Although Dani Pedrosa didn’t have the best weekend in Mugello, he did win the title of the fastest man to ever ride a MotoGP bike. The Jockey sized Spainard was clocked in the speed trap at a phenomenal 217.03mph, shattering the previous record set by Makoto Tamada by 4mph.
If you’re a close watcher of MotoGP, you may know that Dani Pedrosa suffered a bad crash in the second Free Practice session of the Mugello GP that severely injured the Spaniard’s hip. In the incident, Pedrosa was nearly flicked off his Repsol Honda, and landed poorly on the groun, causing a tearing of a tendon at the top of his thigh.
Pedrosa would go on to race in the Italian GP, but crashed out midway through. Fortunately, the second crash didn’t aggrivate his hip/thigh injury.
The Repsol Honda team has just issued a press release on Pedrosa’s condition. It is enclosed after the jump.
The fans at Mugello were treated to a great battle in qualifying action on Saturday afternoon with Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo upstaging his teammate Valentino Rossi on the World Champion’s home track of Mugello, by taking the pole position at the Italian GP.
Keeping with his personal tradition of having a special edition helmet while racing at Mugello, Valentino Rossi released a new lid at Friday’s Free Practice session. This year’s edition can be considered an answer to , with Rossi replacing his face with his hands.
This year’s theme features Valentino’s gloved hands holding the side of this his head/helmet. On the back of the helmet, Rossi’s two bulldogs Cesare and Cecilia are featured with their paws also on their heads.
For Rossi right now, Mugello feels like more show than go, with the MotoGP Demi-God qualifying only 4th in today’s session.
This weekend looks to be another tough one for Nicky Hayden, who seems to be struggling again with his Ducati Desmosedici GP9 in today’s Free Practice Session. The American currently sits 15th on the grid, the very last position held by a factory rider. Contrast that with the 5th place Colin Edwards is currently holding on his satellite Tech3 Yamaha, which runs on a .
Choosing the right umbrella girl is a long and arduous process. It doesn’t have to be that way, but why would you want to rush through such a delightful process? And for the Italian GP at Mugello, the role of the umbrella girl is big business. After all, who doesn’t like a scantily clad women holding a canopoy more than the Italians?
Getting ready for the GP this weekend, various teams have made a spectacle out of their “talent” search, with competitions and club events looking for Miss Right.
Valentino Rossi is the unofficial King of Mugello, winning at the Italian circuit seven times out of seven appearances at the track. This weekend marks Rossi’s eighth visit to his home track, with all eyes watching to see if The Doctor can win again.
Normally, Valentino would be the heavy favorite on Sunday’s race, but after finishing last for the first time in his MotoGP career at Le Mans a fortnight ago, there might just be a little doubt in the paddock about Rossi’s ability.