Valentino Rossi may have started the GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix at
the Sachsenring from 9th, however it did not take long for the Italian
to move up three spots shortly after the lights went out, to a better
positioned 6th. He was on a charge towards the front group of five
riders that had formed on the first lap. Rossi came under pressure from
LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow early on, yet he held firm; closing the
gap by lap six to Jorge Lorenzo. Closely shadowed by Dovizioso, Rossi
took hold of 5th place a lap later, before he got caught up in a battle
with his compatriot. Again, the Doctor was unwilling to hand over his
position for any longer than a few seconds, before he also passed
Petrucci for 4th place.
With a clear track ahead of him, the nine-time World Champion put
his head down to try to decrease the over three-second gap to third
place. Rossi was eager to reel in his rival, but had to focus on keeping
Dovizioso at bay, as well as his teammate Maverick Viñales. Ultimately,
he had to let Viñales pass, and together the factory Yamaha riders
cruised towards the chequered flag - with Rossi taking solid points as
he secured fifth place, 14.980s from the front.
Rossi: "It was a difficult weekend, because we
suffered a lot, like we had done at other tracks this year, but
fortunately we were able to work better. The race was not so bad,
because I kept a good pace going from the beginning until the end. I‘m
happy when I fight for the podium, but still this fifth place is quite
good, these are good points for the championship and we are just ten
points from the top, so I think the championship is still very much
open. I think I will relax for two weeks now and, after two weeks of
staying with my friends and recharging my batteries, I will start to
train because we have arrive in Brno ready, at a 100% fitness level."
No comments:
Post a Comment
What are your thoughts ?