After being helpless to prevent Casey Stoner riding to a huge 7.7sec victory in Qatar, Valentino Rossi is hoping to put up more of a fight in this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
After being helpless to prevent Casey Stoner riding to a huge 7.7sec victory in Qatar, Valentino Rossi is hoping to put up more of a fight in this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
A glittering collection of the world's greatest sports stars have been nominated for the 10th Laureus World Sports Awards, following a ballot by the world's media. Many of the nominations reflect the highly successful Olympic and Paralympic Games held in Beijing.
Monday's season-opening Qatar night race was the first event of the single-tyre MotoGP era, with all 18 riders offered the same limited range of tyres for the first time.
Casey Stoner continued his perfect form at the Qatar Grand Prix during Saturday's qualifying session, handing the Australian pole position for the 2009 MotoGP season-opener - while new Ducati Marlboro team-mate Nicky Hayden was hurt in a huge fall.
Valentino Rossi and former arch-rival Sete Gibernau put their past conflict behind them during a public reconciliation on the eve of the Spaniard's MotoGP return, in Sunday's 2009 Qatar season opener.
Reigning six time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi will ride at Qatar with a sticker in support of the people of Abruzzo, where over 200 people lost their lives in Monday's earthquake.
Reigning six time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi will have to work hard to overcome the predicted challenge of Casey Stoner at this weekend's Qatar season-opener, but warned that 'tests mean nothing' and insists he has 'a few cards to play'.
"I start with number 1 and I will have to defend it against new and old opponents", Vale says, then speaks about his most beautiful GP: "Unforgettable Mugello 2003, I beat Capirossi and Biaggi. But also the exploit of Phillip Island…".