Yamaha admit Mugello speed concern

Valentino Rossi’s team boss Davide Brivio has admitted Yamaha is worried about the speed advantage title rival Casey Stoner will hold going into this weekend’s Mugello GP in Italy.

The long and technical Mugello circuit near Bologna features a  0.709 miles straight where Stoner’s Ducati GP7 is expected to be untouchable because of its horsepower advantage.

The straight is only a fraction shorter than the long Shanghai back straight in China where Rossi was defenceless against the Australian earlier this month.

And Brivio told MCN there is a fear of a repeat in the next two races in Mugello and Barcelona.

“Of course we are worried. When we go to a track where engine performance is important it is going to be difficult for us. We have to try and get a little bit closer and try to fight.

“As always we will fight as much as possible but we are worried for Mugello and Barcelona. It is a difficult job,” conceded Brivio.

Rossi tested further engine upgrades after his sixth place finish in a rain-lashed French GP in Le Mans last week, but the changes only made a minimal difference to the top speed of his factory YZR-M1.

Rossi said: “It was 0.3km/h faster when we need 30.”

Brivio added that Japanese engineers are working round the clock to try and close the top speed advantage held by Ducati, but a solution wasn’t going to be found overnight.

“The upgrades are only small. The racing department is always working. Sometimes it can be a small part inside the engine or it can be a better throttle map or a better strategy on traction control.

“Many small things are introduced race by race but it is difficult in these times to see a big step. To jump five or  eight km/h more is something very difficult between one race and another,” said Brivio, who praised Ducati engineers for the impressive top speed performance on the GP7 V4.

He added: “Ducati started the season very strong. Ducati and Casey at the moment is a very strong package. The difference is quite big between Ducati and the rest of the world at the moment.

“It is something new in motorsport experience because such a difference is difficult to see normally. Anyway I will say that despite this I think in Qatar and China we were able to fight until the end.

“The first analysis is the big difference is in engine performance. We think our bike is very good on the chassis and handling and how the rider can ride the bike and of course Valentino Rossi is still Valentino Rossi.

“We have to catch up to Ducati on engine performance. We have to try and get as close as possible. It will be very difficult to get to their level but we can improve our own performance.”