Rossi makes a strong return

Jorge Lorenzo finished sixth in the opening German practice session today, slightly struggling to find front end grip at the twisty Sachsenring track. Valentino Rossi meanwhile made an unexpectedly strong return to action after his six-week injury break, finishing just 0.020 off his Fiat Yamaha team-mate in seventh.

Lorenzo has won three races in a row at high-speed tracks but the conflicting nature of the Sachsenring landed him in difficulties today as he lacked confidence in the front end of his M1 and lost time in the slower corners. The Mallorcan is hopeful that close study of the data and a slight alteration to his riding style will help him improve and he is looking to jump up the order tomorrow.

After his early return to action Rossi was fully expected to be taking it gently today but he felt very comfortable to be back on his M1 and was soon looking like he'd never been away, sitting in the top four for most of the session. He dropped down the order a little at the end but was more than happy to be just 0.723 seconds off Dani Pedrosa's pace. After the session he applied ice to his leg but he has no more pain than is to be expected and is looking forward to making more improvements tomorrow.    
    
Lorenzo - Position: 6th   Time: 1'23.224   Laps: 30
"Today wasn't a good session for me and I didn't feel so good on the bike. This isn't one of my favourite tracks and it's very different to the ones where I've won lately, so I think I need to make some changes to the way I'm riding the bike. I was fast at the start but then we didn't improve from the middle to the end and everyone else did. We have some work to do and our goal is to be competitive by Sunday."
    
Rossi - Position: 7th   Time: 1'23.244   Laps: 29
"I am really happy today, especially because I am a lot more agile on the bike than I was in the tests. 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."