First race with the Repsol Honda RC 211 V

Rossi and Ukawa big challenge
Valentino Rossi:’I love challenges. I enjoy riding a motorcycle and winning. I did this with 125cc, with 250cc and with the NSR500. Now I face a new challenge with the RCV. The whole team has worked really hard over the winter on getting the bike ready to race. Of course so much of this is all new territory but we are getting there. All winter I have been racing against the clock. I am looking forward to racing against racers. That is what I do best. I am also curious as to how everyone will perform. This is an exciting time for GP racing.’Tohru Ukawa: ‘I’m so looking forward to this season. I raced in 250cc GP’s for 5 years and rode the NSR500 last year. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as prepared as I do at this stage ever before. I’d put it down to the bike being pretty good from the start. We’ve spent a lot of time working on different set ups. Suspension and tyres especially. So now we look forward to Suzuka which is my home track and one I really like riding. We have a long hard season ahead of us but I have a great new bike and a team I feel very at home with. ‘