American rider Ben Spies returns for Italian GP

Ben Spies, Pramac Racing Team

Photo by: Hazrin Yeob Men Shah

The 5th round of the MotoGP World Championship will be held at the Mugello circuit, more than five kilometers of track winding through woods and over the green hills of Tuscany, 30km from Florence.

The course is notable for its uphill straightaway that's more than 1km long, where racers can reach speeds of about 340 km/h. There are lots of elevation changes and fast, blind, tricky corners like the "Arrabbiata 1" and the "Arrabbiata 2". Also worth noting is the Casanova-Savelli, a right-left, downhill chicane, which can particularly impact lap time.

Important renovation work was performed in 2011 to improve safety standards, completely renew the asphalt and build a new central pavilion of covered box seats that can accommodate up to 4,500 spectators.

In the Ignite Pramac Racing Team pit work has resumed with ‘head’ pilot Ben Spies, who will be calling on information gathered during the French GP, in collaboration with test pilot Michele Pirro.

The team will be greeting Ben with a "Welcome Home" to this Italian circuit, where in 2011, in his second year in MotoGP, he earned a 4th place finish.

Ben Spies –Ignite Pramac Racing Team

“I'm better than before. I’ve worked intensively to prepare the muscles for the effort required by a MotoGP bike, and especially the Desmosedici, and now I’m here with the team, ready to get back to work. I’m certainly not at 100% fitness yet, but in the next few days I’ll understand better as I ride my bike. The Mugello circuit isn’t the easiest one for making my return, as the track is challenging, and since it’s Ducati’s ‘house,’ there will be a lot of pressure and a lot of fans! Still, I'm happy to get back to competing in the World Championship and I would like to thank Michele Pirro for having worked with the team in my absence at Le Mans GP.”

Ignite Pramac Racing