Top riders predict 'long' title battle

The Fiat Yamaha rider dominated proceedings in Shanghai to take his first MotoGP win since Portugal 2007, and bring himself firmly back in to contention for the crown.

And with Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo already have taken wins this year, the top racers are agreed that the title battle is wide open.

Rossi said: "I think it is so interesting this championship. Now we have one victory each and four strong riders at a great level of speed - with three different bikes and two different tyres.

"Plus Lorenzo with his injury still arrived fourth, so it will be a long, long championship and we have to work day-by-day, step-by-step. Every race has a different story but now we take this result and we are so happy because we were so strong in China."

Pedrosa, who finished second to Rossi in China to extend his championship lead, added: "There's a long way to go, but to be in the lead is important and we are happy with that."

And reigning champion Casey Stoner, while conceding that things had not gone entirely his way this year, was upbeat about hauling himself closer to the front.

"We are a lot further way that we expected to be, but the two races before this one they didn't go our way and nothing seemed to go right," he explained.

"There were a lot of issues and we thought we had figured something for the race, but something else would take hold of how the race would go.

"It has been a tough year so far, but we are coming up to tracks we have done quite well in the past and hopefully we can do so again."

With Rossi's win in China having ended any questions about the Italian having struggled to adapt his Yamaha well to Bridgestone tyres, he is upbeat about another strong showing in the next race at Le Mans.

"It is completely different track to Shanghai, but usually the Yamaha is very fast at Le Mans. It is usually quite cold, and sometimes rains, so the weather conditions are not always good. But we are ready and try for another good race."