Gustav Bernuar Note's

Casey Stoner wrapped up the Gran Premio d’Italia Alice action in style with victory in another wet-dry MotoGP race.

In the second flag-to-flag race in two rounds Casey Stoner ended Valentino Rossi’s Mugello winning streak with a polished performance to give Ducati their first ever victory at the circuit.

Much of the race came down to tactics again in front of the 80,000-strong Italian crowd as the riders once more started on a wet surface and completed the 23 lap contest on slicks, with Stoner this time judging things to perfection.

The Australian retook the championship lead as he crossed the line a second in front of former leader Jorge Lorenzo, who also rode well after the scare of crashing on the sighting lap.

Lorenzo’s Fiat Yamaha colleague Valentino Rossi completed the podium in third place as his seven-year wining run at his beloved home track came to an end, the Italian hero crossing the line two seconds behind Stoner and less than one tenth in front of Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso.

It was a shame for Dovizioso to miss out on the rostrum on the last lap once again, having held the race lead early on, on wet tyres. Likewise, his compatriot Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) was leading at one stage – later in the race – but he fell away in the final laps to finish fifth.

James Toseland made a brave decision to come in first and change bikes when running towards the back of the field and he just missed out on equaling his best MotoGP result of sixth as he was outdone by his Monster Yamaha Tech 3 team-mate Colin Edwards on the last lap, having also dueled with LCR Honda’s Randy de Puniet who was eventually eighth.

Niccolò Canepa (Pramac Racing) will be delighted to have achieved his best result to date as the second highest Ducati rider in ninth at his home race, with Chris Vermeulen (Rizla Suzuki) completing the top ten behind the young Italian.

Dani Pedrosa hit the deck and crashed out on lap 14 having already damaged his hip earlier in the weekend, the Spaniard stretchered away from trackside. He will face an anxious wait to see if he is fit for his own home race at Barcelona in two weeks. Honda satellite rider Yuki Takahashi also crashed out with 13 laps to go.

source : motogp.com

It is the last match of the season. Juventus coached by Ciro Ferrara will be attempting to confirm themselves in the second place of the championship.

In order to make sure of this the bianconeri must win: «The objective was to qualify directly to the Champions League but we have another objective now: that of ending in the second place and this would be the cherry on the cake for these two weeks of hard work. Tomorrow is the last day of school but we have to attend class and we will be tested so we have to make sure that we are focused. We will be playing at home in front of our supporters and we want to leave a great impression through good football».

The match against Lazio will see the return of a player who ahs been absent for quite some time due to injury – Hasan Salihamidzic: «Salihamidzic will be playing. He has been absent for a very long time but he is well and trained for the last two weeks with us and with problems in the defence he is the automatic choice».

Asked about his impression of the last two weeks since he has been sitting on the Juventus bench Ciro Ferrara could not hide his satisfaction: «I am very satisfied because we managed to win ourselves a tranquil position but also for these two weeks during which we worked very well. I am also happy that notwithstanding qualifying directly for the Champions League last week they were still very committed this week and I would like to thank the players for this. Against Siena the team responded to the negative moment as if they suddenly recognized their objective and helped me as coach very much. They are obviously aware of the jersey they are wearing. I would like to thank all those who helped me in these two weeks. The staff must be on the same wavelength and in my case they certainly are. I am trying to carry-out the role entrusted to me with determination, dedication and hard work knowing that this was a perfect week but it is not always like this. There will come difficult times and very difficult times but I will try to overcome them in the best of manners. The coach is important during the week: preparing the match and trying to motivate the players. On the match day however it is the players who are professionals of very high level and who are the absolute protagonists».

Asked about Jonathan Zebina who the coach chose to field from the first minute against Siena, Ferrara said: «Jonathan had a number of injuries but in the last two weeks he worked really well. I tried to explain to him that in his role he must first defend and then only attack when it is possible. We spoke a lot during the week. He was very available and this showed».

The players seemed to respond well to the coach from Naples and his methods: «I think the attitude is that of professional footballers who want to do well. All the players have great personality. They helped me understand how to manage a team after having seen how it is done when I was a player. My role as director of the youth sector also helped me very much. Then it is normal that day after day one improves and learns. I am a good listener and observer and this has helped me a great deal. One must be open to the players’ ideas but then take his decision and make sure that the team accepts it. Obviously the coach’s decisions are not always necessarily right but one learns also from mistakes. All players want to play but the coach has to take some decisions. In a great team there are players who play less but many times players who do not play so often are very important at certain stages of the season».

