MotoGP ready to roar into life at majestic Misano

The 13^th round of the MotoGP World Championship will get underway on Friday 12^th September with the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli to provide the backdrop to this year’s Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini where championship leader Marc Marquez will look to take his 12^th win of the year pushing him ever closer to his second MotoGP title.

Since racing returned to Misano in 2007 following a major upgrade to the circuit on the Rimini coast, the Italian fans have been treated to many thrilling battles between the top riders in the world with the tifosi cheering on the home riders, but it is Spain’s Jorge Lorenzo who has topped the bill here for the past three years and the Movistar Yamaha rider also holds the best record of four wins and three second places.

We will have to work hard from Friday to get the setup on the bike just right.

Marc Marquez

Following on from his 12^th win of the season last time out at Silverstone, Marquez will aim to carry on this momentum and seal another victory that would make it mathematically possible for the 21-year-old to take his second MotoGP title. Finish second behind Lorenzo in 2013, Marquez is aiming to go one better and their increasing rivalry has lit up the paddock.

Speaking ahead of getting into action, Marquez is looking forward to this weekend’s race. He said, “It was nice to be back on the top step of the podium in Silverstone, the team did a great job the whole weekend. Now we head to Misano, which is a smaller and slower track compared to others on the calendar. We will have to work hard from Friday to get the setup on the bike just right, to suit the demands on braking at this twisty track and let’s hope the weather is also nice!”

Lorenzo ready to push for fourth consecutive MotoGP win at Misano

Lorenzo has been on an upward spiral since returning from the summer break and has fought hard to claw as many points back as possible from a disastrous first half of the season. “I think we're on the good path as we saw at Silverstone,” said Lorenzo who continued, “Although we were not able to win there, we did a fantastic job. Perhaps we suffered more at Silverstone because the rear tire was different from what we used in the previous races. I thought Silverstone was the ideal scenario to get the first win but was unable to prevail, despite big expectations.

Misano could definitely be the place to aim for the win, but I don’t want to obsess about it. I won’t do anything crazy, I’ll just try to do my best and show our best performance. If I can’t win, another podium would be nice. I think we're at the best level we’ve been this year and we’re doing a fantastic job with the team. The bike works well and, to me, Misano is a really lovely track because of its quick layout and plenty of fast corners,” Lorenzo added.

Rossi ready for annual homecoming

The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is the home race of seven times MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi with his hometown of Tavullia just minutes from the track. Rossi is delighted to be back in front of his home fans and he also has a chance to break the mammoth 5,000 championship points barrier in grand prix racing, something not yet achieved by any other rider in the history of the sport.

Speaking ahead of this weekend, Rossi said, “When the season arrives at the Misano Grand Prix, I’m always very happy. For me it is a really special GP. First because it’s only ten kilometers from my house in Tavullia and here is my family, all my friends and my fans. Then because Misano is my track, I love this place and I like this circuit, because it has a lot of fast corners and there are many places where you can make overtakes and I always enjoy so much when I'm on this track.

This race is very important for me, for many reasons and we have to do even more than we usually do. We will try to prepare the bike perfectly, from the first day. I want to stay in front and try to fight with Jorge and Marc. At Silverstone I went again on the podium and here I want to do the same thing. I'll do my best. I hope the weather will be good, even during the first practice. It will be important to work in dry conditions to prepare the bike. I’m ready for the Misano Grand Prix!” Rossi added.

Pedrosa hasn’t made the advances he would have liked last time out at Silverstone with the Repsol Honda rider unable to consolidate his form following his first victory of the year at Brno. The Spaniard said he is looking forward to the unique atmosphere at Misano. He said, “I’m looking forward to Misano this weekend! There is always a nice crowd over the three days and a good atmosphere with the Italian fans. Hopefully we’ll have good weather from the Friday and get things going in the right direction. It’s a short lap but intense with many overtaking points and it's quite bumpy, so set up is key. Let’s hope for an exciting race!”