Dani Pedrosa continued his ownership of the Sachsenring with his third MotoGP win in a row and fourth MotoGP win overall at the German circuit. Pedrosa was under constant pressure from team-mate Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V) until the penultimate corner when the reigning world champion made a rare mistake and crashed. It was the first time he had fallen by himself since joining the Honda team at the start of the 2011 season. Pedrosa then cruised to victory by nearly 15s over Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha).
The win was the first for Pedrosa this season and it put him into the thick of the championship chase. Lorenzo leads Pedrosa by 14 points, with Stoner six points behind Pedrosa in third as they approach the ninth of 18 MotoGP races.
Pedrosa loves the track, where he won in 2010 from the pole and set the Mugello record lap of 1m, 49.531s. Given the speed of the 1000cc Repsol Honda RC213V, it is likely the record lap, set during the race, will fall. The 5.245Km Tuscan circuit with a 1.141Km straightaway is a rider favourite for its high speeds, elevation changes, and flowing nature.
Pedrosa was not at full strength last year at Mugello. He was making his return to the track after breaking his right collarbone seven weeks earlier in a racing incident in the French Grand Prix. This year Pedrosa is fully healthy, which has helped him earn podium finishes in all but one race.
The fastest lap by a motorcycle around Mugello, 1m, 48.034s, was set by Stoner in taking the pole for last year’s race. Stoner won in Mugello in 2009 and led the first 17 laps of last year’s race while finishing on the podium in third, and only 1.143s from victory.
Stoner won in Assen the week before Pedrosa won in Germany, giving Honda momentum heading to Italy. The world champion has also been on pole in both races.
Like most riders, Stoner likes fast flowing tracks where the Repsol Honda RC213V can stretch its legs, and very few tracks showcase the strength of a fast motorcycle like Mugello. Having come from Assen, which has a very fast average speed, but not a high top speed, and Germany, one of the slower tracks on the calendar, Mugello is a treat for the riders. With practice starting five days after his uncharacteristic fall in Germany, Stoner can not wait to put that race behind him and get back into the thick of the championship hunt.
Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda:
“I'm really looking forward to getting to Mugello and try to keep this momentum in a circuit that I also love, for the layout and the great atmosphere. It's a very demanding track physically; last year I got there very weak due to the injury and I couldn't manage a good race, but we had a nice win in 2010 and I feel good now and ready to enjoy riding there again. Mugello is a completely different track, it's important to have a very fast bike in these corners and to get our strong points out in the track, we must take profit of the power of our Honda engine. The first win in Sachsenring has been great for me and my team, we are closer in the championship on points, but one win will not give us the title. I've kept cool without winning and we will not relax now because we have the first one. This season you have to be almost perfect in every race to get a win, so we will keep pushing hard.”
Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda:
“I've always liked Mugello, we've enjoyed some pretty good results there. Last year didn't go to plan but we know what we did wrong so hopefully this year we can be a little more competitive. I really enjoy the fast corners there, there are a lot of areas where we get a lot of wheel spin and a lot of fast changes of direction. It's not a small dinky little track that you can't use these bikes on, it's actually somewhere where you can open the throttle up and actually get to full throttle. After a disappointing race in Sachsenring, I want to get back on the bike and take some points back in the championship.”
Repsol Honda Press Release
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