Given that the Spanish circuit is less complicated and technical than the track in Qatar, the Doctor is hoping that forces on his yet-not-recovered shoulder will not press as hard as in the season opening round, where he finished in 7th place.
In Qatar, the Italian rider started the race well but faded off in the second part of the running, as pain in his shoulder started to take its toll. Things look more optimistic in Jerez however, even though what Rossi is really looking forward to is the one-month period after the race in Spain, when he will have enough time to fully work on his shoulder recovery.
“Qatar, with its many hard corner entries and areas where we brake to the right, was difficult for my shoulder,” said Rossi in a preview for the Jerez round. “We'll see if Jerez is a little easier from that point of view, although I think I'll still have to grit my teeth for a while.”
“Since Qatar, I've continued working out in the gym to try and increase my strength and especially my endurance, but after Spain I'll have almost a month to recuperate more fully, following the postponement of the Japanese Grand Prix.”
While Valentino Rossi's last win at Jerez dates back to 2009, Ducati's best performance in the last few years has been a 3rd place finish from Casey Stoner (the same year). And while acknowledging the Spanish circuit is not exactly Ducati-fit, the 7-time MotoGP champion thinks his team can make a positive appearance this weekend.
“From a technical point of view, Jerez doesn't seem to have been the most favorable track for Ducati, but I've always liked it a lot and we'll definitely have to try and do better than we have until now,” he added.
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