MotoGP – Preview Jerez – Rossi: 'I'm optimistic for the race'

Valentino Rossi admits he can't wait to get back to racing after a winter spent making public appearances and testing. In recent weeks the World Champion has concentrated on adjusting the chassis of his 1 YZR-M2005 in order to make it as agile as last year's bike and, after some initial problems, the Jerez tests confirmed rapid progress highlighted by numerous laps on extremely promising times on race tyres.

“I'm happy that the tests are over and we're finally back racing,” said Rossi. “We have already done so many kilometers by motorbike and by plane that the feeling is that we are already halfway through the season! Some things on the new bike are very different from the old M1 so we needed to do this development work. We definitely made some mistakes, but all things considered, we did a good job and I really think we're ready to race now. I'm optimistic for the race."

Rossi has an unbeatable record on the Jerez track, where he has already won five times in the 125, 250, 500 and MotoGP classes. However, the Italian claims he has unfinished business after last year's disappointing race when, due to heavy rain, he was unable to do better than 4th place after qualifying on pole position.

“Jerez is one of my favorite tracks. It suits my riding style; it is technical and difficult with long, fast corners where it is very important to have a good line and requires violent braking. I rode a lot on this track when I was younger and I raced in 125 and 250 and I almost always had good races. But I have a pebble to remove from my shoe from last year! I was very fast in the dry and got pole, but then the rain slowed me down during the race – let's hope it doesn't rain this year.

Having won the title in his first season with Yamaha, Rossi now faces the perhaps even more difficult challenge of defending the championship crown from his rivals knowing exactly what to expect. “This year will be a tough battle, there's no doubt about it,” he admitted. “Last year we left everyone speechless because no one expected that we could win straight away. This year they will all try to stay ahead of us from the first race. I think Gibernau will be my main rival, but there are many strong riders and it will be a great challenge!”

“It's fantastic to start in Jerez, especially for the crowd, I'm sure it will be a great party for everyone. The Jerez crowd is incredible so I hope it doesn't rain for them too!”

Yamaha MotoGP