A European road trip that has taken in seven races on the old continent concludes this weekend with the third round in as many weekends at Mugello in Italy. From the shortest circuit on the calendar in Sachsenring to one of the longest at 5.245km, the Moto2 riders face the difficult challenge of a fast and technical layout. In Germany another win for Marc Márquez saw him extend his lead at the top of the championship whilst Pol Espargaró returned to second place, with the Spanish pair facing one last chance to exert their superiority before the summer break.
Mapfre Aspar rider Toni Elías heads to Mugello looking to put a disappointing weekend in Germany firmly behind him. Mugello is one of his favourite circuit and he is hoping that his affinity with the surroundings can propel him back towards the front of the pack this weekend. His MAPFRE Aspar team-mate Nico Terol returns to the scene of victory last year in the 125cc class last year when he was still recovering from a hand injury. The Spanish rookie is hoping that the circuit again proves to suit his style on the bigger bike, buoyed by the confidence of a points-scoring finish at Sachsenring.
Toni Elías: “I am looking forward to arriving at Mugello and getting back to work. I want a good result more than anything else in the world right now. Three races in a row is a good opportunity to gather a lot of information together. It is demanding but we are well prepared for it and not feeling tired so in Italy we'll be pushing hard again to get a good result and head into the summer in the right way. I have great memories of Mugello, I have always been fast there and I have enjoyed some good results in the past. It is one of the most spectacular circuits on the calendar but it is also very demanding. Bike set-up needs to be millimetre perfect otherwise you can lose a lot of time in the fast corners so we'll try to get as close as we think we can on Friday morning and refine it from there.”
Nico Terol: “I love Mugello, I've always gone well there and I can't wait to try this bike there. We found a good pace at Sachsenring so I hope we can carry that through to this weekend. We had a bit of front end chatter so hopefully we can solve that and find a good set-up. I am sure that with the same pace as last weekend we'll be able to finish higher up at Mugello but we need to be smart in qualifying and make sure we get a good lap in at the right time. Mugello is a very technical circuit with a lot of linked corners that require a smooth riding style. It suits me well but our feet are firmly on the ground because we know we have a lot of work ahead of us. I won there on my return from injury in 125cc last year so that will provide an extra source of motivation.”
Aspar Mapfre Moto2 Press Release
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