Grattarola carries the weight of his nation

Twenty-four year old Matteo Grattarola - Gas Gas heads to his home Trial Grand Prix this coming weekend with a substantial amount of weight resting on his young shoulders. Currently Matteo sits tenth in the general standings, which if he maintains that position to the end of the season, it will equal his ranking of the last two years. However the passionate Italian fans will be hoping that Grattarola can make the most of his home advantage and record his best result of the 2012 campaign to date.
 
Eighth on the first day of the season at the French GP and another eighth spot on the closing day in Australia represent Matteo's best two performances this season so far. Two disastrous outings in Japan, where he only netted two championship points for his weekend's work were definitely the low point in the young Italian rider's current assault. Thankfully a pair of top ten placings at the previous round in Andorra have helped repair Grattorola's confidence as he heads to his home GP and looks to use the strength of the local support to push him even higher up the order.
 
In a year when their nation has lost two of its own - Diego Bosis and Giulio Mauri - the fans will hope that Matteo can up hold their national honour.