MotoGP News. Valentino Rossi feels his pace on the harder tyre should see him improve come race day at Mugello.
Valentino Rossi insists he will make up ground in the Italian Grand Prix after qualifying for his home event in a disappointing tenth position.
Desperate to give his adoring fans something to cheer, Rossi's qualifying performance would leave them rather 'mute' as he struggled to make gains on the soft tyre, the former champion finding himself more than a second off the pace in tenth and as the second slowest prototype rider.
Also nearly a second off front row man Hector Barbera on the satellite Pramac Ducati, as well as team-mate Nicky Hayden, Rossi maintains that his more comparable pace on hard tyres should see him make gains come race day.
“It went pretty poorly, which is a shame. The biggest problem was that I didn't improve at all with the soft tyre, while the others lowered their times a lot.
"It's too bad because we're not so far off with the hard tyre. With the soft, I had a lot of chatter, to the point that I couldn't take advantage of it.
"Anyway, the hard tyre is what will be used in the race, so we could go a little better. Of course I'll have to start tenth, from the fourth row, so I'll have to make some passes.
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