Team Italia FMI sets high goals for Malaysia

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The podium conquered by Alessandro Tonucci (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#19) was also his best result in the championship, and he's determined to finish the season in a strong fashion. His good form will help him on tracks that he enjoys such as the remaining ones. Last year in Sepang he climbed from 20th position to score points, and expectations are much higher this weekend. 

Romano Fenati (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#5) debuts at yet another track, and is ready to tackle it with the same grit. Despite a few issues with tires, he was able to score a solid 10th in Japan, conserving his fourth place in the standings and the leadership in the Rookie rankings. In Malaysia he can take advantage of a nice mix between slow and fast corners and long straights to show his talent. 

Italy's only victory in the smaller class was scored by current Technical Coordinator Roberto Locatelli in 2000.

Roberto Locatelli (FMI Technical Coordinator)

"We can finish the championship strong. Besides Fenati, Tonucci is also in great form. We're one of the few team who scored podiums with both riders. The race will be hard, especially because of the heat, but we aim at Top 5 with both Fenati and Tonucci. I hope someone can break my record of being the only Italian to win here in the smaller class. My mind, however, goes to what happened last year, when fate took a wonderful person such as Marco Simoncelli away from us. I still remember the deafening silence that fell upon the track. We miss him, and we'll race to honor his memory."

Team Italia FMI Press Release

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Fenati posted the 8th best time, Tonucci qualified in 13th position

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The work done during free practice paid off, and the Italian duo improved significantly during qualifiers. Fenati stopped the clock on 1'49"324, seven tenths behind poleman Cortese (1'48"545). 

The youngster, who adapted well to the flat American track, showed his grit posting his best time with a few minutes to go. 

His pace and work done on tyre consumption leave him hopeful ahead of the race. 

Alessandro Tonucci also had a strong showing, constantly improving his lap times and closing with a 1'49"605, nearly a second behind the pole position, which granted him the 13th position on the grid.

Romano Fenati (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#5) 20 laps with a 1'49"324

"It was a good day. The team and I worked well to improve the setup and find better trajectories. We have a good pace, too, and I think we can have a strong race tomorrow especially because the gaps are thin. We'll try to move further during warm-up."

Alessandro Tonucci (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#19) 18 laps with a 1'49"605

"I'm happy. I had a good qualifying session and found good solutions for the suspensions and frame. I can do well with my current pace tomorrow. I'm just eager to have a strong result and bring home some points."

Roberto Locatelli (FMI Technical Coordinator)

"Great teamwork. Romano confirmed his talent and Alessandro finally showed what he's capable of. We are close to the front, and tomorrow we can score points with both riders."

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Team Italia FMI resumes its title chase from Indianapolis

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After a month of vacation, Fenati and Tonucci are back on track to start the second half of the championship.

Mugello confirmed Fenati's talent. The young Italian finished just 0.002 behind Viñales and consolidated his fourth place in the standings. Fenny (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#5) also leads the 'Rookies' rankings with a victory and two second-place finishes, and aims at conquering heavy points for the championship after a well-deserved break.

The objective remains the same also for Alessandro Tonucci (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#19), who barely missed championship points in Mugello and wants to increase his tally in the second half of the season based on the good signals he has shown so far.

Roberto Locatelli (FMI Technical Coordinator)

"The first half of the season was certainly positive, both in terms of what the riders have learned and the experience gained by the team. In Indy, we aim at racing at the front with Romano, who has shown he can beat anybody. Tonucci can finish in the Top 15, and will consistently aim at those positions from now on. First and foremost, we will try to be more consistent. If we can do that, we'll have an even more positive second half of the championship."

Team Italia FMI Press Release

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Team Italia starts from 5th and 6th row in Assen

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A tight qualifying session saw 17 riders close within a second on the Assen TT Circuit. The Italian riders showed promise but were slowed down towards the end by the traffic.

Alessandro Tonucci, after a little issue due to a sensor yesterday, constantly bettered his times today. He was in the Top 10 until the very end, and closed with a 1'44"541, +0"896 behind poleman Cortese, which puts him on 5th row.

