04-13-2009, 11:52 AM
MUMBAI: The new season of the MotoGP starts with the season-opener in Qatar, and the race from Losail, followed by the entire season, will be available live and exclusive on Ten Sports, the most watched sports channel in the Sub-continent.
Live telecast of the CommercialBank Grand Prix of Qatar, which is held under lights, starts 10:15 pm IST on Sunday, April 12.
Valentino Rossi begins the defence of his MotoGP World Championship this weekend, and the Yamaha rider is in high spirits ahead of the first race of the year, even though rival Casey Stoner seems to have a hold in Qatar, where the Aussie will be going for his third straight win this year.
Rossi, who won at Losail in 2005 and 2006 but finished fifth last year, said: “Qatar isn’t one of our strongest tracks, but we still have a few cards to play and I hope that a little more work will see us improve for the first race.”
Rossi’s immediate concern is the pace being shown by Stoner on his Ducati, but the Italian said not much should be read into the tests.
“Tests really mean nothing once you get to racing, the situation is totally different and really we have little idea what will happen until we get there. It’s all very exciting!
“I’m feeling confident, we’re in good shape even if we’re going to what was our worst track during testing, but I am happy about the performance of my M1 in general; Yamaha have done a great job and so this makes me happy.”
Meanwhile, Stoner issued an early warning to his rivals by clocking the fastest time in the first free practice for the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix on Friday, thus laying to rest any worries about his left wrist surgery last November.
Despite no lateral movement in the wrist, he timed 1 minute, 57.053 seconds around 17 laps of the Losail circuit in pleasant conditions. Rossi was second in 1:57.439
Live telecast of the CommercialBank Grand Prix of Qatar, which is held under lights, starts 10:15 pm IST on Sunday, April 12.
Valentino Rossi begins the defence of his MotoGP World Championship this weekend, and the Yamaha rider is in high spirits ahead of the first race of the year, even though rival Casey Stoner seems to have a hold in Qatar, where the Aussie will be going for his third straight win this year.
Rossi, who won at Losail in 2005 and 2006 but finished fifth last year, said: “Qatar isn’t one of our strongest tracks, but we still have a few cards to play and I hope that a little more work will see us improve for the first race.”
Rossi’s immediate concern is the pace being shown by Stoner on his Ducati, but the Italian said not much should be read into the tests.
“Tests really mean nothing once you get to racing, the situation is totally different and really we have little idea what will happen until we get there. It’s all very exciting!
“I’m feeling confident, we’re in good shape even if we’re going to what was our worst track during testing, but I am happy about the performance of my M1 in general; Yamaha have done a great job and so this makes me happy.”
Meanwhile, Stoner issued an early warning to his rivals by clocking the fastest time in the first free practice for the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix on Friday, thus laying to rest any worries about his left wrist surgery last November.
Despite no lateral movement in the wrist, he timed 1 minute, 57.053 seconds around 17 laps of the Losail circuit in pleasant conditions. Rossi was second in 1:57.439