Misano MotoGp

[Rev004]

It's about to kick off in a matter of hours with the 1st round of Free Practise and with Rossi mentioning that he is feeling a little bit of extra pressure than normal and Stoner also coming out and saying that even though he will fight for the championship it will be very hard as Rossi is no ordinary foe so lets wait and see what's installed for us this weekend.

With thousands of fans arriving in Misano with the expectation of a pouplar home victory, World Championship leader Valentino Rossi admits that there is added pressure on his shoulders this weekend.


The Gran Premio Cinzano di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini of 2007 was a big disappointment for Valentino Rossi, with `The Doctor´ unable to finish the race due to a technical fault with his Yamaha M1. Such disappointment for both rider and fans has only served to up expectations for this year´s visit to Misano, as the Italian admitted in the pre-event press conference on Thursday.

`It is very special here because I am so close to home and of course that means there is added pressure,´ acknowledged the Fiat Yamaha star. `I have had a lot more requests for tickets this time compared to last year at Misano as the situation in the championship is much better for me at present, so I hope I can put on a great show for all my fans here.´

Whereas last year Rossi was trailing eventual World Championship leader Casey Stoner in the standings, in 2008 the Italian is some 50 points clear of the Australian at the head of the classification.

`This year we arrive here in good shape after showing great speed in recent races. We have just had a good test in Brno where we found some good things for the bike, so the target now is to continue at this high level in the forthcoming races.´

Using last year´s DNF frustration as motivation for this weekend, the legendary Italian added, `Last year here was a big disappointment. We worked hard and put in the maximum effort, with things going well in the practices. We needed a good result, a podium. I started from the front row and I had good pace at the beginning, but after three laps my engine stopped. It was one of the most difficult times of my career so this year we have to make it better!´



Casey Stoner has singled out Valentino Rossi as a particularly tricky rider from whom to reel in a 50-point advantage in the World Championship.

Having stated earlier this week that he would not be giving up easily in the pursuit of World Championship leader Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner admitted on Thursday that the Italian´s legacy made him an extra-difficult foe with whom to tussle for the title.

Stoner trails his rival by 50 points as the series arrives in Misano, and at the previous round in Brno he saw the biggest blow yet to his championship challenge with a DNF. The Ducati Marlboro man paid tribute to Rossi´s talents whilst sat alongside him in the pre-event press conference on Thursday, showing that there remains a high level of respect between the two.

`Chasing the championship with this many points between us is maybe possible with other riders, but with Valentino it´s nearly impossible,´ acknowledged the 22 year-old, winner of last year´s race at Misano from pole position.

`We´ve got six races to go, and we´ve just got to look at them now. There´s a huge gap between myself and Valentino in the standings, so now is the time for us to get our heads down.´

The circuit will only be slightly different to that at which Stoner stormed to victory in 2007, with a modification to an early corner. He had yet to perform a sighting lap at the time of the press conference.

`We have to check out the new turn two; I heard that it´s a lot tighter. Last year was a good race for us, and we'll see what happens this year,´ concluded the Ducati star.


So who have everyone got there money on this weekend, I'm putting my money on Stoner to upset Rossi but I reckon it will be one hell of a race regardless of the out come and I spose if Stoner can stay on we will be starting to see what he is made off.