Right behind him, Romano Fenati fought at the top for most of the session but could not find a 'clean' lap and closed on 6th row with a 1'44"561 (+0"961).

Both Team Italia riders showed a strong race pace and, if they can withstand the early fight carefully, will be able to have yet another good GP.

Alessandro Tonucci (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#19) 15th, 19 laps with a 1'44"541
"I had some problems with my setup during FP3, which I solved in the afternoon. I had a really strong first half of the qualifiers, then the traffic slowed me down a bit. A good start will be the key for tomorrow's race, where I can have a good rhythm."

Romano Fenati  (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#5) 17th, 19 laps with a 1'44"561
"Slipstream is very important on this track and the traffic toward the end prevented me from improving my best time. That said, the bike works well and we have the pace for tomorrow's race."

Roberto Locatelli (FMI Technical Coordinator)
"The team worked well and, if the riders get a good start tomorrow, they can fight at the front. There 17 riders within less than a second, it will be a great show."

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Consistent race for Team Italia FMI with Fenati 7th and Tonucci 16th

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Fenati showed maturity by fighting at the front and consolidating his fourth place in the championship. Tonucci gave a positive performance but suffered lack of rear grip. 

At the start, the Italian riders kept their positions, with Fenati holding on to the front and Tonucci chasing the pack. Fenati showed his growth, battling throughout the 17 laps of the race and putting up a show with the leaders.

He closed in 7th position, racing to the checkered flag together with Masbou, Vazquez, and Kent. Viñales won ahead of Salom and Cortese.

With 9 points to his tally, Fenati consolidates his 4th position in the standings.

Tonucci fought fiercely, staying in the group behind the front runners in the first half of the race. A decay in rear grip pushed him out of the Top 15, denying him any points, but only at the very end. 

omano Fenati (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#5) 7th, + 8"940

"Today was fun, and I hope people at home had fun too. I got off a good start and never lost contact with the front. This goes to show how with good teamwork we can always be competitive. Next race is Assen, a sacred temple for us riders. I can't wait to get there and race on such a historic track."

Alessandro Tonucci (Team Italia FMI FTR Honda#19) 16th, + 28"032

"It's been a tough race for us. The battle at the beginning kept me away from the front, and after 7 laps the right shoulder of my rear tyre was basically gone. I couldn't push as hard as I wanted. I tried to play it safe, but Ajo and Moncayo passed me at the end. Still, we collected some important data. I can't wait for next round."

Roberto Locatelli (FMI Technical Coordinator)

"Good teamwork today. We are growing as a group and getting better as far as our working method goes. I'm proud of the work done by the team and the riders. I expect Tonucci and Fenati to be ready to put up a fight in Assen. We'll surely have some fun, as we always do."

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Qualifying for Team Italy: Fenati sixth, twenty-first Tonucci

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Good interpretation of the track by Roman Fenati which used the free practice session in the morning to get a feel for the final asphalt Portuguese.

In qualifying Fenny'' tough'' was steadily improving their times and finishing in sixth place (second row) with a time of 1'48 "191. Delay from poleman Cortese is 1" 046, but Romano has pointed to preparing the best race pace tomorrow.

Alessandro Tonucci was in trouble throughout the entire shift in the last remaining positions until a few minutes from time. In extremist, Tonu managed to win the twenty-first position with a time of 1'49 "397 (+2" 252) and tomorrow will start from the seventh row.

Romano Fenati 

'' Today we had some little difficulty finding the right position because of changing weather conditions, but the team was good at solving them fast . We concluded in the second row with the sixth time is a great location. We preferred to work for the race looking for a steady pace and veloce.Sono confident for tomorrow. "

Alessandro Tonucci

"This morning in free practice went quite well, but in qualifying I could not have good feeling with the bike or to ride it like I wanted. Tomorrow I will make a good start and hang on to the lead group to make up positions. "

Roberto Locatelli (IMF Technical Coordinator)

"Fenati did a good job tomorrow, and will fight with the lead group doing a good race. Tonucci had some problems in the choice of tires and'' did not find the time.'' I am confident that the warm-up tomorrow to make us find the right track for the race. "

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