Double 250cc World Champion Jorge Lorenzo

Double 250cc World Champion Jorge Lorenzo has already caught the eye in MotoGP this season, making an electric start to the year with a trio of pole positions, victory in Portugal, four podium appearances and some spectacular crashes.

Still riding injured following his huge highside in China, the young Spanish rider has been getting on with his job and was in the running for another top result on Sunday at Mugello until he crashed out of the Italian race on lap six.

Despite still being third in the general standings, 18 points ahead of World Champion Casey Stoner in fourth, Lorenzo believes his round six crash means a shot at the title in his debut MotoGP campaign is now unrealistic – as he trails his Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi by 28 points.

A philosophical Lorenzo told motogp.com at the official Gran Premi Cinzano de Catalunya presentation in Barcelona on Tuesday, `We had a chance to win the championship, but I think after the crash we are out of it. So we have to concentrate on every race from now on just to have fun and to provide fun for everyone who watches on TV.´

Pragmatically reviewing his accident on Sunday he commented, `We crashed at Mugello and it is very disappointing, but we cannot change the past. We have to look to the future, stay motivated and the good results will return soon. Two hours after the race I had forgotten it and I was only thinking about this weekend´s race. We have good luck that we are riding again just one week later.´

Ducati designer tight-lipped on Desmosedici GP9 development

A designer closely linked with the development of Ducati´s various incarnations of the Desmosedici, Alan Jenkins was giving nothing away about the ongoing GP9 development project when speaking in Mugello.

The Briton has been one of the key figures in the aerodynamics of Ducati´s MotoGP machines, gathering information in particular from wind tunnel testing. The key to success in motorcycle development has always been an open mind, and Jenkins says that the Italian factory are refusing to rule out any possibilities for their latest bike.

`There´s been a fair bit of speculation about things that are going on with Ducati´s frames, but as a specialist bike company there are a lot of things under investigation and they are looking at quite a range of future options for frames –not necessarily replacing the existing one,´ said the former Formula 1 designer.

`There will be one or two things built in the future; you have to build prototypes to see whether the concept works in practice. Motorcycle history is littered with good concepts that either didn´t work, there was lack of perseverance or something changed in tyre techonology… so a lot of this stuff has happened before.

`I´m unable to confirm anything about the GP9, other than to say that there is a test bike running that could become the GP9. We´ve got two riders using it –Vittoriano Guareschi and Niccolo Canepa- and the next steps will become apparent in the near future,´ concluded Jenkins

Rossi extends Mugello streak and World Championship lead

Amidst blazing sunshine and starting from pole position at a track where he had been untouchable for the past six years, Valentino Rossi claimed a third consecutive victory of the season in the Gran Premio d´Italia Alice.

The script had been written, but it was still up to the Fiat Yamaha rider to perform when the lights went out. Taking the lead from 2007 World Champion Casey Stoner on the fourth lap, Rossi then set about creating a gap between himself and the chasing pack. He did so with a series of increasingly faster times, and eventually crossed the line with a comfortable advantage for Mugello premier class victory number seven. His rivals must now wait another year to attempt to dethrone the `King of Mugello´.

The supporting cast to the Rossi show was headed by Ducati Marlboro rider Stoner, on the podium at Mugello for only the second time in his Grand Prix career. The result helps Stoner make up ground in the MotoGP standings, in which he maintains fourth place but narrows the gap between himself and Jorge Lorenzo.

Second in the World Championship, Dani Pedrosa completed the podium places, having got off to a fantastic start courtesy of his Repsol Honda RC212V launch control. The Spaniard will next week be chasing victory on home soil in Catalunya.

A best result of 2008 for Alex de Angelis was another reason for Italian fans –who had seen home victories in all three classes- to be cheerful, with the San Carlo Honda Gresini man taking fourth place. The San Marino-born rider was riding what was effectively his local race, and had shown his cards early with the fastest time in the morning warmup.

The Tech 3 Yamaha duo of Colin Edwards and James Toseland were fifth and sixth respectively, ahead of Rizla Suzuki´s front row starter Loris Capirossi and Italian JiR Team Scot rookie Andrea Dovizioso.

Before the halfway point there were a number of riders withdrawing from the action. First out were Marco Melandri and Randy de Puniet, both sliding off track whilst battling amongst themselves. They were followed by Kawasaki rider John Hopkins and, in a blow to his world title chances, second Fiat Yamaha rider Lorenzo. A lowside by the Spaniard left him with a DNF mark by his name for the first time in his MotoGP career.