Valentino Rossi Wallpaper
Although he was racing with a still-healing right shoulder at Losail International Circuit, Qatar, for the opening round of the 2011 MotoGP Championship, Valentino Rossi fought for a seventh-place finish.
The nine-time World Champion Rossi, who started from ninth on the grid, finished 16.431 seconds behind the winner, Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner.
Rossi dueled with the man who took his seat on the MotoGP factory Yamaha, Ben Spies. After a few attempts, Spies finally made his pass stick, and passed Rossi on Turn 2 with seven laps remaining.
The two MotoGP pilots were side-by-side in the turn, and while Rossi was on the outside he almost lost it. Rossi regained control of the Ducati GP11, but couldn't catch Spies. Rossi would settle for seventh.
Valentino Rossi (Ducati Marlboro Team GP11) says: "For sure we're not here to get seventh-place finishes, but there are also positive things from this race, starting with the times, because we were lapping pretty quickly. I had a great start, and that was a nice feeling because the horsepower that this bike has really helps it to launch.
"Then I made a small error in the first turn, which is a shame because I got stuck behind Barbera for a few laps. Otherwise I would have been closer to Simoncelli and Dovizioso, since anyway there was a period when I lapped with them. I wouldn't have beaten them though, because at the end of the race, I'm no longer able to ride like I have to. I'm not referring to the Ducati because even last year, after I hurt my shoulder, I had the same problems in the latter parts of the races, and since the two bikes are so different, it means that it's really a matter of me not being physically right.
"It's not just that. We also have to improve the bike because the others have clearly made a step forward since last year. Still, I learned a lot in this test and in this race, and we've already given very specific instructions about what must be done in the long term, in order to improve for the second half of the season for example. In the near term, on the other hand, we'll work on the setup, we'll keep gathering experience, and I'll continue exercising and doing everything I can to recuperate physically."
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