Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi in high spirits after Sepang test – MotoGP news
Seven times MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi is back in the winning mood after finishing the first official MotoGP test at Sepang in third place. Rossi’s teammate Jorge Lorenzo and Repsol
Honda rival Dani Pedrosa finished ahead of the Italian.
“I'm happy with the way the first test [went]. I wanted to understand if I'm still a top rider. I feel I'm born again. I'm not far off,” said Rossi while talking to Motorsprint.
Rossi believes that he is back in his old riding form after spending two consecutive winless MotoGP seasons with Ducati. Rossi’s last Grand Prix victory came well over 2 years in the 2010
Malaysian Grand Prix.
"I'm there already, with the riders at the top of their careers,” Rossi said.
According to the 33-year-old, a lot has changed in MotoGP. Rossi believes that the advantage he once used to enjoy over other riders a few years ago is not there anymore. As a mean of winning
races, Rossi rated speed higher than talent or strategy.
“The race has always been one of my strong points. Unfortunately however, due to the way MotoGP has gone, this is less and less important compared to some time ago. There is almost no more
strategy involved, but just pure speed. [Previously] you could win races despite being perhaps a bit slower than your rival but not anymore,” Rossi said.
Rossi claims that although he is much older than most MotoGP riders, who will be riding in the upcoming season, even then he has not lost too much of his pace or bravavdo.
With less than two months to go before the 2013 MotoGP season gets underway, Rossi’s fans will love to see him back on the podium, challenging the likes of Lorenzo and Predrosa. It remains
to be seen if Rossi is able to capitalise on his Sepang run for the rest of the year or not.
MotoGP riders meet for a second test again at the Sepang circuit, less than two weeks from now. Rossi will be looking to put in his best efforts in order to finish amongst the top three riders.
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