Factory Yamaha's Valentino Rossi has outlined the areas aside from the seamless-shift gearbox he needs Yamaha to improve the YZR-M1 in order for him to beat the Hondas of Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez on a regular basis.
The Doctor, who was fourth fastest today after two free practice sessions, said he needs to be able to brake as deep as the works RC213V is able to and to be able to match it on corner exit as he thinks the Repsol men can shorten turns by a couple of metres.
"The seamless is very good but I think now I think we suffer in two or three places compared to the Hondas. In some track more, in some track a lot less. I think that in wide track we are very close but looks like the Honda is able to finish the corner in less metre and brake deeper," said Rossi, speaking at Brno.
"This is very frustrating for me and Jorge when we fight with the Hondas because usually in braking they are stronger than us and we cannot do nothing. So we have to try and improve the M1 with these two things and the gearbox."
Rossi made myriad tweaks to his M1 today in both practice sessions and found a setting he liked after altering ride height and weight distribution but you get the feeling this is not the long-term fix he is after.
"Already from this morning we start with a good pace but I am happy especially about this afternoon because we do some modify in the bike and I improve the braking and especially I improve the entry in the corner, I can release the brake earlier and keep a better corner speed that is very important.
"At the same time with this modify we also improve acceleration and grip there. I have a very good pace, it was faster with the soft tyre, I was fast also with the hard tyre at the end and I am fastest in one sector.
"We try shorter, longer but more weight distribution and we modify the height of the bike and I feel better. I was worried in acceleration but I am good so the first impression is very positive."
Rossi also said that the 'new' hard-option tyre brought by Bridgestone, on which he set his fastest lap of the day, isn't brand new at all but a re-working of an older tyre previously rejected by the top men.
"Everyone know the hard is new but is not true, is the same hard. Bridgestone make a clever decision. The new hard have the harder left and when we try in the test with the harder on the left, no way. So they change and they bring the old hard, but is softer on the left, so is like a soft and is a good tyre and can be a tyre for the race.
"During the season, we struggle a lot with the harder tyre - not just us but more or less everybody - but I have a good feeling at the end of the practice. But it is early to say as I did just four laps."
