MotoGP Assen, Free Practice, Valentino Rossi “Today went well, I'm sorry for Lorenzo”

Valentino Rossi closed the first day of MotoGP free practice in Assen with a 4th place in the dry and a 2nd place in the wet. The rider from Pesaro used the new setting tested in the recent Aragon tests and said he was satisfied. The progress made seems to be "important", even if it will have to be verified tomorrow in qualifying and above all on Saturday in the race. The nine-time world champion then spoke about the fall that caused Lorenzo to fracture his left collarbone, saying he was sorry.

“It was a pretty positive day for me, I did pretty well. Today we tried the new setting tested in the Aragon tests and I must say that I was satisfied. I wasn't completely comfortable yet but I set the fourth fastest time and apart from Lorenzo who was really fast we were all close. This afternoon we still had important things to test, but it rained. In the end we tried anyway and I must say that we did very well. I had a great session and I enjoyed it, even in the wet I was able to brake hard. I finished second behind Marquez. The weather here is very changeable, so we have to be ready for all conditions.”

Rossi then commented on the fall of Lorenzo, who suffered a dislocated fracture of his left collarbone and will therefore miss the Assen race

“It's a shame for Lorenzo, he was coming off two consecutive victories and was in an excellent moment. I think he touched the white line at a point where there was a lot of water, a very fast point where you reach 240 km/h and that's at full speed. Unfortunately he broke his collarbone, it would have been better if nothing had been done, but I can say that in the "bad" situation it is the "best" fracture there could be. He can usually recover quite quickly and I think he can return to the Sachsenring. The championship is still long and if he loses just one race he can still be in contention."

The Pesaro native then spoke about the race and the fact of being the only Yamaha Factory rider here in Holland

“The performances between Yamaha and Honda are very similar, but I think they can make more mistakes without risking too much. In the race I will try to be in front and I don't think Marquez races thinking, he always takes risks, while Pedrosa could do it."

A thought then on CRTs, which are very competitive today

“Today they were very competitive, they surprised me. They went really strong and I have to say that this year they made a good step forward.”

Photos: Alessandro Giberti