Valentino Rossi will be out to make it seven in a row at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend, bolstered by his victories in the last two races of the MotoGP season.
''Everyone knows that Mugello is one of my favorite tracks. I've won there the last six times and now I want to make it seven,'' the seven-time world champion said.
''It's my home track and also the home race for a lot of our team and to compete there is always something very special. It's fast and technical and we know it suits our bike so we will be aiming to be quick right from Friday morning,'' he added.
''Let's hope the weather is good - for us and for all the fans - and then hopefully we can have a big Italian party,'' Rossi said in a statement posted on the Yamaha team webpage.
Rossi's victory at the French Grand Prix earlier this month was his second in a row, after China, and the third consecutive win for Yamaha, which saw Rossi's rookie teammate Jorge Lorenzo raise the cup in Portugal.
Lorenzo is still recovering from ankle injuries, which he suffered in a crash ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, but this did not stop him from being runner-up in France and nor is it likely to keep him from giving the 29-year-old Rossi a run for his money at Mugello.
''I'm going to Italy with high hopes because it is one of my favorite circuits, with lots of fast and flowing corners. This will also be a special race for me because it will be my 100th Grand Prix,'' said the 20-year-old Spaniard, who moved up to MotoGP this year after winning the 2006 and 2007 250cc titles.
Rossi is currently first and Lorenzo second, three points behind, in the riders standings while Yamaha tops the constructors' championship.
Rossi will not be the only Italian out for glory in the home race.
MotoGP veteran Loris Capirossi will be out for a win with his Suzuki and at 35 will be making his 18th appearance at the Italian Grand Prix, where he last rose to the podium in 2006.
Marco Melandri will certainly try to prove that his move to Ducati was the right one and he is expected to do his best to lift the spirits of the Italian team, which has had a disappointing season after it and Melandri's teammate Casey Stoner won the constructors' and riders' world championships last year.
Stoner won the season opener in Qatar but in the four races since then his best has bene to place third in China.
Sunday will be the first MotoGP Italian Grand Prix for newcomer Andrea Dovizioso, who moved up from the 250cc class after remaining in the top three in the past three championships and winning the 125cc crown in 2004.
Dovizioso rides a non-factory Honda bike for the Monaco-based JiR Team Scot MotoGP.
