'Old settings' bring Rossi best result of 2012

Valentino Rossi scored his best dry-weather MotoGP result of the year so far by going back to settings he used at Barcelona and Le Mans at the Sachsenring round today.

Valentino Rossi scored his best dry-weather MotoGP result of the year so far by going back to settings he used at Barcelona and Le Mans at the Sachsenring round today.

The Italian had been trying to make a setup similar to Nicky Hayden's work at the Silverstone and Assen rounds but it was chewing his rear Bridgestone after three laps so his team threw it in the bin and reverted to an older setup which gave him a better mix of grip and longevity at the German circuit,

"It's the best result of the year in the dry. After the last two races we go back to another setting, very similar to Barcelona and Le Mans because with the other setting I finish the tyre after three laps. In Silverstone and Assen my performance was very bad because three or four laps I don't have any more rear grip, it's difficult to stop the bike and I slide very much," said The Doctor, speaking to bikesportnews.com this evening.

"So, we decide to go back and this setting for me is a lot better because I can go quite fast but especially I can stay constant to the end of the race. Unfortunately, the distance to the Hondas was huge as they have, in the last two races, done a great step but we are not so far from the Yamaha. I was in the group but I don't have enough pace to go alone so I decide to stay back.

"I try at the end to make some overtake as I had some more tyre at the end to use. On the last corner I was attacking Bradl but there was a yellow flag for the crash of Stoner, so I have to slow down. If not, maybe I can overtake. For me, this is better, is a good pace. Nothing fantastic but we have to work on this setting more."

By David Miller

Image by Ducati Corse