Submitted by David Emmett on
After spending Thursday complaining to the press at just how weak his shoulder is, Valentino Rossi came out swinging in FP1, dominating the session almost from start to finish. The Fiat Yamaha rider ended the day with a time of 1'49.751, over a quarter of a second under Casey Stoner's race record lap, set in 2008. Whether the complaints about his shoulder are genuine, or just sandbagging to keep his opponents off-guard, is hard to say until race day, when Rossi will have to do 23 laps of the Tuscan circuit, rather than just three or four in one go.
Rossi's main competition came, as ever, from his teammate Jorge Lorenzo. Lorenzo came close to Rossi's times several times during the session, but never matched them, ending practice nearly four tenths behind the Italian. The man behind Lorenzo was a surprise, Loris Capirossi taking the Rizla Suzuki to a stunning 3rd place. Capirossi was clearly inspired at being back in Italy, pushing hard throughout the day. A little too hard, as it turned out, as the Italian crashed in the final minutes of practice, losing the front on the way into San Donato.
Two more surprises waited in 4th and 6th, with Monster Tech 3 Yamaha riders Colin Edwards and Ben Spies taking 4th and 6th respectively, sandwiching Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa between them. There was just the smallest of margins between Edwards and Pedrosa, though, the Spaniard finishing just a thousandth of a second behind the Texan. Spies' 6th time is very impressive, given that this is the first time Spies has ridden Mugello in anger.
A surprise too in 7th, Casey Stoner getting his Mugello weekend off to a miserable start. The Marlboro Ducati rider crashed just a few minutes into the session, running wide on the entry to Bucine, both tires sliding, and forced to stand the bike up and run off into the gravel. He looked like making it through the gravel safely, but folded the front wheel and went down at low speed. Andrea Dovizioso ended the session in 8th, ahead of Stoner's Ducati teammate Nicky Hayden.
Results:
| Pos | No. | Rider | Bike | Time | Diff | Diff Previous |
| 1 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | YAMAHA | 1'49.751 | ||
| 2 | 99 | Jorge LORENZO | YAMAHA | 1'50.120 | 0.369 | 0.369 |
| 3 | 65 | Loris CAPIROSSI | SUZUKI | 1'50.359 | 0.608 | 0.239 |
| 4 | 5 | Colin EDWARDS | YAMAHA | 1'50.772 | 1.021 | 0.413 |
| 5 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | HONDA | 1'50.773 | 1.022 | 0.001 |
| 6 | 11 | Ben SPIES | YAMAHA | 1'51.004 | 1.253 | 0.231 |
| 7 | 27 | Casey STONER | DUCATI | 1'51.128 | 1.377 | 0.124 |
| 8 | 4 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | HONDA | 1'51.255 | 1.504 | 0.127 |
| 9 | 69 | Nicky HAYDEN | DUCATI | 1'51.387 | 1.636 | 0.132 |
| 10 | 40 | Hector BARBERA | DUCATI | 1'51.582 | 1.831 | 0.195 |
| 11 | 14 | Randy DE PUNIET | HONDA | 1'51.605 | 1.854 | 0.023 |
| 12 | 58 | Marco SIMONCELLI | HONDA | 1'51.717 | 1.966 | 0.112 |
| 13 | 33 | Marco MELANDRI | HONDA | 1'51.782 | 2.031 | 0.065 |
| 14 | 41 | Aleix ESPARGARO | DUCATI | 1'52.202 | 2.451 | 0.420 |
| 15 | 7 | Hiroshi AOYAMA | HONDA | 1'52.399 | 2.648 | 0.197 |
| 16 | 36 | Mika KALLIO | DUCATI | 1'52.418 | 2.667 | 0.019 |
| 17 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | SUZUKI | 1'55.257 | 5.506 | 2.839 |
Comments
Capirex 100?
Let's hope Loris can do something special this Sunday and find himself on the box celebrating 100 podiums. He's got to know this is one of his few chances during the season. Do it on home soil, old boy! Maybe Stoner will get his crashing done in the practice sessions and they'll actually learn something about his woes (if it isn't just in his head). Nicky being the last American isn't a good start to the weekend, but maybe the Ducati guys can pull out a bag of tricks in their own backyard.
He got a tow
From what I have heard (haven't watched FP1 yet), Capirex got a tow when he set that time.
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I wouldn't doubt it
But he still has over 4 tenths to Edwards so he probably wouldn't have changed positions. Mugello, Sepang and Motegi are some of his best so it's not too surprising. Though it would show how much more the top two are a class apart at the moment.
It's time
I haven't said this all year but I have a strong feeling that it's time for Big Ben to show the goods this weekend. He's pretty fast right out of the gate again and it seems like he is really wanting to prove he belongs. I'm putting Ben on the podium this weekend not just because he will be faster but I see some big names in the gravel this weekend.
don't know about that
It'd be a big jump for Spies to make a podium this early in the year I think.
Hmmmm...
Well I would pee my pants for sure if Ben got on the podium, but the likelihood of it happening is slim to none. I'd be happy with P5 finish for Ben.
I predict that the battle for 1st and 2nd between Rossi and Lorezo will be epic. Can't wait for the action to start.
One thing is for sure. This
One thing is for sure. This is one hell of an important race for Valentino and Jorge. If Rossi wins, we know he's still there, if Lorenzo wins, it will be a MASSIVE blow for Rossi and his team (shoulder injury or not).
Personally, I think Rossi will do it at this one. He has to, and bar Valencia 2006, he can handle pressure pretty well. Big test is Jorge. If he beats Rossi his confidence will hit new heights (yikes!), but if he can't, then I'm guessing he is smarter now and will settle for 2nd rather than binning it trying to win. Of course this prediction will probably be crap come Sunday, as let's be honest, MotoGP can be very unpredictable!
Most unpredictable race ever? I'll go for Estoril 2006
Gonna have to agree with you
Gonna have to agree with you on the fact that it is an important race for Rossi and Lorenzo. I could see this turning into the Laguna Seca 08 race between Rossi and Stoner, fighting back at the next corner as soon as they get passed.