Chatting in the paddock on Saturday evening at Mugello last year, after Valentino Ros😼si had become the oldest rider to claim pole position in the premier-class since Jack Findlay in 1974, one of his mechanics said:

'People talk about 📖his age, how long he's been doing this and how he's still so motivated. But they forget he's also just plain fast. I mean, today the bike was good enough for the front two rows. He made the 🌞difference'.

The 39-year-old's lap of 1m 46.208s was a new all-time Mugello record despite a 10km/h top speed disadvantage to the Ducatis, who went on to finish first and second, with Roꦿssi completing the rostrum above the adoring fans.

While Rossi hasn't taken a Mugello victory since the stunning unbeaten home run from 2002-2008, he's been 🐓on the podium and/or qualified on ꦺthe front row for the past five years.

The Yamaha top speed deficit will be even more of a burden in 2019, with Honda set to challenge Ducati for suprema🤡cy on the fastest straight of the season.

But Rossi - who has opted for the oldꦑer Yamaha fairing at most races this year, due to its lower drag on the straight (but also downforce) compared to ♎the latest design - is confident they can 'defend' and few would rule out another dose of Mugello magic from the Italian during the weekend.

"I'm glad it's time for Mugello, it‘s a special weekend and a special race for all the Italian riders," Rossi said. "It has a 💟fantastic atm✅osphere, but it's also a bit tricky to manage with all the fans, but it‘s really great.

"This is one of the ♔most beautiful race tracks of the year. It's a track I really like, but it will be hard because everybody is very fast.

"Mugello does have less acceleration from a low speed, so I think we could be faster than in Le Mans, ꦇbut it is also true that there is a very long straight. Surely this wil꧅l be our weak point, but if we work well, we can defend ourselves.

"🍸We need to try our best to be co🔯mpetitive and give the maximum."

The Doctor has taken two podiums and one front-row start this season, while leading eight laps and holding fourth in the world champ🍒ionship standings, 23 points from Marc Marquez (Honda).

Last year's Mugello pole ended a 25-event barren run fo🥂r Rossi, who has now gone 32 races without a MotoGP victory.

“Valentino is always highly motivated, b🐎ut this weekend perhaps even more so, if that‘s possible, because he is on home soil and he was close to a podium at the last GP," said༺ team director Massimo Meregalli.

Petronas Yamaha's Franco Morbidelli is the next best Yamaha, in eighth, he🐻ading into Mugello. Rossi's factory team-mate Maverick Vinales is&n𒆙bsp;tenth in the standings.