01 October,2009 09:15 AM IST | | PA Sport
Valentino Rossi is ready to get back to business after a three-week break as the MotoGP world championship heads to the seaside resort of Estoril for the Portuguese Grand Prix.
The Italian, a five-time champion in the top class, holds a 30-point lead over Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo with four rounds of an absorbing championship battle remaining.
Rossi heads to Estoril on the back of his dominant victory in the last round of the championship, the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano. He had the legs on his younger team-mate throughout round the sun-drenched Rimini track and now feels ready to get on with the job of capturing his sixth title.
"It was great to go away for the break after winning in Misano and with a good championship lead and I have enjoyed having three weeks off, but now I am ready to return to work," he told crash.net.
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"We're in the final stage of the championship and we have a strong position but, as we've seen throughout this season, anything can happen and we know that the championship is far from over yet.
"The next three races are all good tracks for us and my team and I will aim to get as many points as possible each time and then we will see where we are in Valencia!"
This weekend will also see 2007 world champion Casey Stoner return to racing having missed the last three rounds as he struggled to get over an illness that caused him to suffer severe fatigue while racing.
Doctors were unable to diagnose the Australian with a specific illness but it is believed that low blood pressure and low sodium levels were the reason for the problems the 23-year-old experienced.
"I'm definitely looking forward to the race weekend," said Stoner. "Having three races off is the biggest period away from racing in my life. It was very difficult to accept the advice of the doctors to stop racing.
"In the past I have raced even when injured, like in the last few races of the 2008 season when my wrist was broken, but this time it was really not possible and of course I felt very sorry for the team.
"Now I'm looking forward to getting back together with the team and everyone and I hope I'll be able to be more competitive than I was in the past, but we will have to wait and see."
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