MotoGP: Rossi takes positives from Brno 4th

Second place in the championship was cemented in good fashion for Valentino Rossi, as the Italian clinched 4th place at the Czech GP – the same result that he enjoyed last season. ‘The Doctor’ was in the leading group for much of the race and led at parts, showing that Yamaha have turned part of what is looking like a very big corner.

A good start from Rossi saw him lead into turn one but he was already 2nd by turn three. The 39-year-old Italian led for three laps in the middle portion of the race before dropping back down the order, unable to run the pace of the Factory Ducatis and Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez.

“I think that at the end for me it was a good race because I made a good start, a good first few laps, and I always stayed in the front group. The problem was that I wasn’t fast enough to fight with Dovizioso, Marquez, and Lorenzo,” said Rossi, now 49 points adrift of the championship lead with 9 rounds to go.

“I didn’t have enough pace, unfortunately, and that was a shame because I wanted to try to arrive on the podium, for sure. At the end I did a very good battle with Cal. I was able to overtake him in the last chicane and recovered one place, but it wasn’t enough for the podium.”

Rossi now heads to Austria and the Red Bull Ring, where his best result remains a 4th from 2016, although he did achieve a 2nd place finish at the circuit in 1997 in the 125cc class. The Red Bull Ring was home to his first ever Grand Prix podium too, in 1996.