MotoGP: Rossi predicts 'big' Pedrosa battle.

[Rory Phoulorie]

Casey Stoner may have defeated Valentino Rossi in the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix, but the former five-times world champion believes it'll be home hero Dani Pedrosa that provides the biggest challenge this weekend at Jerez.

Rossi and Pedrosa have already fought one 'phantom' battle at the Spanish circuit this year - during 'qualifying' at the final pre-season test, when Rossi gained the fastest lap (and a new BMW) by just 0.133secs over Pedrosa as the pair rose a head-and-shoulders 0.77secs above the opposition. The Italian now expects a repeat of that clash, albeit for real, in Sunday's Spanish grand prix.

"Jerez is one of my favourite circuits and I've had some great races there in the past so I hope this is another good year for me there," said Rossi. "Qatar was very quiet, which was a good way to start the season because there were no distractions for me, but Jerez is always a great party with a fantastic atmosphere, so now I am really looking forward to that and I hope we can give the fans a good show. I expect that Pedrosa will be very fast here, as he was in the test, and I expect a big battle with him at his home race."

But Qatar highlighted a clear weakness with Rossi's new Fiat backed Yamaha - a distinct lack of top speed relative to the Ducati of Stoner and, to a lesser extent, the Honda of third placed Pedrosa. However, Rossi doubts that raw horsepower will be as important this weekend, and hopes that his higher corner speed will give him the edge.

"I'm feeling confident for Jerez, I think it will suit our bike very well, even better than Qatar, and we were very strong [at Jerez] in the test. We know we lack a bit of horsepower but I think this will improve race-by-race and Yamaha are working very hard. I don't expect it to be a big problem in Jerez as it's a different type of track [to Qatar]," explained The Doctor.

"I think Qatar showed that, although we have some areas to improve, our bike is working well and we won't be making the same mistakes as last year," concluded Rossi, referring to the devastating chatter problems which ruined the early part of his 2006 season.

"We're happy with the way the season started in Qatar because we saw that our bike is competitive and ready to win races," confirmed team director Davide Brivio. "We were on the podium and that is our target at every race this season because that's where the serious points are. Now we're looking forward to Jerez, a circuit where we tested well at and got lots of good information, so hopefully there will be no surprises. We're also confident that the difference between our bike and others in straight-line speed won't be as much of an issue there.

"Qatar is a nice place to go but it clearly doesn't have the atmosphere and sense of occasion of Jerez. It's nice to be in such a great motorcycling arena, with lots of people bustling around the paddock and thousands of screaming fans in the grandstand. I think it is the kind of atmosphere Valentino responds to and he will want to put on a great show for the fans," he warned.

First free practice for the Spanish Grand Prix takes place at Jerez on Friday morning.


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