Valentino Rossi returns home leading the
MotoGP World Championship and chasing his seventh consecutive premier class victory at the magnificent 3.259 mile circuit high in the hills of Tuscany above the City of Florence.
And the 29 year old Italian arrives home in great shape. Following his second consecutive victory with his new for 2008
Bridgestone tyre, the Fiat Yamaha star leads now young Spanish chargers
Jorge Lorenzo and
Dani Pedrosa by three points in. Rossi, a seven time world champion, has also won 125 and 250cc grands prix at Mugello and chases his ninth win at his home grand prix.
But Rossi's rookie team-mate Lorenzo and Honda star Pedrosa are expected to give him a tough time in the 23 lap race. 21 year old Lorenzo has made a lot of the headlines in the last few weeks following his spectacular practice highside in China. The double 250cc world champion fractured both his ankles but finished an incredible fourth in China and then second last time out in France. He won the 250cc race at Mugello two years ago.
Pedrosa has been equally impressive this season on the Repsol Honda. He finished off the podium for only the first time this season at Le Mans, after tyre problems kept him down in fourth, but he won the 250cc race at Mugello in 2005.
The only current MotoGP rider to beat Rossi in the premier class at Mugello is 125 and 250cc world champion
Loris Capirossi. Eight long years ago he won the 500cc race at the Italian circuit and returns with the Rizla Suzuki on Sunday. His team-mate
Chris Vermeulen rode into a well deserved fifth place in Le Mans while world champion
Casey Stoner chases his - and Ducati's - first victory at Mugello to resurrect his title defence.
The 22 year old Australian is fourth in the Championship and trails Rossi by a massive 41 points after failing to score at Le Mans after a technical problem with the factory Desmosedici. His team-mate and 250 Mugello winner
Marco Melandri is having a nightmare debut season with the Italian factory and will be praying for a change of fortune in front of the partisan Italian fans.