Tomorrow is the last match of the season and many are asking if Ciro Ferrara, who seems to have filled the role of Juventus coach so well in these last two weeks, will be confirmed or whether Juventus will opt for another coach: «The decision about my future does not depend on me or the players but on the club directors. I am rather tranquil about it because words were clear when I accepted this role which I will surely keep till Sunday and then next week we’ll know what the definite choice is. For me this was a great possibility which could have been risky but which was worth it and very important for my future. Life is always full of risks. I am not thinking of my future at the moment but my thoughts are exclusively on tomorrow’s match. Conte? I spoke via sms with Antonio Conte because our relationship is very good but we obviously both have our aspirations for the future. We joke about it».

From the future of the coach to the future of the Czech fury: «I don’t know about Nedved. I’ve been hearing much about this but the player himself has not yet spoken about it. As an ex-team-mate I really enjoyed coaching him in these last two weeks especially when you see his great dedication and intensity during training. Seeing from the way he trains he has still many more minutes in his legs. What I can say is that if he decides to retire it would be sad for world football just like in the case of Maldini».

source : juventus.com

The relationship between Juventus and Pavel Nedved is about to come to an end. Sunday’s match against Lazio (the only other Italian team for which he played) will be the last match of the Czech as a bianconero.

It was Nedved himself who announced it by means of this press release issued in the afternoon. «After eight seasons with Juventus it is time to bid farewell to all the supporters, my team mates and the club and thank them for all the support I received in these years. In Turin I won 4 scudetti and a golden ball. As from Monday I’ll start thinking of my future. I would like to especially thank my wife Ivana and my son and daughter for always supporting me, accompanying me throughout my career allowing me to reach extraordinary goals. I will continue to feel tied to Juventus by means of an affectionate relationship and I am particularly thankful to the Agnelli family for having given me the opportunity of playing for this great team. I would like to make it clear that my decision has nothing to do with any economical factors».

Juventus answered by means of a note: «Juventus took note of Pavel Nedved’s decision to end his career in black and white after his contract expires. Tomorrow, during the last home match, the club, the players and all the supporters will give him the right tribute as a thank you to a player who wrote memorable pages in the history of this club, contributing in a determinative manner to the reaching of important goals. During his 8 years in black and white Nedved always fielded his maximum effort, showing great attachment to the jersey and a great dedication which will remain in the memories of all Juventus fans of both today tomorrow. The club wishes Pavel Nedved an equally victorious future in the hope of maintaining a professional partnership which thanks to his charisma and experience can give him and Juventus more causes for satisfaction».

source : juventus.com

Having never been off the front row in the premier class at Mugello and having missed out by just 0.027s to his compatriot Loris Capirossi on Saturday, Valentino Rossi was obviously slightly displeased, but he believes he is still in good shape to continue his Italian winning streak.

Rossi has had no less than eleven front row starts in all classes at the Tuscan track but he lost out in a last-lap showdown and will start from fourth on the grid.

“I am quite disappointed to miss out on the first row. Usually I don’t mind so much but here, in Mugello, it’s special so I am sorry for this,” said the World Champion. “It was a great fight today and we had good potential for the pole position but in the end we lost the front row to Loris, who did a great lap.”

Looking ahead to Sunday he continued, “Our setting is good, we have some small details to check but our race pace with the harder tyre is very good so I am not too worried. Of course starting from the second row makes life a little more difficult but we don’t think about this.”

Given the possibility of rain ahead of the round five contest, Rossi stated, “The weather situation is very important because if it’s like this (sunny) then we know we are fast but if it changes, which seems possible from the forecast, then it will be a bit more difficult. The forecast is not fantastic for tomorrow, but maybe the forecast will be wrong!”

A confident Fiat Yamaha Team Manager Davide Brivio, meanwhile, commented, “As far as race preparation goes that was a good session, because we were always fast. In the hot laps with the soft tyres at the end we just missed out on the front row but this is not the end of the world. Our race set-up is very good and, although starting from fourth makes our job a little harder, we know that Valentino will be in the fight tomorrow. We’re looking forward to a great race.”

source : motogp.com

Valentino Rossi will start his home Italian Grand Prix from outside of the front row for the first time since the 1999 250cc event, after being bumped back to fourth in the closing stages of Saturday’s qualifying session.

