Valentino Rossi is confident that his relationship with Bridgestone tyres is now ready to see him join
Jorge Lorenzo,
Casey Stoner and
Dani Pedrosa on the 2008 MotoGP winners' list.
The Italian has finished fifth, second and third during his first three races with the Japanese tyres, placing him a threatening third in the world championship standings, but hopes that this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix will see him finally break his seven-race losing streak.
With two Michelin riders - in the form of Rossi's rookie team-mate Lorenzo and Repsol Honda's Pedrosa - leading the world championship, and the French brand having bounced back from its 2007 slump to be the dominant rubber so far this year, Rossi will also be aiming to justify his winter switch at a circuit that has traditionally favoured
Bridgestone.
"We were very pleased with the results in
Jerez and Estoril because we knew they were tracks that weren't the most favourable for us so it was a case of going there to defend," declared Fiat Yamaha team director Davide Brivio. "Now we hope that China is the first of the tracks where we can go and attack."
Rossi finished second in the first ever Chinese
MotoGP, held in appalling conditions in 2005, before retiring from the 2006 event with tyre problems, then finishing second to Stoner's powerful (Bridgestone-shod) Ducati in 2007.
"After Estoril we had a test and the primary focus was tyre testing with Bridgestone, working on material for Shanghai," explained Rossi. "We found some good things and I hope that we'll be starting in good shape. We've had three races together now and I think the last two podiums, especially in Estoril which isn't such a good track for Bridgestone, have shown that we're making good progress in our relationship and I hope that Shanghai is going to be the place where it finally all comes together.
