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Perfect Ride in China Sees Rossi Return to Top of Podium
5 Days ago
Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi took an impressive victory in Shanghai today, his second at the circuit having won the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix with Yamaha in 2005. It was Rossi’s 89th career victory but his first in seven races, since Estoril last year, as well as his first on Bridgestone tyres. Rossi had looked strong from Friday morning and he was clearly in good shape for the race, but after two days of high temperatures and sunshine, heavy rain throughout the morning threatened to turn the established order on its head.
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Front Row for Rossi as Rain Looms
6 Days ago
Valentino Rossi put his Fiat Yamaha M1 onto the front row of the grid for the second time this season in Shanghai today, qualifying second for tomorrow’s Chinese Grand Prix. Rossi looked to have pole position sewn up before fellow Yamaha rider Colin Edwards took his third career pole, Yamaha’s fourth from four races this season. Rossi continued in the same vein as yesterday by setting the pace in this morning’s free practice and continuing to do so through most of this afternoon’s session. Three-quarters of the way through a strong flying lap put him in provisional pole position and the Italian was confident that a slight improvement with the next qualifying tyre could be enough to take the front slot. He improved again but a last-minute lap from Edwards was 0.355 seconds faster, and Rossi will now have to wait a little longer for his 5 0th career pole.
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Rossi On Top In Hot & Humid Shanghai
02 May 2008
Valentino Rossi made a strong start to his Chinese challenge in Shanghai today, finishing on top of the combined standings as the only rider to dip under the 1’59 mark. High temperatures are set to continue tomorrow but a strong chance of rain on Sunday could turn the race into a mirror of 2005, when Rossi won a soaking inaugural Chinese Grand Prix. The Fiat Yamaha Team rider was fast from the off this morning and topped the time sheets for the majority of the first session. This afternoon the track temperature increased and Rossi finished second to Casey Stoner, but his time of 1’59.906 from the morning was good enough to leave him at the top of the overall time sheets for the day.
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Fiat Yamaha Pair Going for Gold as MotoGP Returns to China
29 April 2008
With just three months remaining before the city of Beijing plays host to the XXIX edition of the Olympic Games, China opens its doors to an equally talented array of athletes and a similarly historic championship this weekend as the MotoGP World Championship lands in Shanghai for the fourth round of an already intriguing season. The Fiat Yamaha Team heads for the Orient in fine spirits after a sensational start to the season, which has wielded five podiums and leadership of both the teams’ and riders’ standings.
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Valuable Day’s Work For Rossi
15 April 2008
After his hard fought third in Sunday's Portuguese Grand Prix, Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi was back out on track yesterday for a one-day test at Estoril. The team are anxious to take every chance to continue the crucial development process between the Yamaha M1 and the Bridgestone tyres and today’s test was focused on just this.
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Rossi Keeps Estoril Podium Record Intact With 3rd Place
13 April 2008
Valentino Rossi extended his Estoril podium record with third place today, meaning he has now finished on the podium at all of his nine career visits to the Portuguese track. The Fiat Yamaha Team rider played a key part in an exciting first half of the race but was unable to keep pace with his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, who took his maiden premier-class victory today to make it a second consecutive double podium for the Yamaha pair. Rossi got a good start from third on the grid and managed to take the lead from Lorenzo at the end of the straight after one lap. Spots of rain complicated issues and it was a tense first few laps with Rossi leading and Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso bunched together close behind him.
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Bridgestone Front-Row For Rossi In Portugal
13 April 2008
Valentino Rossi made a welcome return to the front row of the grid for the first time this year in Portugal this afternoon, qualifying third aboard his Fiat Yamaha M1. It was the first time the 29-year-old has qualified on the front row since making the switch to Bridgestone tyres and it puts him in a good position from which to attempt a repeat of his victory here five months ago.
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Rossi Makes Strong Start Despite Morning Upset
11 April 2008
Valentino Rossi finished the first day of practice for the Portuguese Grand Prix in confident mood today, riding his Fiat Yamaha Team M1 to second place on a day of contrasting weather conditions at Estoril. The Italian, the most successful rider in MotoGP history at this circuit, was luckily unhurt in a nasty crash during this morning’s wet first practice session and went on to make some good progress this afternoon, finishing the day just 0.040 seconds off the leader.
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Fiat Yamaha Riders Go West In Points Quest
08 April 2008
Fiat Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo head to Europe’s Atlantic coast this weekend as they look to build on a positive start to the season with another bountiful points-haul at Estoril. The eleventh edition of the Grand Prix of Portugal is the third round of the 2008 MotoGP World Championship and is an event that has seen contrasting fortunes for the Italian and the Spaniard in the past.
