Preview Qatar – Valentino Rossi ready for the challenge

The happy combination of Rossi's talent, the performance of the YZR-M1 and the experience of the Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha team has not only led to the six victories achieved so far, but also four pole positions and first place in the BMW Award, which, at the end of the year, it will reward the driver with the best average qualifying times. However, from Rossi's point of view, the new track is nothing more than a new challenge for his unrivaled talent.

With extensive experience in world championship victories, Rossi knows that second place in last weekend's race at Motegi was an important result, especially in light of the difficulties faced by his main rivals on the Japanese circuit. “The bike was going well in Motegi. Towards the end I had some problems with slipping and so I thought it was better to settle for second position and take home important points rather than push even harder and risk falling. However, Tamada was very strong and I don't think it would have been easy to beat him even if everything had gone perfectly. We need to maintain the same level for the rest of the season, stay focused and bring home good results for the next four races.”

The Losail circuit, located just outside Doha - the capital of Qatar - tickles Rossi's imagination. “I couldn't wait to race in Qatar. I've been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time,” said Rossi. “It's been a long time since we tried a new circuit, I mean a circuit that is new for everyone. It will be a good opportunity to see who is really the strongest, given that we will all have to find the right trajectories on this new track. It will be hot, so the race won't be easy.”

Rossi was one of the first to see this new MotoGP track and was impressed with the work done. “I visited the Losail circuit in December for the inauguration ceremony,” said Rossi. “It looks really good and I hope the race is exciting. I really hope a lot of people come to see us. From a certain point of view it doesn't make much difference to us compared to the other races this year because for us all the tracks are new from the point of view of setting up the M1. It seems to me that up until now we have been pretty good at finding the best solutions in a short time. At the Qatar circuit there are something like 15 corners, more than any other track, so it should be interesting.”

Gauloises Racing