WORLD SUPERBIKES News
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James Toseland: A step in the right direction.

The last round of the World Superbike Championship in Portugal was a mixed bag for me to be honest.

We felt strong all weekend, the bike was working well, we had solved the problems that had plagued us in Phillip Island - and we knew we were in with a good chance for strong race results.

Unfortunately my quest for the top spot was left somewhat tarnished on Saturday as I crashed out of Superpole 2, leaving me with a lot of work to do come Sunday.

My team-mate Cal showed the pace the Yamaha is capable of, qualifying with a great time, and I know I could have pushed him all the way if I hadn't crashed out.

But these things happen in racing; I just pushed the bike that bit too hard trying to put in a quick lap and that was that. Still, I knew I could run good times on race tyres and could challenge for the top spot if I got a good start.

Race one was hard-fought: I didn't get the best start and left myself with even more work to do picking through the pack. By the time I had got to the point where I could challenge for the top places, the leaders had gone! I always knew this was going to be the case if I didn't get a good start.

In race two I didn't get the start I needed again. It's crazy how important a good start is to the whole race. With the top 15 guys being covered by one second, it's hard to get past people and to chase down those in front.

As the race matured I was lapping consistently faster than most people on track and making some good headway to the front, but again the laps just eventually ran out and I had to settle for sixth.

On one hand I'm disappointed because I know I could have run with the front guys if I had qualified well, but on the other hand I'm happy because I know it's just a matter of time until everything falls into place and I'm back winning races. I just hope it's sooner rather than later because the championship is so tight this year. You just can't call it!

If I can piece everything together for the next race weekend in Valencia, practice well on Friday and qualify well on Saturday, I know I can run at the front in the race - and know I can win.

I just need to keep working with the team because once we have the 2010 bike dialled in, I have no doubt that I can consistently run at the front with riders like Leon Haslam who has had a fantastic start to the season.

So the next stop is Valencia in two weeks - and I hope I can improve again and give everyone back home something to shout about.

WORLD SUPER BIKES STANDINGS.(LINK) BELOW.

http://www.worldsbk.com/en/home.html

Moto Gp News.
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Rossi 'in good shape' for opener

Defending champion Valentino Rossi is in "good shape" for the start of the MotoGP season in Qatar after a solid pre-season for Fiat Yamaha.

Rossi goes into the new season chasing a fifth title in Yamaha colours and 10th crown overall, and will hope to start his season by adding another accomplishment to his already glowing CV.

While he has won twice at Qatar in the past, Rossi has yet to secure victory since the Losail event became a night race with the Italian looking to take his first win under lights.

Although there remains work to do after limited off-season running, Rossi insisted that the team was in good shape for the new campaign and said he was hopeful of a strong start.

"Finally we're at the start of the season and we are all very excited," he said. "The pre-season has gone well for me, our new M1 is good, Yamaha and Bridgestone have done a great job and we have been fast.

"We have only had six days on track so we still have work to do and things to learn about the new bike, but we are starting in good shape.

"I expect this season to be a big battle with many riders very strong, and I hope that we will show some good racing to the fans.

"Qatar hasn't been one of the best tracks for our bike in the last few years but at the test we went well so I hope this will continue again for the race."

Team boss Davide Brivio said that the pace shown by the M1 during testing in Qatar was encouraging for the opening round of the year and said the team was ready for racing to begin.

"Our development in testing has gone very well and this is encouraging for us all," he said. "We were fast in Sepang but also in Qatar, more than a second faster than last year in fact, so we are going into the first race feeling confident that we can put up a fight.

"It hasn't been the best race for us previously but everyone is very focused and we will be looking to make a strong start to the campaign. The waiting is nearly over and we're ready - let's go racing!"