Valentino Rossi finally happy with fourth

Having finished fourth in the previous four MotoGP races you’d think that factory Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi would be growing weary of taking fourth spot.

But after finishing fourth behind dominant Spanish trio Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa in today’s qualifying session at the Motorland Aragon track in Spain, the 34-year-old cut a much happier figure.

Rossi was fourth in a closely contested QP2 but happy after missing out on only a third front row start of 2013 by just 0.005s. And he was only 0.158s away from world championship leader Marquez, who stormed to a seventh pole position and third in a row.

The Italian said: “This afternoon was good for me with a fast pace and I feel I can be competitive in the race because we did a good step with the bike. The lap times are very fast and I’m very happy because I am just 0.158 from pole and I lost the first row just by five-thousandths.

“The good thing is that we are just four riders in the 47s and I can stay with the top guys. We still need to improve the edge grip a little but I feel better in braking and the rear tyre life is good. I am fourth on the grid but the gap is very close and this is the positive point.”

Rossi has also been working on a new strategy to try and counter the blistering early race pace set by reigning world champion and factory Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo.

The Spaniard has become renowned for his lightning quick first three laps and his fast starting tactic helped him claim a crucial victory last time out in Misano.

Rossi added: “We have worked a lot on the first lap and each time today I have been strong in this way but we know that Jorge is a bit stronger in this area.

“Jorge starts from second and he is fast at the beginning and for sure he will try this again, so I will need to give the maximum and ride like in qualifying for the first two laps and try to stay with him.”