Things weren’t going well for the 42-year-old from twentieth on stage, but the fight got bigger during the twenty-lap race. In the end, Valentino Rossi scored another World Cup point and finished 15th in his last MotoGP race on American soil. The Petronas Yamaha SRT driver race was complicated by the fact that the Italians could not start the race anew.

“I take two or three rest days and we have to train hard for the next races. My physical condition in the United States is a disaster,” Rosie admitted. “It was very hard. The modern MotoGP machine is very demanding physically and at the start of Sunday racing you are practically tired on Fridays and Saturdays. You have to be 100 percent fit and preferably young. I can still try to be 100 percent fit, but I can no longer be young . “

Roski was one of the few drivers to choose the middle rear tire on the American circuit. His explanation for this was simple: “I used this medium because I felt good during training, I did not like the soft,” he added. “I tried hot, but I was very slow. We decided to follow our own path [Brad] Binder and I only used this tape. It was the right choice, at least I was consistent until the end of the race and I was able to overtake some other drivers. It’s not global performance, but considering my speed, it’s not bad. “

“The toughest race of my life”

Rossi is not the only Yamaha rider in the United States who has struggled to finish the race. Franco Morpitelli, who is still recovering from a knee injury, was only able to give real momentum for eight laps before he won. “I could have done seven rounds before I went slow, otherwise I wouldn’t have finished it,” said Morpitelli, who finished 19th. “I had no strength in my legs, I could not control the bike even when I had to brake on the left turn. I only used my hands when changing direction. It was very hard. It was heavy. For everyone it was definitely the toughest race of the season, but for me it was the toughest of my life. Race.In my current situation, it was a big challenge.