It seems that my request to the goddess Fortuna to have Rossi to finish a race has been more than satisfied: Valentino has finished the Gran Premio d’Italia Alice in first place!
I think that we should celebrate last Sunday’s race in Mugello for several reasons that, for convenience, I am going to organize by rider.
Sunday, Rossi won his 5th consecutive race in Mugello, reaching a total of 55 victories in MotoGP/500cc. Now he is the second rider with the highest number of wins in this class, right behind the other Italian, Giacomo Agostini, with his 68 GPs won in his career. Also this victory keeps Valentino in race for the World Championship. Well, he has to win all the remaining races but like his grandfather Learco Rossi explained, if Vale last year won 11 races, this year could win 12 races as well, providing that his bike is up to the challenge; and it will be in consideration that right last week Valentino Rossi announced that is going to race until 2007 with Yamaha or, we could say, that he is not leaving us for Formula 1 for another full season!
Capirossi almost won his second race of the season in the Ferrari/Ducati circuit in front a big, passionate and enthusiastic crowd. He was able to overcome a terrible start from the second place in grid that relegated him in 8th position. A dubious choice of tires (hard compound) made the first part of the race very difficult, but once these issues were digested, it didn’t take much for Capirex to get to the front of the group. At the 15th lap Valentino decided to let him pass by going wide at the entrance of a turn (and with Capirossi, passed Gibernau, Hayden and Melandri too) in order to assess the situation. Well, it was only at the last lap that Valentino was able to take back the lead of the race with only a few turns to the end. The Capi-Rossi battle Sunday was epic, breathtaking but fair: on the podium Valentino Rossi hugged and lifted Capirossi stating that both of them have won the Mugello race. Capirossi with 99 points is now leading with Haydens the Championship.
In my opinion last Sunday, Hayden had his best race from the beginning of the season. He got a solid 3rd place right behind Capirossi and if the two Italians in front of him had tangled in a turn, Nicky would have probably won the race. Sunday he was not only fast and consistent: at the end of the race with the tires worn he didn’t make his typical mistake of backing out the bike and sliding it sideway to the entrance of the turn. This is his 8th podium in 9 races having missed one 2 weeks ago in France. If Mugello was for Nicky the beginning of a “new riding level” I wouldn’t be surprised if he will win more the Laguna Seca race during the season.
Pedrosa has passed the Mugello's test: it seemed a bit nervous with the MotoGp bike in this very technical and physically tiring track where the rider constantly has to aim the front end to the entrance of the next turn. He finished fourth in the race and holds the 4th place in the World Championship Classification. Also, he is leading the Rookie of the Year Classification with 86 points, 21 more than Stoner.
Gibernau is back with an incredible pole position and a very authoritative performance during the race. He lead the race for 3 laps and was in 2nd position right behind Valentino for other 10 laps until he lost his toe slider injuring his little toe. Regardless, Sete was able to end the race in 5th position helping DUCATI to celebrate its 80th anniversary by maintaining the 2nd place in the Constructor Classification.
Melandri didn’t seem perfectly “ in the money” after winning the last race in France. He seemed too focused in passing on the brakes or defending his position versus working to get to the front of the race. His tactic would have been more appropriate at the end of the race and not during it: bottom line in one of his late braking actions he could’t make the turn ending in the grass. His final 6th position was overall a good result because helped him to maintain the 2nd place in the Championship.
I would also celebrate the 8th place for Kenny Roberts Jr., using a brand new chassis on his father’s KR211V: quite impressive considering that he finished the race in front Tamada with the Konica Minolta Honda RC211V.
Let's enjoy the last 4 laps of this epic race
Cheers!
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