The Fiat Yamaha star, chasing his eighth consecutive Mugello victory, had been on pole with less than two minutes to go, but narrowly lost out to Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi, Ducati’s Casey Stoner and his own team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.

“Sincerely I am quite disappointed to miss out on the first row!” said Valentino. “Usually I don’t mind so much but here, in Mugello, it’s special so I am sorry for this. It was a great fight today and we had good potential for the pole position but in the end we lost the front row to Loris, who did a great lap.”

Rossi will start round five level with Stoner in the world championship and just one point behind pole sitter Lorenzo, who appears to be the only rider with a race pace better than Rossi.

“Our setting is good, we have some small details to check but our race pace with the harder tyre is very good so I am not too worried,” confirmed The Doctor. “Of course starting from the second row makes life a little more difficult but we don’t think about this. The weather situation is very important because if it’s like this then we know we are fast but if it changes, which seems possible from the forecast, then it will be a bit more difficult.”

“As far as race preparation goes that was a good session, because we were always fast,” stated team manager Davide Brivio. “In the hot laps with the soft tyres at the end we just missed out on the front row but this is not the end of the world. Our race set-up is very good and, although starting from fourth makes our job a little harder, we know that Valentino will be in the fight tomorrow. We’re looking forward to a great race.”

source : crash.net

Ferrara knows that he has the same possibility of remaining as coach of the Bianconeri as Conte does of taking over, with the final decision expected in the coming weeks.

Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara believes that he and his former team-mate Antonio Conte have an equal shot at landing themselves on the club’s bench.

Conte has been tipped by many to be the number one choice, but Ferrara thinks that it’s an even 50/50.

“I don’t know what the percentage could be of my staying as coach of Juve, but reading the newspapers it seems that it’s a race between Conte and I,” conceded the former defender to Juventus Channel. “Therefore, from one to ten, I would give five to me and five to Conte.”

However, Ferrara denied the rumors suggesting that he’d march out of the club if he was denied his dream job.

“It’s not true - I still have a contract for another year as coach of the youth sector,” he said.

“It’s clear that I would like to coach, but I haven’t decided to leave Juve in that situation.”

In his first match in charge of the Old Lady, Ferrara managed to secure direct qualification to the Champions League proper thanks to the 3-0 win against Siena on Sunday; he will now try to defend third place.

source : goal.com

The midfielder has announced that he will be leaving Turin this summer.

Pavel Nedved will play his last game for Juventus tomorrow after confirming this afternoon that he will leave the club this summer.

The Czech international joined the Turin side back in 2001 and has been one of the star performers in the midfield for the bianconeri.

However, at the age of 36 he has decided to call time on his career with Juve, announcing that he will play his final game against Lazio tomorrow.

In a statement published by the official Juventus website, Nedved thanked all those at the club for their support, and said he will start thinking about his future on Monday.

“After eight seasons with Juventus it is time to thank all the fans, my team-mates and the club, for all the support that I have received. In Turin I have won four titles and the Ballon d’Or,” he said.

“From Monday I will think about my future. I would like to thank in particular my wife Ivana and my sons, who have been very close to me and have accompanied me throughout my career as I have scored so many goals. I will continue to have lots of affection for Juventus and I am grateful to the Agnelli family for giving me the chance to play in this side. I want to say that the decision has not been made for economic reasons.”

Juventus have also released a statement on the club website, wishing the Czech all the best for the future and thanking him for his time in Turin.

“Juventus has taken note of the decision by Pavel Nedved to finish his spell here at the end of his current contract. Tomorrow, in the last home game, the club, his team-mates and all of the fans will give a proper goodbye to a player who has written many memorable pages of history with this squad, contributing to some important goals,” read the statement.

“During his eight years with Juventus, Nedved has always given his all, showing an attachment and commitment that all fans will remember, both today and tomorrow. The club hopes Pavel Nedved is a winner in the future, hopes he will continue in hisprofessional career, and that his charisma and experience will give him, and Juventus fans, satisfaction.”

source : goal.com

Jorge Lorenzo silenced the Italian Grand Prix fans by snatching pole position away from two Italian riders and one Italian bike during Saturday’s qualifying session at Mugello.

Prior to qualifying, Casey Stoner had set the fastest lap of the weekend with a 1min 49.323sec, despite a lowside fall, in Saturday morning practice - but Valentino Rossi, second in FP1 and third in FP2, took just seven minutes to break into the 1min 49s this afternoon.

