Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi goes to this weekend’s Austin MotoGP round as championship leader after his race win in Qatar but says the Texas track won’t be easy as the two long straights are a Yamaha weakness.
The M1 isn’t usually a match for the Honda RC213V in a top-speed chase and now Rossi has the rapid Ducati Desmosedici GP15 to worry about - a bike that sometimes he couldn’t even slipstream at Losail.
“Beginning the championship with a victory is really nice, but now we must try to be just as competitive as we were in Qatar everywhere else. Austin is not our favorite track. Although the track is very modern and I really like some corners, the two long straights are weak points for us. Our opponents are strong, but it’s also true that our bike has made major improvements,” said Rossi.
“I’m happy with my feelings on the YZR-M1. We will work hard to find the best possible solution, as we did at Losail. After the victory in Qatar we are all very motivated and we are ready for another weekend. I would like to get on the podium. It won’t be easy, but we will try”.
