Just 41 days after suffering a broken leg Valentino Rossi was back on track yesterday during first practice for tomorrows German Moto Grand Prix.
The Italian was the centre of attention as he took to the track within seconds of the start of practice and he ended the day in seventh after an encouraging session where he was consistently on the pace of the leaders.
The nine times world champion said after the session, “I have some pain in the leg and ankle but it's not too bad, I was able to do some laps in a row and I was quite fast so things seem okay. Now we will have to wait until tomorrow morning to see how the leg is and whether it has swelled overnight or developed any problems."
Honda’s Dani Pedrosa dominated the day with a series of fast laps that no one else came close to matching. The Spaniard knows that he needs to win this weekend and halt Jorge Lorenzo’s run of three straight victories. Lorenzo leads the title chase by 52 points but with his teammate Rossi back it will be interesting to see if Lorenzo can continue his current form. Lorenzo ended the day in sixth just ahead of Rossi.
For the first time this season neither Rossi nor Lorenzo was the fastest Yamaha with American Ben Spies ending the day in fourth as the rookie continues to showcase the speed that makes him a favourite of the Japanese factory. The reigning World Superbike champion has had an impressive start to his Grand Prix career and will be looking to add to his British GP podium in the coming races.
The Ducati’s were the closest riders to Pedrosa with 2007 world champion Casey Stoner ahead of teammate Nicky Hayden, the 2006 title winner. It has been a trying season for Stoner but the Australian has been on the podium for the last two races and with the recent announcement that he will ride for Honda next season it would not be surprising to see him relaxed and competitive for the remainder of the season.
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