Racers with Akrapovič exhaust systems on their racing machines distinguished themselves once again last Sunday at the Italian Grand Prix. There were victories for Lorenzo and Iannone, and third-place finishes for Cortese and Lüthi.

A crowd of motosport fans thronged the Mugello Circuit last weekend in idyllic Tuscany, Italy, marking the midway point in the 18 races in the MotoGP championship season. At Akrapovič we’re proud once again of the achievements by the racers whose machines are outfitted with our exhaust systems.

The race pace was faultlessly set by Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha), who started in second but broke through past Dani Pedrosa in the very first lap, and then rode far into the lead at an uncompromising pace. Even though he took the last lap easy and waved to the fans while sliding on his knee, he crossed the finish line with more than a five-second advantage over Dani.

“Today I was hammering a lot to open a gap at the beginning of the race because I thought my competitors would have problems on cold tires,” said Jorge, explaining his tactics. “Unfortunately I couldn’t do it immediately. Only hammering every lap and going faster and faster from 1m 48.1s then into the 47s could I open a bit to Pedrosa, then little by little it got better and I could start to breathe. It’s been a great win for the whole team’s efforts and for Yamaha, who’ve given me such a good bike.”

The second reason to be happy is the victory by Andrea Iannone (Speed Master), who took the lead in the last lap of the race. Before this, as usual in the Moto2 class, the competitors traded off in first place several times. For example, Marc Márquez fell out of the leading three to seventh place in the blink of an eye, working his way back up to fifth by the end of the race. Third position on the podium was also taken by an Akrapovič-sponsored racer, Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten-Paddock).

The third-place finish by Sandro Cortese (Red Bull KTM Ajo) also affected the overall standings in the Moto3 class. Cortese remains at the top of the points in the Moto3 class, just like Márquez in Moto2 and Lorenzo in the MotoGP. We’re proud of you Spaniards!

Photo: Yamaha Racing, Gold and Goose, Matevž Hribar