Sunday pm - Valentino Puts Himself Back in the Race
You had the feeling that
Valentino Rossi wasn't kidding when he said after the 'race for the car' qualifying session here at Jerez: "For me, today, second place is a good result."
The
MotoGP legend satisfied with runner-up position on a day when
Casey Stoner had lapped his Marlboro Ducati 1.3 seconds faster on a tricky, drying track? Well, it makes sense.
Rossi is clearly pleased with the performance of the
Bridgestone tyres on his Fiat Yamaha after he dramatically split with Michelin last season. And at 174.501mph through the speed trap on the short straight at the 2.75-mile Jerez track, his bike was virtually as quick as anything else here. Last year it was up to 12kph slower along the straights.
It was evident from the ambience in the Fiat Yamaha garage where Rossi was chatting that this is a team that now feels that it has the equipment to compete again. Crew chief Jerry Burgess leaned against a work bench and casually looked on as his rider professed himself happy with the Yamaha's balance, rideability and power, though Valentino wants still more of the latter (and what rider doesn't?).
"We could have ended up anywhere from first to seventh today," Burgess summed up later. "This was the first time we've had to run in these conditions. We went to a harder tyre, but it was probably a bit too much. It was a rain tyre with just a few less cuts in it, but in hindsight we could have used it when we went out in the beginning."
Most fans desperately want Rossi to add an eighth world title – and maybe more - to his collection before this great performer finally decides to stop. It had better happen soon, or even Rossi's massive will to compete could begin to falter under the frustration of battling against the odds for so many consecutive seasons.
Sunday pm - Drying Track Slows the Toseland Charge
There was an inevitable tinge of disappointment at seeing
James Toseland finishing 12th in the 'race for the car' at Jerez this afternoon, after his dynamic performance yesterday and this morning in this three-day MotoGP test session at
Jerez.
