Rossi not taking title for granted
Valentino Rossi says he is not taking the 2009 world MotoGP title for granted even though he commands a 50-point lead over his nearest rival, team-mate Jorge Lorenzo
Rossi moved into a dominant lead in the points when he won at Brno, while Lorenzo crashed out.
But as the Italian heads to Indianapolis this weekend seeking his 103rd grand prix victory, he cautioned against complacency in the full knowledge that two DNFs could wipe out his points lead.
"As I said in Brno, it would be stupid for us to relax and consider the championship won, anything can happen and we know that Lorenzo will be very strong this weekend and determined to make up for the last two races," he said.
"We must keep focused.
"In 2008, we didn't really know what to expect [from Indy] but our bike worked very well and we were fast from the start, in the wet and the dry. Every year is a different story however so we won't know where we are until we start our work on Friday afternoon."
Lorenzo says he feels good ahead of this weekend's race because he doesn't feel under any pressure to win the title, having already conceded it to Rossi in his own mind.
"I am feeling confident because I've felt good in the last races, riding very fast since the beginning of the weekend, despite what's happened on Sunday," said the Spaniard who has crashed out in the last two events. "I am not thinking about the championship any more but I would like to win a race again after more than three months, especially here in Indy when it's the centenary of the track.
"It's a busy two weeks, with Misano straight after, but we're ready."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments