Toseland impresses boss with top six finish
Added on Monday, July 27th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Toseland impresses boss with top six finish
James Toseland was in upbeat mood following his sixth place finish at Donington Park as he continues to ride for his MotoGP future.
With speculation surrounding the British rider’s Tech 3 Yamaha future, with World Superbikes rider Ben Spies hotly tipped to join up with the Tech 3 team for 2010, Toseland was just two corners away from recording his best ever MotoGP finish.
In the end, the former World Superbikes champion was forced to settle for sixth place after losing out in a thrilling last lap battle with championship leader Valentino Rossi but more than atoned for last year’s disaster, impressing team boss Herve Poncharal in the process.
“I don’t know where to start after a race like that,” said Toseland. “It was so difficult for the entire race to gauge how much rain was falling and where it was falling and it took incredible concentration.
“With some of the other guys stopping to switch bikes, I made up a few places and was fifth for the final few laps and thinking I was going to get my best ever MotoGP result. That would have been amazing to do that in front of my home crowd, who were absolutely magnificent with their support today. But at the end Valentino (Rossi) came through so strong on the last lap. He passed me at The Esses but I managed to dive back under him, but he was phenomenal on the brakes at the Melbourne Loop. I wasn’t going to try and do anything that might take us both out but it’s another sixth place and it definitely makes amends for the big disappointment of last year.”
Poncharal was full of praise for his under-pressure rider in what was a good weekend for the Tech 3 team.
“He was under a lot of pressure in front of his crowd after the disappointment of last year but today we saw he can handle it in really difficult conditions,” said the Frenchman. “It would have been great for him to have held off Valentino for his best MotoGP result because he deserved it for the way he rode. But I have nothing but praise for both of them today.”
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