The Italian rider tackled the first group test of the winter with only one thought in mind. And it wasn't to top the official classification, but to evaluate the health of his shoulder while riding the Ducati GP11 race bike. And despite the fact that he still feels pain in that region of his body, Rossi looked optimistic after the first 2 days of the Sepang running.
“I'm happy because I was able to ride again today,” said Rossi at the end of Day 2, which saw him finish more than one and a half second behind pace setter Dani Pedrosa.
“Even when I work my shoulder hard, I'm finding that it doesn't get worse, and I don't suffer too much, to the extent that I was able to start again this morning without having lost anything compared to yesterday.”
“Actually, the shoulder is even getting better as I ride, and I'm able to make the movements that are required. Obviously, it's still a handicap, because eventually I begin to lose strength and the pain increases, but we were able to do some good, consistent work.”
Having tested some aerodynamic options on the GP11, Rossi admitted that the main goal of the Sepang test is to make sure the bike feels comfortable, rather than fast.
“Naturally, beyond feeling increasingly comfortable on the bike, one of our goals is to be able to ride it more easily. We're satisfied with the progress we're making,” added the 7-time MotoGP champion.
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