MotoGP news

Rossi satisfied with current pace

Yamaha Factory Racing commenced the latest stage of their pre-season testing schedule today, joining the rest of their MotoGP counterparts on track at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar.

This third test of the season is arguably the most important so far, as Losail will play host to the first race of the season in just over three week's time. After two successive tests in Malaysia, the change of venue offers.

Rossi was once again in front of the field. He was just over a tenth of a second behind team-mate Edwards with a best time of 1.56.891.

Speaking about his day at the job Rossi commented at the end of the day: "This is a very important test because the first race is here in just a few weeks, so we're working really hard in order to have the bike ready for that!"

"Today was quite good and I am happy with the work we've done as a team; we were fast straight away and it's good to see that our bike works well at a different track. We continued to develop some things with the setting and we also worked on tyres with Michelin. This is a hard track for them so it's important we are ready with the tyres for the first race."

"The bike felt very good from the start and you can ride it well; we don't have any chatter, or any particular problems at all, so we're in a better position than last year. I am also happy because Colin is fast; in fact, he's a little bit faster than me! This is a good sign though, because it shows how good our bike is. Of course we still have areas to improve and so we will continue to work hard for the next two days."

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