ROSSI DENIES POLE TOW PLANNED

Yamaha new boy Maverick Viñales assisted his future teammate Valentino Rossi with a slipstream during his Mugello pole position lap.

During the press conference following his pole winning performance Rossi refuted suggestion the move was planed saying he had simply been “lucky” to get a tow from Viñales.

Rossi’s two main championship rivals, Honda’s Marc Marquez and his own Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo both insinuated they felt the tow from Viñales, who will partner Rossi at Yamaha next year, had been a deliberate strategy organised between the pair. While not denying he had received a tow, Rossi said it was simply a case of being in the right place at the right time.

“I was lucky at the end to have the slipstream of Maverick to help me make the pole position,” Rossi said.
“When you are on track you always try to follow other riders, and when I try to follow Vinales, he’s not a rider who closes the throttle, he always continues to push.”

Rossi will start tonight’s Italian MotoGP race from the number one position ahead of Suzuki rider Maverick Viñales with Ducati’s Andrea Iannone third, Marc Marquez (Honda) fourth and defending champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) fifth.