Rossi misses 990s

Valentino Rossi claims he still misses the brutal power of the old 990cc four-strokes as he continues to adapt to Yamaha’s new 800cc machine.

Rossi was concerned that the switch to less powerful machines would take away some of the taste of riding a prototype MotoGP racer.

But after he returned from the seven-week testing ban to clock the fastest time in Sepang, the former world champion said: “I miss the 990 because I like 250 horsepower, but the 800 is good fun because even with less horsepower the bike is faster because now we are able to open to open the throttle to put the power down without a lot of electronic help.

“And also we gain in agility and it is possible to make very different lines on the track.”