As Rossi lays down the gauntlet for 2007, our girl assesses the competition
Published in The Telegraph - 10/03/07

It may not have been his year in '06, but MotoGP ex-world champion Valentino Rossi is desperate to get his teeth into the new season when it starts today in Qatar.

The Italian - who also hoped to stop the speculation about his future career path with news of a deal that will tie him to Yamaha until the end of next year - looked every bit the king of the world as he stood on top of his new BMW Z4, punching the air and waving to his adoring crowd. All this before the MotoGP championship has even started.

Two weeks ago in Jerez, Rossi topped the time sheets during the official test, and in doing so not only bagged himself a new car but also sent out a strong message to the rest of the contenders: "The M1 is more competitive this year and the team and I are ready. I want to win, and losing last year has made me feel more motivated." It was not only the curtain-raiser to the main event, but it also gave the first real insight into the new bikes.

Article Continues - read the full article here