Honda’s Dani Pedrosa will be the man to beat at this weekend’s Italian MotoGP at Mugello following two convincing victories in the previous races.
His main rival could come in various guises, with rookie team mate Marc Marquez continuing to shine at every race, and Yamaha providing a strong set of contenders.
Of those, it will be works rider Jorge Lorenzo who will be looking for the biggest turnaround in fortunes, after a set-up disaster in Le Mans left him in unfamiliar territory down the field.
Lorenzo won convincingly at Mugello in 2012 although, as the Le Mans race showed, this doesn’t count for much.
HOME FANS
Valentino Rossi will be hoping for a similar step forward, as he not only returns to his home race for the first time in two years on a Yamaha, but also looks to get the best out of his bike to impress the loyal home supporters.
One Yamaha rider who will not be looking for any kind of change is Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Cal Crutchlow, whose second place in Le Mans could be a signal of things to come.
Having ridden with a fractured shin, the Brit could pose an even bigger threat after a few weeks’ recovery.
LOCAL STAR
The Ducati team is arguably the local star of the weekend, as five Desmosedicis will line up on the grid. Factory riders Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden will hope to build on their fourth and fifth-place finishes in Le Mans.
Ben Spies returns from injury, while his Pramac Racing team mate Andrea Iannone, will be further into his healing process from an arm-pump operation as well as a knee injury.
Ducati test rider Michele Pirro will make his third appearance this year, this time once again as a wild card on the Desmosedici GP13 “lab bike”. – Star Motoring