Rossi hopeful of step forward at Misano

The Italian is still getting himself back to full fitness after breaking his leg in a crash at Mugello earlier this year - and he has endured mixed fortunes since he returned to action at the Sachsenring.

And on the back of a fairly difficult time in Indianapolis - where he slipped down to fourth in the race following three crashes over the weekend - Rossi is not predicting anything being rapidly different this time out.

"This track is quite difficult for us, for me, all my team," he said in Misano on Thursday. "We came back after the accident and especially the Sachsenring was a good race. Laguna was okay and I took a podium - but the most negative was Brno, it was crazy, one of the worst of the last years for me.

"But we have changed a lot on the bike and I ride quite well.. and here in Misano I have for sure a better atmosphere.

"Indy was a difficult race track with a lot of bumps, but here will be tough for the body, as this track is difficult with a lot of hard braking. So we hope to have less temperature than Indy, a bit more cold, and we have to try and make a better result."

Rossi said that the tweaks made to his bike were to try and improve the feel from the front end.

"Because of my physical condition we tried to set the bike for easier riding, to have a lighter bike that is easier for the change of direction," he explained.

"But unfortunately we lose a lot of feeling from the front and, for me, we come back to our normal style - that the bike is a bit more tough to ride but seems to be a better feeling and understanding of what happens on the front."