Valentino Rossi On Fire in Sepang
Valentino Rossi has been in a different league already this season, and it’s only the testing stage. It looks like the rest of the field are going to have their work cut out to catch ‘the doctor’. Rossi has been on top of the timing sheets all the way through pre-season testing at Sepang, beating his pole position lap at the Malaysian circuit that he set in 2009.
Rossi’s team mate has been unable to even test after his hand injury which has seen him miss out on pre-season testing, which will undoubtedly be a setback for Jorge Lorenzo. Casey Stoner and team mate Nicky Hayden took second and third place in the test, Stoner was only 0.3 seconds off Rossi’s pace.
American Hayden struggled to keep up with the top two riders at Sepang, hampered by pain from a recent surgery on his arm on Thursday, but at the test he was only 0.191 seconds off Ducati team mate Casey Stoner. The team have made positive developments, including a new swing arm and other improvements.
Tech 3 Yamaha’s good run continues with other team riders coming fourth and fifth with Colin Edwards and rookie Ben Spies. The Honda team however have struggled to keep up only managing seventh and eighth with Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa behind Suzuki man Loris Capirossi.
The final MotoGP test takes place at Losail in Qatar on 17-19 March, then the season opener on the 12 April.
Not many people would say anything other than; it should be another strong season for Multi-championship winner Valentino Rossi, with everyone else in the field already giving up time to the Italian. But it is a long season and MotoGP is unpredictable at the best of times. Jorge Lorenzo is looking to put on over on his team mate who beat him last year, and of course Casey Stoner will do everything he can to be top man in 2010. Keep an eye on new kid on the block Ben Spies who looks comfortable on his Tech 3 Yamaha.
The odds are in favour of Valentino Rossi at the moment 13/8 to win the MotoGP championship. Casey Stoner is a not too distant second favourite at 19/10. And Fiat Yamaha Team mate of Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo is third at 5/1. Rookie Ben Spies is 18/1. Odds from Bwin correct at time of writing and are subject to change.
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