Argentinian MotoGP GP – Rossi: "Unfortunately Maverick was a bit faster"
Third in Qatar, Valentino Rossi climbs a step in the second race in Argentina with a good second place obtained from a hard fight against Cal Crutchlow. The MotoGP veteran, although concerned about Viñales’ insolent domination, nevertheless draws a positive assessment of his … 350th Grand Prix !
Valentino Rossi, Yamaha-Movistar (7th in qualifying and 2nd in race): “My mechanic Brent told me on the grid, ‘This is your 350th start, so try to have a good race!’ I’m happy because on Sunday I was competitive from start to finish. I feel better physically, it must be said that I am training hard. So I was able to attack throughout the test. This fight with Cal was really cool, especially since I managed to beat him. Unfortunately Maverick was a bit faster "…
- MNC Summary – Argentine GP: Yamaha pulls the chestnuts out of the fire !
- MNC Live –
- MNC Live – Argentine GP: Ducati and Honda hit the mat
- MNC Live – Argentinian GP: Marquez falls, Suzuki cries
- MNC Live – Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP Qualifiers
- MNC file :
"But this result is important for me and for my team as well as we end up with a double. I don’t think it would have changed the course of things if I had passed Cal earlier. From a lap time point of view. , Maverick was a little stronger. Also this trail is always tricky. We have seen a lot of problems there in the past. You have to watch out for bumps, dirty parts, especially when it rained the day before. together it was a good race, because we scored some big points and because I felt comfortable on the bike ".
Site analysis : In view of its laborious start-up in Argentina (16th then 12th in free practice) and its 7th place in qualifying 1.7 seconds from Marquez’s pole, it is an understatement to say that it seemed badly started … Especially since, contrary to his habit, the Doctor did not show himself in the warm-up either (12th to 0.7 sec), the last session before the race during which he usually returns to the forefront..
Blown away by his teammate Viñales’ superiority in time, the Grand Prix veteran also admits to still struggling on his 2017 Yamaha M1, on which he is struggling to regain a good feeling from the front. By its own admission, the n ° 46 loses time in its settings, without always succeeding in finding the satisfactory balance. Worrisome? Yes and no, because if the tests are important, only the race really counts: Rossi proves it again in Argentina by clinching the second place at 2.915 sec from Viñales !
A handsome player, the Doctor admits having had to shed himself to get rid of the very consistent Cal Crutchlow on his Honda-LCR, whose potential he had seen in free practice. Victorious in this fierce fight, Rossi is delighted to finish this second race in better physical condition than in Qatar, where he literally ended up on his knees. Despite his attitude as a young premier, Rossi half-heartedly admits that the adrenaline of competition is not always enough to compensate for the stigma of age: at 38, the "Doc" still accuses sixteen years older than Vinales…
350 Grands Prix to his name & he’s still racking up the podiums…
– MotoGP ™ (@MotoGP)
As for the demonstration of his teammate, precisely, n ° 46 is formal: nothing and nobody could have disturbed the victorious march of n ° 25. "I don’t think it would have changed the course of things if I had passed Cal earlier," he humbly admits..
Despite his satisfaction to occupy the second place in the provisional classification 14 points behind Maverick Viñales, temporarily sheltered from Marquez and Dovizioso following their fall, Valentino Rossi knows that he must imperatively put the glove on better settings to win in competitiveness against his teammate. If possible, the genius of the mountain pastures must achieve this from the first test sessions so as not to have to force in an emergency..
Still, the approach is more obvious to describe than to apply, especially in the specific context of this Argentine Grand Prix. Besides the capricious weather, the riders also had to contend with the precautions taken by Michelin to avoid last year’s debacle, when Redding’s rear tire exploded during practice and the race included a mandatory stop to change gear. tires.
- MNC of April 4, 2017 :
Overall harder than last year, the Bibendum tire allowance even included a fourth new solution in addition to the three usual hardness choices. Finally, this fourth tire with the stiffened carcass was not used, blocked at the port because of the general strike which paralyzed Argentina this weekend! Nobody complained about it, on the contrary even since the pilots consider it complicated, even unreasonable, to have so many solutions available on a single race weekend. "With the weather on Saturday, when would we have had time to test an additional tire?", Asked Cal Crutchlow in particular..
Alexandre BARDIN – Photos DR
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