Source: Supplied.

Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi will be eager to turn his fortunes around when MotoGP resumes at Jerez this month, following an uncharacteristic crash out of Sunday’s Grand Prix of the Americas event.

The race got off to a less than ideal start for Rossi as the Italian burnt his clutch off the line. He made decent progress in the opening corners to slot into third, but was forced to ease his pace in order to allow the clutch to recover.

Rossi’s feeling with the bike was coming back and he began to increase his pace, but unfortunately entered turn two a little too fast, crashing out of his first race since the Aragon GP in 2014. Some hope was offered in these opening laps as Rossi proved he was able to once again stay in the podium battle.

“It’s a shame because at the start unfortunately I burnt the clutch,” Rossi said. “I was third but the clutch slipped a lot, so I had to go slow to try and recover the clutch and I lost some positions. At the same time I was not so far, I felt good with the bike, we worked well during the weekend and I felt fast.

“I had the feeling the clutch was coming back already, but I entered turn two, I didn‘t feel from the bike I was too fast, but looking at the result maybe I was. It’s a shame because we lost some points in the championship and also because we could make a good race. The positive side is that we are strong and very fast, so we will be ready for Jerez.”

Failing to score for the first time in 25 races not only ends an impressively consistent streak, but also sees the Movistar Yamaha rider drop to third in the standings. After three rounds, Rossi has 33 points, half of what Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) has at the top of the championship table.