MotoGP: James Toseland happy to have Valentino Rossi on side

Having Italian star Valentino Rossi on the same bike will boost British rider James Toseland’s hopes of making a big impression in his rookie MotoGP campaign.

That’s the view of the double World Superbike champion, who will campaign a factory-backed Yamaha YZR-M1 for the Tech 3 team in 2008.

Rossi rides for the official factory team, and James Toseland believes the pressure and demands the Italian places on Yamaha will only help himself and Tech 3 Yamaha team-mate Colin Edwards.

“Valentino has got such experience and such a CV that he keeps the pressure on the factory to keep improving.

“If he has a bad day then nobody points the finger at Valentino. That also keeps the pressure on improvements for the bike, which is good for anybody riding a Yamaha,” Toseland told MCN.

James Toseland has also received a boost having been assured by Yamaha bosses that the third race of 2008 in Estoril, Portugal will be the absolute latest that his Tech 3 machine will be equipped with a new pneumatic valve motor.

Toseland and Texan Colin Edwards will start the season on the old spec spring valve four-cylinder, while Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo have already extensively tested the pneumatic valve motor.

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