Dani Pedrosa having proven the competitiveness of the Honda RC212V in recent races and having beaten him to the podium on the last lap in Le Mans, Dovizioso is highly focused ahead of round five.
Detailing what is required to produce a good lap time at the Tuscan circuit he stated, “The track itself demands a lot of respect. It’s important to get into the right rhythm from the very beginning of the lap, but that’s not easy. You need to find the correct flow from chicane to chicane and then you’re faced with the most demanding part of the circuit, the three turns Casanova Savelli, Arrabbiata One and Two.”
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“We know the key places where we have to get the set-up right but it always takes a while to master the track again. There are a lot of fast changes of direction and that means riding here requires a lot of physical energy. It’s bumpy too which complicates things further. As an Italian rider, the support of the fans gives me an extra drive, and the hour before the race is really special. It’s important to use that boost to lift your performance and that’s what I’ll be aiming to do on Sunday.”
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