MotoGP – James Toseland: "I will learn to know my rivals"

There is one aspect that should not be underestimated for a rookie rider in MotoGP: the total absence of references towards his opponents. In short, it's one thing to follow your competitors in the winter tests and study them by watching their past races on TV, it's another thing to find yourself in contact in the race, where you have to know who you're in front of well in order to be able to guess the right moment to try the attack. The newcomers of the 2008 MotoGP, all things considered, don't seem to have thought much about all this at Losail: Jorge Lorenzo immediately set his pace, making overtaking moves on Rossi and Pedrosa that are worth highlighting. Andrea Dovizioso, fourth at the finish line, after a few laps of study managed to outwit a rider like Valentino Rossi, just to name a name, right near the checkered flag. Not bad for two rookies, not bad also considering James Toseland, who played his part with full merit and title, keeping the pace of the leaders in the initial stages of the contest until finishing in sixth position.

An excellent debut for the double Superbike world champion, even if by his own admission, confided to the British press, he is missing something. No, we are not talking about innovations made in Yamaha (see the "pneumatic" engine that will only arrive in Estoril), but something within itself, those references that we talked about previously regarding the opponents of the top class. Here's what he said about it.

“At Losail I understood what I need to improve on for the next races. Considering that in the last seven years I have raced in Superbike and for practically a decade I have always been fighting with the same riders, here in MotoGP I have no references in the race of my opponents. I'm not sure what their race tactics are, their braking points, how they respond in the event of an attack at the limit. This is why I have to get to know them better, so as not to find myself unprepared for the next races. In Superbike last year when I found myself with a rider in front I knew perfectly what to expect, here in MotoGP everything is new: I need to gain some experience in this sense".

A methodical, calculating and in a certain sense "psychologist" James Toseland. He will definitely learn, and quickly. Indeed, seeing the prompt response with the shoulder following on the second lap towards Jorge Lorenzo, it must be said that he is already at a good point...

Alessio Piana