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Monday October 22, 2007

Valentino disappointed after missing podium

SEPANG: Five-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi of Italy missed out on a podium spot in the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix for the first time since 2001, battling his way to fifth place yesterday.

Rossi, who has won four out of the last six races in the premier class, started from ninth on the grid. It was the second time that Rossi did not finish among the top three after crashing out in his debut year of racing in the premier class in 2000.

Rossi now needs one point from the final race in Valencia to secure second place in the standings. He holds a 24-point lead over third-placed Dani Pedrosa.

After being hampered by a lack of grip on the Yamaha bike through practice and qualifying sessions, Rossi was aware of the huge task facing the team.

“Of course I am disappointed with fifth place but I am very happy with the race today,” he said.

“It’s a pity because we had great potential this afternoon and if we had been able to start on the front row, we could have fought for the victory.

“We made some modifications today and everything worked much better during the race than in qualifying. I took some time to find my rhythm at the start of the race but once I did, I realised I had great pace and that my bike and tyres were working well.”

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