Valentino Rossi continues his healing and already seems to be on track, the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix arrives this weekend and will be his second race back from injury, following an exciting fourth position at Sachsenring last weekend.

The Italian challenged with Casey Stoner for the last podium finish in Germany right up to the final corner on the last lap, Rossi states, “I was so happy to be back in Sachsenring and to be fighting for the podium, even though I just missed out, was more than we could have hoped for.”

“I still have some pain in my leg but I am growing stronger every day and I hope this week that I will be in better shape once again and I can try to improve a little bit more. Laguna is different to anywhere else we go but it's always great fun to ride there and the last two years I've had great races," adds the 31 year-old.

Team Manager for Fiat Yamaha, Davide Brivio, commented that the goal is a top three finish this weekend, this would be an excellent result given Rossi’s continuing return to full strength fitness.

"We are arriving in the US after an incredibly exciting weekend at Sachsenring, when we not only enjoyed having Valentino back but also got to see him ride an amazing race so soon after his injury,” says Brivio. “You never know what will happen with him!”

He adds, “Our target this time is the podium, so we will work with this in mind. We also need to try to improve some areas of our bike because our plan is to have a really good end of the season when he's back to full fitness."