Valentino Rossi struggles with shoulder in Sepang

Valentino Rossi admitted that his on-going right shoulder injury is still a major problem as the Italian slumped to a lowly 12th place on the timesheets as MotoGP winter testing resumed at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia today.

The 31-year was restricted to just 30 uncomfortable laps as his shoulder remains severely weakened by a mid-November operation to repair serious ligament and tendon damage he first suffered in a moto cross training accident last April.

Rossi told MCN in the Sepang paddock tonight that he only has 40 per cent strength and 60 per cent movement and that the damage was a major handicap as he tries to develop the factory Ducati GP11.

The nine-times world champion ended with a best time of 2.03.365 to finish 1.791s behind Casey Stoner’s Repsol Honda but just ahead of struggling team-mate Nicky Hayden.

Rossi told MCN: “I am quite good except for my shoulder. I am recovering in the time of a normal person because it was hard surgery, so I need time but my doctor said that if I wanted to be fit for the first test then I had to do the surgery after the Sepang race or after Phillip Island. That would have meant missing the last two or three races and I wanted to finish the championship, so I expected that this would be the difficult test.  I was quite negative, especially after last week because I tried the superbike in Misano and I had a lot of pain. But we are happy toady because I could make some important test, good work on the bike. But for sure I am very far from being 100% but I can ride.”

When asked by MCN what was hampering him the most on track. Rossi added: “One problem is on the straight where I lose about half-a-second because I cannot stay in the cowling. When I arrive at 270 or 280kph I am with my arms out of the cowling and the wind pushes me and the bike doesn’t accelerate. You can see this on the data, the speed doesn’t increase. The other big problem is braking and entry on the right and in T1, T4, T7, I suffer quite a lot.”

Rossi said he expected to be only 80 per cent recovered when the new season kicks off under the Losail International Circuit floodlights in Qatar on March 20 and he added: “Now I am working on recovering all the movement. My doctor said I could arrive for the first race at around 80 per cent of my power. But to be fit perhaps it is May or June, around six or seven months from the operation.”

Despite his issues with the shoulder, Rossi said he was still able to make some worthwhile assessments of the GP11 and that turning had improved compared to the bike he rode at Valencia back in early November.

He also stated his satisfaction that a new anti-wheelie system had helped under acceleration.