The Fiat Yamaha superstar - chasing an incredible eighth home victory in a row this weekend - kept up his momentum by constantly lowering his best lap time, allowing the Italian to lead an M1 one-two-three, ahead of team-mate Lorenzo and Tech 3’s Colin Edwards, as the halfway mark came and went.

Rossi’s reign was finally interrupted by Stoner, with 17 minutes to go, when the Ducati star cut 0.073sec under the #46. Stoner gained his advantage in the final part of the track and Rossi’s initial attempts to regain pole fell short through that same sector.

That all changed with eight minutes remaining when Rossi set the fastest lap of the weekend to wrestle pole away from Stoner by 0.143sec, much to the delight of the yellow fans lining the hillsides.

A lull in the action followed before the pole contenders returned for their final attack, which began with a shock when Loris Capirossi snatched pole from countryman Rossi by 0.027sec.

Capirossi’s Suzuki was still on pole as the final minute began, but Lorenzo lunged 0.134sec under with just seconds remaining. Stoner, who will once again carry Ducati’s hopes of a first home Mugello victory on Sunday, then slotted into second place on his last lap.

That left Rossi off the front row and the local hero failed to improve on his last lap, leaving him to start from fourth position on Sunday.

The local fans fell silent while a small group of Lorenzo supporters where seen jumping in delight as the MotoGP World Championship leader, presently one point ahead of Rossi and Stoner, celebrated his second pole of the season.

source : crash.net & motogp.com

In the continued sunny weather at Italy’s beautiful Tuscan circuit of Mugello on Saturday morning Casey Stoner shone the brightest in free practice as his early marker of 1’49.323 on the fifth of his 23 laps put him at the head of the timesheet.

Stoner’s best time was well inside his own circuit record of 1’50.003 and was fractionally better than the best Saturday morning time of his closest rival, Jorge Lorenzo, who trailed the Australian by just 0.027s. Ducati star Stoner suffered a crash towards the end of the session but was not hurt and soon re-emerged on track for a final pair of laps.

Behind Stoner and Lorenzo on the timesheet was the latter’s Fiat Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi who lapped just under two tenths of a second off the former’s pace. As long a Rossi can qualify on the front row this afternoon he will be hopeful of continuing his amazing Mugello winning streak on Sunday.

Behind the front three in this session were an improved Toni Elías (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and the experienced Italian Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki), who both lapped under seven tenths down on Stoner.

In sixth and seventh respectively Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) were both just over seven tenths off the top spot, whilst Dovizioso’s team-mate Dani Pedrosa wrapped things up early in eighth place due to fatigue after 45 minutes, still recovering from his winter injuries.

The top ten was completed by Honda satellite riders Alex de Angelis and Randy de Puniet.

The hour-long MotoGP qualifying session at the fifth round of the season takes place at 1.55pm on Saturday afternoon.

source : motogp.com

Valentino Rossi is predicting a ‘great battle’ in Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, after the top four title contenders occupied the top four places in Friday practice.

Rossi, aiming for an incredible eighth consecutive home victory, was forced into second position by Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, with Ducati’s Casey Stoner - currently joint second with Rossi in the world championship standings, one point behind Lorenzo - claiming third place ahead of triple 2009 podium finisher Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda).

“We did quite well today and it looks like we’re in good shape,” said Rossi, who lapped 0.195sec slower than Lorenzo. “It is only Friday so there’s a long way to go yet, but it’s looking like it could be a great battle on the track because the first few riders are very close.

“We have a few small things to work on still with the setting because I can’t ride exactly how I want to yet, but we already have a good rhythm and we have important data to help us improve further.

“This is a great track for me and it doesn’t matter if Mugello comes after a bad race or a good one, it’s something apart from the ‘normal’ championship and I always feel great motivation. Plus the sun is shining so I am very happy!” added Rossi, who finished 16th and last after being caught out by the changeable track conditions last time out at Le Mans.

“Valentino was consistently fast and amongst the top riders for the whole hour so we have made a good start,” declared team manager Davide Brivio. “We still have some small adjustments to make and hopefully that will help us to find a few tenths more. It’s very hot and if it remains like this then it will be a hard race for the riders but it’s better than rain! We’re feeling positive and we will continue to work and improve our package tomorrow.”