Gerno di Lesmo (Italy), 6th August 2014

After a four-week summer break Movistar Yamaha MotoGP returns to the USA to kick off the second half of the MotoGP season with the Indianapolis Grand Prix this weekend.

Valentino Rossi enjoyed a successful first half of the season, including some exhilarating battles. The Doctor fought hard with rivals in Qatar, Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello and Catalunya, securing five podiums. Rossi returns recharged from his holiday and intends to maintain his competitive edge for the rest of the year.

Teammate Jorge Lorenzo had a challenging start to the season but kept his head down and gradually returned to form. His season’s highlights have included the thrilling battle in Mugello and his strong races in Argentina and Germany. The summer break has given Lorenzo time to recover both physically and mentally, leaving him ready to give his all the coming nine races.

Thanks to a solid start of the season Rossi has 141 championship points, putting him in third place in the standings, just seven points behind Dani Pedrosa in second. Lorenzo is motivated to continue moving up the leaderboard. He is currently fifth in the championship standings, with a gap of a mere two points to Andrea Dovizioso in fourth.

The recently repaved Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the second American track on the MotoGP calendar. Though the previous surface of this circuit has often been called challenging, both Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders have enjoyed their share of successes at the 4.170 m long track. Few will have forgotten how Rossi withstood high winds and heavy rain brought on by the remnants of Hurricane Ike to take victory at the first Indianapolis GP in 2008. One year later it was Lorenzo’s turn to claim the win. Over the last six years the Spaniard has been on Indianapolis Motor Speedway podium five times.

Valentino Rossi

“This break was very important, I was able to rest and recharge to start this second part of the season in the best way. The upcoming races will not be easy because we will now arrive at tracks that are difficult for me. Indianapolis is not my favourite track, but they changed the layout and the asphalt a little bit, so we have to see. We hope to be competitive there and to be competitive for all the second part of the season.”

Jorge Lorenzo

“Back to work! After a very good time relaxing while on holiday I’m now keen to get back on the bike. It’s always important to get some days off to recover physically and mentally, but I’m looking forward to ride in Indy. During this summer break I could rest and keep focused for the second half of the season. There are still nine races left and I want to give my best. I want to fight and ride in my best way to try to win. During the last race in Germany I felt quite comfortable with the bike and I think I can come back in good shape during this part of the year. I’m looking forward to racing in Indy, especially with the new asphalt, to check if it is better for us than in the previous years.”

Massimo Meregalli

“Now we have all had an opportunity to rest and recharge our batteries and we are ready to challenge for the second half of the season. We are all looking forward to getting to Indianapolis and getting back on track on Friday morning. I know that both Vale and Jorge had a good break so they are full of energy and impatient to ride!”