Tuscan air
With the troubled Catalan GP behind them, it is time for the Trackhouse team riders to forget the Barcelona weekend and focus on the upcoming one that will see the American team engaged at the Mugello for the Italian Grand Prix. The first of two events scheduled in our country (the second is planned in Misano in mid-September), in Tuscany both Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura will try to turn the page after the race contacts that sparked controversy.
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The emotion and critical points
For the Spaniard, the fact that generated the most criticism was the contact with his compatriot Jorge Martin, which infuriated the Aprilia rider. For the Madrid native, the focus is now on Mugello, a track where he achieved good results last season: “Mugello is really a beautiful circuit – he commented – last year was a positive weekend for us and I think it can be a good circuit for our bike as well: Aprilia always performs well here. Let’s see what the bike can do and what we can do. It’s exciting to ride at Mugello, but not because of the fastest straight on the calendar. It is a really beautiful circuit, with mountains in the background, and I always enjoy racing here, but the fastest straight is not the only reason I like it. I believe Mugello is quite similar to Balaton Park because we have many chicanes. Here the chicanes are faster than at Balaton, but I think everything is important here. For me, one of the points where you have to have confidence is the two Arrabbiata corners: it is the most critical point for MotoGP, but there I always feel comfortable with the bike.”
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The toughest sectors
Mugello will also be the ideal opportunity for Ai Ogura to put behind what happened in Barcelona, where the Japanese rider came into contact with Pedro Acosta in an attempt to overtake him on the last lap: “I think Mugello is a circuit that everyone likes – he added – pure speed, it is one of the most classic races on the calendar, especially with MotoGP we reach really high speeds on the main straight. The braking at San Donato is scary! We reach 360 km/h before turn one, which is tight, so you have to brake really hard. For me the third and fourth sectors are really difficult. Regardless of the category I race in, these two sectors have always been a problem, so we have to focus on the second half of the circuit and this time, finally, we will try to be strong and competitive there. They are always the third and fourth sectors, but the reason why I can’t go fast is different every year. We’ll see this time.” Additionally, for the first time this season after the Thailand GP, Trackhouse will return to compete with the special Gulf livery, official partner of the American team.
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