The pre-event press conference held for the Italian round of the MotoGP championship held at Mugello brought five riders out of the pleasant sun present at the track and inside to face the gathered media. Sitting in at the middle of the table was the current World Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo, he was flanked former World Champion Casey Stoner and teammate and the Mugello king Valentino Rossi, as well as the local Italian stars Niccolò Canepa and Marco Melandri.

The group of five had unanimously positive opinions of the track, all riders noted the impressive atmosphere and enjoyable layout of this race track. But even despite all this, not one rider dared to make any predictions on a final result for the big show piece race on Sunday.

Current points leader Lorenzo said “We recovered 24 points in one race at Le Mans, with perhaps a bit of luck. To get a podium here would be great; to fight with Valentino would be amazing, but it’s not my objective,” he also added “I want to finish races and improve my result from last year. I will try not to repeat what happened at Jerez but who knows? It could happen.”

Jorge Lorenzo was justified in his citing Valentino Rossi as a key rival on Italian soil. Valentino has won the past seven visits to Mugello, and Rossi always seems to have extra motivation for his home round.

“This Grand Prix is, from one point of view, more important than the others,” commented World Champion Rossi. “It’s Italy, there’s a huge crowd and a great atmosphere. “But there are 25 points available like at any other race.”

Whilst Ducati rider Casey Stoner dismissed any hopes of Valentino Rossi buckling under any pressure by stating that “he normally performs,” before saying that he is, “confident of a good race –even if a win might be another matter.”

Expectations were left at the door for the Italian duo of Canepa and Melandri with both riders hoping to spring a surprise at the Mugello track where they have much experience. The Pramac Racing rookie Canepa has more experience than anyone of the track over the last twelve months, this is due to vast time as a Ducati test rider but, whilst he has the track knowledge, things haven’t been all good at Mugello. Caneppa reminded the media that the last time that he tested at the track, he left with a broken elbow and two broken ankles for his trouble.