Valentino Rossi shocked all on Friday afternoon by finishing only two hundredths of a second off team-mate Jorge Lorenzo’s pace in first practice for the German Grand Prix, despite returning from a broken leg only six weeks after his Mugello accident.
Many expected ‘The Doctor’ to be away for six months as opposed to six weeks, although the World Champion – who currently sits seventh in the World Championship – has managed a best effort of 1:23.244 in comparison with Jorge Lorenzo’s 1:23.224 at the Sachsenring.
“I am really happy today, especially because I am a lot more agile on the bike than I was in the tests,” he said, having twice ridden a Yamaha World Superbike machine since his fall. “I feel good and this track is helping me because a lot of it turns to the left.
“I am feeling quite confident on the bike and also my shoulder is good and not giving me problems. Now I have some pain in the leg and ankle but it's not too bad, I was able to do some laps in a row and I was quite fast, so things seem okay.
“Now we will have to wait until tomorrow morning to see how the leg is and whether it has swelled overnight or developed any problems.”
"Once again Valentino has surprised everyone!" said Team Manage Davide Brivio. "After missing four races and not being completely fit, this can be considered a very good session. From a team point of view, it was like he had never been away."
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