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MotoGP, Rossi: "It's a crucial time, I want to win"

Vinales confident ahead of the Czech round: "We're on the right path, I've continued to work"

MotoGP: Rossi: "It's a crucial time, I want to win"

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Returning from vacation will be tough for all the MotoGP riders and perhaps even more so for Rossi and Vinales who must wait until the Monday following the race to test the anticipated new parts that Japan has promised. Before the test, the team faces an entire race weekend at a track that Valentino has always liked.

In 1996, in the Czech Republic, the Doctor won his first race in 125, before going on to win one 250 and one 500 race at Brno, as well as four MotoGP victories, the last in 2009. The desire to get back to winning ways at this track is high, particularly now that he's recharged the batteries.

First of all, I needed a longer holiday! Everybody is saying this, but this is the way it is - jokes Rossi - I took one week off, and I would have enjoyed some more time, but now we need to focus again."

The Doctor knows that the Brno-Red Bull Ring doubleheader could change championship destiny for the better or for the worse, and his goals are clear: “Brno is a great track. Last year I was fast, but with MotoGP you never know. We'll just have to see what happens. On Monday we'll also have an extra day of testing at this circuit, which will be important. It's going to be a busy couple of weeks, especially now that we have two GPs in a row. It will be crucial for the championship and also for Yamaha that we'll do some good races here and in Austria. We want to secure our first race win of the season.

VINALES: WE'RE ON THE RIGHT PATH, I'VE CONTINUED TO WORK - Maverick Vinales also appreciated the break but the Spaniard has continued to train to get back to his early 2017 level.

“I've enjoyed the summer break a lot. It was very necessary to have this pause in the middle of the season to disconnect and return with enough strength to be able to face the second part of the season properly. From now on we can't afford to make mistakes. During these few weeks I've been training hard to be ready for Brno and Austria, two tracks that I really like and where I think that I can be strong and fight for the podium like I did in the last races. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to congratulate once again my team for the step forward. The bike was working well in Assen and Sachsenring and I felt really good on it."

This is not enough though, because another step is needed to be able to fight for the win: “We have to keep working and keep fighting, because we are on the right path and we can't give up. I’ve been relaxing these last few days, but not too much. I decided to stay focused and train as much as I can, because I still have a lot of work to do. I think that I understand the bike better now compared to last year in Brno, so I have a good feeling about this race weekend.​​​​​​​"

Translated by Heather Watson
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