Valentino Rossi looking to continue purple patch

Valentino Rossi believes he has a great chance of extending his current winning streak to four races when he looks to beat home favourites Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo in Barcelona this weekend.

Fiat Yamaha rider Rossi is in superb form at present having claimed victory in the last three races, including his dominant seventh straight win in Mugello last weekend.

Catalunya is another of Rossi’s favourite tracks, and having won three races on the trot for the first time since 2005, his confidence could not be higher.

Looking to build on a 12-point lead over Repsol Honda rider Pedrosa, the 29-year-old said: “I really needed to go to sleep for some days after my win in Mugello, but instead we have to keep going to Barcelona!

“Honestly I would prefer that these two races weren’t back to back because they are two of my favourite tracks and I would prefer to be able to focus on them both separately, but anyway our motivation is high and I am sure we will have all recovered by Friday morning.

“Mugello was a fantastic victory and it’s a great feeling to have won three races in a row this season, only one less than we won in the whole of last season.

“Last year I had a great fight with (Casey) Stoner at Catalunya but I couldn’t quite beat him, however this year our bike and tyres are working brilliantly and so I am confident that we will be able to fight be very motivated and hard to beat.”