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100TH Premier Class Podium For Rossi In Jerez
30 March 2008
Valentino Rossi reached another milestone in his career today, joining an elite group of riders who have stood on the premier class podium 100 times today after riding his Fiat Yamaha M1 to second place in Jerez. The seven-time world champion formed part of a podium double for the Fiat Yamaha Team as his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo finished third, claiming his second consecutive podium in his rookie season.
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Fifth On Grid For Rossi In Jerez
29 March 2008
Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi will start the Spanish Grand Prix from fifth position tomorrow, despite being unable to complete his final qualifying lap in Jerez this afternoon. The Italian’s last flying lap was cut short by an electronic issue but he nevertheless has an excellent race pace and looks on course to be a protagonist in tomorrow’s 27-lap race.
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Good First Day For Rossi In Jerez
28 March 2008
MotoGP’s return to Europe began in promising fashion for the Fiat Yamaha Team and Valentino Rossi today, as the Italian finished the day second fastest with Yamaha riders filling the first three spots on the time sheets.
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Fiat Yamaha Team Head Back Into The Light At Jerez
25 March 2008
After the excitement and intrigue of the first ever night race in Qatar two weeks ago, business returns to normal this weekend for the Fiat Yamaha Team as the second round of the MotoGP World Championship welcomes the staff and riders to more familiar surroundings in Spain. A spring afternoon in Andalucia, at one of the championship’s most popular testing venues, should provide somewhat more predictable conditions and a more realistic flavour of what is to come from the riders in 2008, with Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo looking to establish their credentials in front of an adoring capacity crowd at Jerez.
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Unexpected Struggle Leaves Rossi 5th In Qatar Opener
10 March 2008
The opening race of the MotoGP season and the championship’s first night race saw Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi finish a disappointed fifth tonight, after struggling for pace on the cold track throughout the 22 lap race. His young team-mate Jorge Lorenzo meanwhile took second on his MotoGP debut.
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Rossi Heads 3rd Row For Night-Time Qatar Showdown
09 March 2008
Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi will start tomorrow’s season-opening MotoGP race from the front of the third row, after qualifying seventh under the Qatar floodlights tonight. The Italian lacked a little pace with his qualifying tyres this evening but a strong showing on Bridgestone race tyres in tonight’s first practice session left him feeling nonetheless relaxed for tomorrow’s race. After struggling slightly for grip yesterday the earlier practice session, run in slightly warmer temperatures, saw Rossi making significant improvements to his setting and finishing third fastest. Qualifying was something more of a struggle for the multiple world champion however and he was unable to break into the top positions, but he is confident that a good start and a strong first lap will see him in a position to fight with the protagonists in to morrow’s 22-lap race.
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Rossi Completes First Night's Work Under Qatar Floodlights
08 March 2008
The first ‘day’ of the 2008 Grand Prix season took place under floodlights in Qatar tonight, as the curtain finally went up on the new MotoGP World Championship. Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi, following on from a test here last week, finished the night’s work eighth on his Bridgestone-shod YZR-M1.
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Fiat Yamaha Pair Plan Impressive Opening Night In Qatar
02 March 2008
The all-new Fiat Yamaha pairing of Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo begin their assault on the 2008 MotoGP World Championship firmly in the spotlight this weekend as the new season gets underway beneath the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit in Doha, Qatar. The 60th season of the world’s oldest motorsport series kicks off with an historic night race, the first in Grand Prix history, and Rossi and Lorenzo will be amongst no fewer than eleven past and present FIM World Champions looking to claim motorcycling’s biggest prize.
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Rossi Upbeat Despite Difficult Night In Qatar
01 March 2008
The second night of the first ever MotoGP night test in Qatar saw Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi running into some unexpected problems, finishing the test tenth overall. Rossi and his crew spent the day working on Bridgestone tyre testing and set-up, but were unable to find time to complete a planned race simulation.
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MotoGP Makes History In The Desert
29 February 2008
The first ever night-time MotoGP test got underway at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar this evening, ahead of the opening race of the season and the inaugural night race in just over a week’s time. The circuit is lit by 1000 floodlights at varying heights, making it as light as day and covering an area equivalent to 70 football pitches. Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi, who won the race here two years ago, was unfazed by the unusual conditions however and it was soon business as usual for the Italian, who finished the night’s work in ninth place.
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Rossi Fifth At Close Of Jerez Test
19 February 2008
Valentino Rossi completed a third and final day of testing at the Official MotoGP Tests in Jerez de la Frontera today, finishing fifth overall on his YZR-M1. The Fiat Yamaha rider completed 79 laps today, despite not starting until early afternoon due to a damp track in the morning. Rossi spent most of the day refining set-up and tyre testing with Bridgestone, although the tricky track conditions hampered progress somewhat. Towards the end of the day the Italian, like most of his competitors, tried a qualifying tyre and it was with this that he completed his best lap of the three days, in time of 1’39.568. His team-mate Jorge Lorenzo finished 2nd overall after a qualifying lap of 1’39.252.
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