The Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team is on the way to the Tuscan region of Italy for the fifth round of the 2009 MotoGP World Championship, to be held at the picturesque Mugello circuit.
Loris Capirossi will certainly be aiming to impress as he returns home for the Italian GP. The highly experienced racer qualified his Rizla Suzuki GSV-R on the front row at Mugello last year, but was unable to make that advantage tell in the race, something that he is planning to put right this year as he goes in search of the team’s first podium of the season.
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Chris Vermeulen had an impressive ride at Mugello last year despite only finishing 10th. He was boxed out on the first corner and found himself down in 17th at the end of the first lap, but he fought his way through the field to finish in a very respectable position.
The beautiful 5,245m Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello is located near the town of Scarperia in the Tuscan region of Italy, approximately 25kms north-east of Florence. It is one of the fastest circuits on the calendar and also has the longest straight of the year where riders will hit speeds in excess of 300km/h.
Rizla Suzuki MotoGP takes to the track on Friday afternoon for the first free practice session followed by another hour of free practice on Saturday morning. The afternoon will then see the riders battle it out during an hour of qualifying for the best grid positions for Sunday’s race. The 23-lap race gets underway on Sunday 31st May at 14.00hrs local time (12.00hrs GMT).
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Loris Capirossi:
“Mugello is always a special place for me and I was not happy with last year’s result so I am planning to put things right this time around. I managed a seventh after starting on the front row and I struggled a bit in the race. This year’s GSV-R is certainly better than the 2008 bike and I really believe if we can get the set-up right and have a couple of good day’s testing we can be pushing at the front. We need to work out why we don’t seem able to get the most from the tyres at the moment; our competitors certainly seem to be getting a lot more out of their rubber, so it is something we really have to focus on and keep pushing to the maximum.”
Chris Vermeulen:
“The result at Le Mans last time out was a bit better, but it is still not what we are looking for. We need to keep working hard and try to get the full potential from the GSV-R. I really enjoy racing in Mugello - it is such a unique atmosphere and the track is amazing It’s always a tough race in Mugello but we will be doing all we can to keep improving and we’ll certainly be aiming for our best result of the season so far!”
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