Terol “Highly Motivated” For Mugello Return

Whilst June started with back-to-back races at Catalunya and Silverstone, the month ends and July begins in the same way, with the Italian Grand Prix Mugello following up from the Dutch TT at Assen. The 125cc World Championship arrives in Tuscany in the midst of an intense battle for positions that saw series leader Nico Terol ruled out of action in the last round due to injury. After dominating the first third of the season the setback for the BANKIA Aspar rider has opened up the championship for the rest, although last year’s championship runner-up makes an immediate return to action to defend his points advantage.

Terol returned to Barcelona last Friday after damaging his finger in practice and after undergoing an operation on Saturday morning he was forced to watch the race from home. However, the success of the surgery means he is able to take his place on the entry list again this weekend, marking the kind of unlikely return to action that he produced last season in the Czech Republic following a back injury. Héctor Faubel is hoping to put a visor problem at Assen behind him at Mugello, where he is aiming for a return to the podium having won there in 2007. The third BANKIA Aspar rider Adrián Martín is also hoping to bounce back from a weekend to forget at Assen and return to the excellent form he showed at Silverstone.

Nico Terol:
“Nobody likes to crash but sometimes it happens, it’s part of the job. It was a shame to miss the race in Holland but psychologically I feel very strong, I know that my form is good and a finger injury is not going to slow me down. Last Saturday I missed out on one of my favourite races of the year but I have the chance to get over that this weekend at Mugello, another circuit I love. Physically I am not quite 100% because the tendon on my little finger is still recovering but I am feeling highly motivated because the operation was a complete success and I am sure I can perform at a very high level. It was frustrating to watch the race from home on Saturday but I will turn that energy into strength, just like I did in the Czech Republic last year, and come back even faster if that’s possible.”

Héctor Faubel:
“The race was a disaster at Assen because of a problem with my visor but we can’t afford to think about that now. We have another opportunity to pick up a good result in Italy this weekend. I love the circuit at Mugello, it is a talismanic place for me and I am sure we can be back on the podium there. The bike is working really well and the engine was perfect at Assen so if we can keep that level up this weekend we will be at the front. You have to be brave at Mugello, especially in the two Arrabbiatas, but that is why I like it so much.”

Adrián Martín:
“The race in Holland is water under the bridge now and we have to start over this weekend in Italy. The crash came after several weeks of improving form and we have to keep working hard to get back into the top ten positions, which is where we were beginning to establish ourselves.”

Source: Aspar Media