Rossi looks forward to ultra competitive MotoGP season

The race day turnaround by Valentino Rossi and Yamaha was exceptionally impressive after the Italian struggled with grip problems throughout the weekend in Qatar before claiming a stunning victory.

When asked how his team had managed to win the race from eighth on the grid Rossi praised the characteristics of the Yamaha:

“First of all, this track is always very good for the Yamaha, especially it is very good in the race,” said Rossi. “So it’s just one race track. Our bike doesn’t change a lot since last year, looks like it improves in braking, and the different gearbox helped us to stop the bike in a better way. We have always good traction, and is always good agility, is precise. What is special is that I don’t expect that I was faster than last year, which means we have something good.

“But this level, between Honda Ducati and Yamaha, will change every week in the different race track, because every bike has weak and strong points, so to try to stay in front in the championship, have to stay concentrated to try to understand what is the right day to try to win, but especially to to keep some points in the difficult weekends at the difficult circuit.”

The season opener showed just how competitive we can expect this season’s MotoGP championship will be. The pace of the Ducati’s showed that it is now likely that there will consistently be three factory machines capable of strong results. When you factor in the satellite Honda’s and Yamaha’s sure to figure it looks certain that whoever wins the world championship will do so having battled through the field over the course of 18 races.

For Rossi the championship has all the hallmarks of a classic:

“I’m very happy, because in the last years, the races changed. Because have one moment with Stoner and Lorenzo, that the races was finished after three laps. Sincerely was most difficult and also boring races. Now looks that for some season has changed, and with Marc, is always more battle to the end, a little bit more strategy, and I like a lot this kind of race.”