Andrea Iannone got off to a superb start on the first day of the Italian Grand Prix, which is being held at the Mugello Circuit this weekend. The Abruzzo-born rider notched up the quickest time of the day with a lap of 1’47.696, which he set in the second free practice session.
Michele Pirro, running in this race as a wild-card entry with the Desmosedici GP of the Ducati Test Team, was also on good form. The man from Southern Italy was classified in third place, behind Jorge Lorenzo, with a time of 1’48.245.
Andrea Dovizioso’s day was on the other hand conditioned by a severe pain in his neck that prevented him from riding at his best. The Romagna-born rider could only finish in thirteenth place.
Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team #29) – 1’47.696” (1st)
“I am pleased because here at Mugello we are racing at home, it’s a very important race for us and so we absolutely have to work to the best of our potential. At the start of the afternoon session I struggled a bit because the track did not have as much rubber as it did when we tested here before Le Mans. We’ve got a bit less grip, especially at the rear, and at the start my feeling wasn’t so good. Then the feeling improved and I was able to push hard. In the end it was a very positive session, although tomorrow we still have to improve certain aspects, which we have already identified.”
Michele Pirro (Ducati Team #51) – 1’48.245 (3rd)
“I am happy today, because everything went well on my first outing this year in a race with the Ducati Team. We’ve got a good pace, but we still have to improve a few things. I am confident about tomorrow because today I did quite a few laps in 1’48 and, if we can improve the feeling even more, I feel sure we can be even quicker.”
Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04) – 1’48.816 (13th)
“Unfortunately I had a problem with my neck that prevented me from moving my head back so I was forced to ride in an unnatural position on the bike. We did everything possible to solve the problem with my physiotherapist and the Clinica Mobile and I thank them for that, but in any case I was hampered by this problem. The track conditions are a bit different to the test a few weeks ago, and so we will have to work well to adapt to the ones here now.”
