Valentino Rossi Championship Hopes

30 November -0001

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Valentino Rossi has an uphill struggle if he is to retain his MotoGP title, even the effervescent Yamaha rider admits it.

Rossi is 46 points behind Nicky Hayden and 4 behind second placed Dani Pedrosa going into Sunday's British GP, and to add to this he is struggling with a wrist fracture.

This term Rossi, looking to record a sixth consecutive MotoGP world crown, finds himself in unfamiliar territory, rather than leading it, he is in the scramble to close the gap on the leaders..

Rossi can pick up comfort from the fact that although Hayden has managed to open up a 44-point gap to Pedrosa, he has only won one race, while Rossi has won three, including two of the last three.

Hayden's win came at Assen, a race that saw Rossi's race disrupted by ankle and wrist injuries suffered in a heavy fall in practice, but the Italian still managed eighth spot saying after the race that given a week to heal his inf=juries he can do much better.

Rossi is bouyant going into the Donington race saying that although he is not 100% the treatment had worked well and the only pain he was suffering was from his wrist, but now he dwas not having any movement problems.

Donington is a lucky track for Rossi the Italian lives in the UK and regards it as a second home race, and coupled with this the Yamaha team also do very well there.

Rossi must be hoping his run of bad luck is over having been on the end of more than most this season this added to the team seeming to have fixed the technical and China, and handling problems that have plagued him for the early part of the season things may be about to turn his way.

Yamaha will feel that their star rider is due a change of fortune soon, and that the sixth Championship is within their grasp after all Hayden's consistency may have in in the lead but the magic of Rossi and his ability to win races will surely close the gap rapidly.

If omens are anything to go by Valentino Rossi's lucky number is 46, and coincidently 46 is the points gap between the champion and the challenger at mid-stage.

The second half of the season starting on Sunday at Donington promises to be a fascinating affair

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