Catalunya MotoGP: Valentino Rossi looking for confidence boost

Valentino Rossi has admitted solving a confidence issue with the front-end feeling of his factory Yamaha YZR-M1 is crucial to his hopes of challenging for victory in this weekend’s Catalunya MotoGP race.

The 30-year-old goes into this weekend’s race at the Montmelo circuit lying third in the world championship standings behind Ducati’s Casey Stoner and Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.

The reigning world champion has only won one of the opening five races of 2009 in Jerez back in early May, and he’s blamed a confidence problem with the Bridgestone front tyre. “I arrive from two difficult races. Le Mans was very bad and Mugello was a lot better because I still arrived on the podium, which is important for the championship.

“We have to try and understand a few things because from the beginning of the season I’m not fast like last year and I don’t feel confident on the bike like in 2008. We’re not at the maximum, so this race is so important to understand to try and fix our problems and improve our performance,” said Rossi.

“I don’t feel the front,” said the winner of 98 world championship races, when asked to elaborate on his problems. “I have a big problem and last year this was one of my big positive points. This year I don’t have 100 per cent feeling so I’m not able to ride like I want. I always have a problem with the front tyre.

“In Mugello, that’s a track I know very well and it was very clear from the bike that I was slower than last year.” Rossi said he couldn’t afford to wait until Monday’s post race test to try and get a handle of some of his front-end issues.

Rossi, who will test new electronics for his factory YZR-M1 at Monday’s test, added: “The test on Monday will be crucial for the next races but we have to use tomorrow and Saturday like a test to fix our problems because we can’t wait until Monday to fix. We have to improve from tomorrow. For Monday we have something different for the electronics but now we have a problem with the setting.”