Yamaha MotoGP Preview

The Fiat Yamaha Team contest their second 'home' race of the season this weekend, with the San Marino Grand Prix taking place on Italian soil at the Misano circuit on the Adriatic coast. The trip is a short one for the team, whose base is just 300km away in Milan, but even shorter for Valentino Rossi, with his hometown of Tavullia located a mere 15km down the road.

The multi-World Champion heads to the thirteenth round of the current MotoGP series with his sights firmly set on a sixth premier-class title after extending his advantage over Casey Stoner to 50 points in the last round at Brno. Having missed out on the title for the past two seasons following a five-year winning streak, Rossi's improvement is outlined by the fact that a fifth-place finish this Sunday will see him outscore his tally for either of those campaigns.

The 29-year-old's army of local supporters are sure to be in party mood at the lively seaside resort as he looks to make up for the disappointment of a mechanical breakdown in this race last year and score three consecutive wins for the second time this season. Also within Rossi's range is the all-time record for premier-class victories, set at 68 by Giacomo Agostini back in 1976.

Jorge Lorenzo continues his Grand Prix education at full fitness after a troublesome period of injury and tyre woes. The rookie from Mallorca won the 250cc race at Misano last year after having qualified on pole and he will be looking to support Rossi in the quest to improve on Yamaha's total of 283 points in last year's Constructors' World Championship, which will be secured if any of the factory's riders finish in the top two.

Valentino Rossi - Out to make up for last year:
"I'm really excited to be going to Misano in such good shape and leading the championship. Last year the race was a huge disappointment for us, a very low point of the season and especially sad because it happened in front of my home fans. But this time things are very different; we've had two fantastic races in a row and we are feeling very strong and very confident. We are out to make up for 2007! Misano is so close to my home town of Tavullia that I know there will be an army of Italian fans there, and I hope it's going to be a great party for all of them. Last year there was some terrible weather before the race as well so I really hope that this year we have sunshine and we can enjoy a fantastic race by the sea!"

Source: Yamaha-racing.com