Marlboro Ducati's Valentino Rossi has not publicly stated he wants a wet MotoGP race at Valencia tomorrow but the nine-time world champion has shown this weekend that his pace on a wet or drying track is enough to score a much-needed podium.
The Doctor qualified in sixth this afternoon but was third fastest in yesterday's drying opening free practice - a track condition that is quite likely tomorrow according to the forecasts - and said he has a good setting for a fully-wet race.
"This afternoon the condition were quite difficult because during the practice it rain a bit but the last 15 minutes everybody can push more and I can improve my laptime and the second row for us is quite good. The gap from all of the rest of the guys, except Stoner, is quite small. The forecast says it will be wet so we can make a good setting for the wet and we are quite fast so we wait and see," said Rossi, speaking to bikesportnews.com.
"I’m quite fast in T2 and T3, which are twisty, but I lose a lot in T1 and T4, where I have a hard time braking like I should, and where the bike tends to wheelie too much on acceleration out of the hairpin. Honestly, T1 has always been difficult for me, through all the years that I’ve raced here."
This weekend, like most of the other riders, Rossi is wearing a tribute to Marco Simoncelli. The Doctor has merged his traditional sun and moon helmet design with the twin red stripes of his old friend.
"I like the design very much but it not the design that is so important, it is the meaning. I want to make something for remember Marco and to have the two design together and the front part with the two red stripes of Marco was put together with mine and the end is great, it's something very emotion," he said.
