MotoGP – Valencia Test Day 1 – Valentino Rossi's comment

Valentino Rossi – Yamaha rider – 1'32.921 – 40 laps

“Today we started working on the 2009 and I got to try the new bike for the first time. It's only the first prototype, but my impression is very good and it seems that they have done a good job. We are working on the engine to have more acceleration when exiting corners, it's not enough yet, but we are going in the right direction, so this is important. We worked on definition and weight distribution and I was faster with the new bike so that's good! We need more time to understand the bike and more laps, but this is only the first day and it's very positive. The other big thing today is the tires I'm really happy and surprised. This is not the best track to test as we don't have that much data here, but they still react very well. I expected less grip and instead everything went well. The conditions at Pisa were much better today than yesterday but in any case you can already see that the new tires are quite good. I think Bridgestone has done a good job, but of course it will be difficult to know for sure until we get to other tracks. We have to wait and see. For me they are also good in comparison with my Bridgestone tires used during the season and so I am happy. I have a special 'world champion' helmet that I really like and that I will use during the winter testing period. As for the number one… I will not fail to keep my 46 but I will put the number one on my back as I have done in the past.”