Mugello MotoGP Race Day Guide
By Dr. Martin Raines
• Andrea Iannone starts from pole for the first time since moving up to the MotoGP class at the start of 2013. This is the first time that an Italian rider on an Italian bike has qualified on pole for a premier-class grand prix in Italy since Giacomo Agostini was on pole for the 500cc GP at Imola in 1972.
• In second place on the grid is Jorge Lorenzo, who has finished either first or second at Mugello for the last six years. A win for Lorenzo would give him a sequence of three successive MotoGP wins for the fourth time in his career.
• Andrea Dovizioso starts from the front row for the fourth time this year. He has previously finished on the podium in the MotoGP class at Mugello on both Yamaha and Honda.
• Heading the second row of the grid is the top Honda rider in qualifying, Cal Crutchlow – the third time in the last four races he has qualified in 4th place on the grid.
• The last time that there were no Honda riders on the front row was at Misano last year.
• Aleix Espargaro is in fifth place on the grid; the best Suzuki qualifying result at Mugello since Loris Capirossi was on the front row in 2009.
• Michele Pirro is in sixth place on the grid, which is his best ever qualifying result in the MotoGP class and the best qualifying result by a wild-card rider in the MotoGP class since Ben Spies was fifth fastest qualifier at the Indianapolis Grand Prix in 2008 on a Suzuki.
• Heading the third row of the grid is Dani Pedrosa, who will be aiming to finish on the podium for the first time in 2015.
• In eighth place on the grid is Valentino Rossi; this is the same qualifying position from which he has taken his last three MotoGP wins.
• Maverick Viñales starts from the final place on the third row, equalling his best previous qualifying result in his rookie MotoGP season, in Argentina.
• World champion Marc Marquez starts from 13th place on the grid; the first time in the MotoGP class that he has not qualified on either the first or second row of the grid.
• Hector Barbera is the highest placed Open Class rider in qualifying for the fifth time in 2015, starting from 15th place on the grid.
Moto2
• Sam Lowes is on pole for the second time this year – the first rider in the Moto2 class to start from pole twice in 2015.
• Dominique Aegerter has qualified on the front row for the first time since the Indianapolis Grand Prix last year, which was also the last time he finished on the podium – in third place.
• Tito Rabat is on the front row for the fifth time in 2015 and will be aiming to stand on the top step of the podium for the first time since the San Marino GP last year.
• The winner two weeks ago in Le Mans, Tom Luthi, heads the second row of the grid. He could take back-to-back wins for the first time in his grand prix career.
• This is the first time that Switzerland have had two riders qualify in the top four positions on the grid in the intermediate-class of grand prix racing since the Finnish 250cc GP in 1981, when Roland Freymond was third on the grid and Bruno Kneubuhler was fourth.
• Luis Salom is in fifth place on the grid, which is his best qualifying result since he was third fastest qualifier at Le Mans last year.
• Championship leader Johann Zarco starts from sixth place on the grid and will be aiming to extend his current sequence of four successive podium finishes.
Moto3
• Danny Kent starts from pole for the second time in 2015. Kent is aiming to become the first British rider to take four or more GP wins in a single season since Barry Sheene took six 500cc GP wins in 1977.
• This is the first time that Britain have had riders on pole in two of the classes since the Swedish GP at Anderstorp in 1977 when Barry Sheene was on pole in the 500cc class on a Suzuki and Mick Grant was on pole in the 250cc class on a Kawasaki. On that occasion both riders went on to win.
• Hiroki Ono starts from the front row for the first time in his grand prix career. This is the best qualifying result by a Japanese rider in the lightweight-class of grand prix racing since Tomoyoshi Koyama was in second place on the grid at Motegi in 2007.
• Romano Fenati, the Moto3 race winner at Mugello last year, starts from the front row for only the second time in his GP career; his other front row start was second place on the grid at Misano in 2012.
• Karel Hanika heads the second row of the grid which equals his best ever qualifying result from the Sachsenring last year.
• Nico Antonelli, who starts from fifth place on the grid, finished 4th at Mugello in his rookie season in Moto3 in 2012 – his equal best grand prix result.
Official statistics compiled by Dr. Martin Raines
