Gerno di Lesmo (Italy), 10th September 2014
After a week of rest the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team has arrived at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the ‘GP di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini’ on Sunday the 14th of September.
Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi is hungry for a good result at his home race, the track being just 20 minutes down the road from his home in Tavullia.
At the previous round in Silverstone, Rossi snatched his eighth podium finish of the season. This weekend he intends to add another top score to his list of successes at Misano. In previous years he has scored two premier class MotoGP victories in 2008 and 2009 and two further podiums, finishing third in 2010 and second in 2012.
Teammate Jorge Lorenzo impressed with his form in Silverstone, where he fought a hard battle with rival Marc Marquez and boosted his confidence. This weekend the four-time World Champion aims to add to his list of dazzling results in San Marino. Lorenzo has been on the podium every year since the track was added to the MotoGP calendar in 2007. What’s more, he’s maintained a MotoGP premier class winning streak at this circuit for the last three years and took three consecutive second-place finishes prior to that. He also claimed victory in the 250cc class in 2007, making him the most successful rider at the Misano circuit.
At the end of 2006 the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli was radically renovated in order to host major world motor sports events. Two years of updating saw the circuit lengthened to 4226 meters, with a reversal in the direction of travel (they now ride the track clockwise), a new pitlane and a new chicane. These improvements not only made the track safer, but also increase the race excitement as the numerous fast corners give many overtaking possibilities.
Valentino Rossi
“When the season arrives at the Misano Grand Prix, I’m always very happy. For me it is a really special GP. First because it’s only ten kilometers from my house in Tavullia and here is my family, all my friends and my fans. Then because Misano is my track, I love this place and I like this circuit, because it has a lot of fast corners and there are many places where you can make overtakes and I always enjoy so much when I’m on this track. This race is very important for me, for many reasons and we have to do even more than we usually do. We will try to prepare the bike perfectly, from the first day. I want to stay in front and try to fight with Jorge and Marc. At Silverstone I went again on the podium and here I want to do the same thing. I’ll do my best. I hope the weather will be good, even during the first practice. It will be important to work in dry conditions to prepare the bike. I’m ready for the Misano Grand Prix!”
Jorge Lorenzo
“I think we’re on the good path as we saw at Silverstone and, although we were not able to win there, we did a fantastic job. Perhaps we suffered more at Silverstone because the rear tyre was different from what we used in the previous races. I thought Silverstone was the ideal scenario to get the first win but was unable to prevail, despite big expectations. Misano could definitely be the place to aim for the win, but I don’t want to obsess about it. I won’t do anything crazy, I’ll just try to do my best and show our best performance. If I can’t win, another podium would be nice. I think we’re at the best level we’ve been this year and we’re doing a fantastic job with the team. The bike works well and, to me, Misano is a really lovely track because of its quick lay-out and plenty of fast corners.”
Massimo Meregalli
“We’re arriving in Misano in the same confident mood as we have for the last few races. Both Vale and Jorge are in impressive form and riding at a very competitive level. The team are also working very well, we have proved to be able to overcome any significant issues in practice sessions to ensure we are competitive and ready to be key protagonists on race day. The Misano circuit has seen consecutive victories for Yamaha in four of the last five years so our expectations are high. We look forward to beginning our work on Friday.”