Seventh heaven for Rossi?
Valentino Rossi has got his competitors worried following his return to winning ways at Le Mans.
Rossi's resurgence hasn't just given his fellow riders headaches; the bookies are also taking no chances on the mercurial Italian and have made him odds on favourite to win the Italian GP at Mugello this weekend.
Rossi's win in Le Mans, his 90th World Championship victory, was not simply about equaling Angel Nieto's record; it was also about a fantastic return to form for the 29-year-old.
Coming into the Shanghai race on May 4th, Rossi was on a seven race streak without a victory, the longest in his MotoGP career. His fantastic return to the top step of the podium was a demonstration of his class however, and his win at Le Mans was a vintage performance from the former champion.
Rossi will no doubt be confident of making it three from three this weekend at his home Grand Prix. Incredibly, the Italian has won for the past six years at the circuit, despite the quality of the opposition he has faced.
Despite his amazing record, Rossi is not taking this year's event lightly, in fact, the Yamaha rider stayed at Le Mans for two extra days of testing to make sure his steadily improving Bridgestone tyres are at their best for the race.
"We had a good test after Le Mans and did a lot of hard work with Bridgestone and on the general setting of our bike, so hopefully we have been able to improve our package even further" said Rossi.
"Everyone knows that Mugello is one of my favourite tracks; I've won there six times in a row and now I want to make it seven!"
As always Rossi will be looking to put on a good show for his Italian fans, particularly those in the special "Rossi Grandstand" set up each year.
The MotoGP legend has remained tight-lipped on his plans for Sunday, particularly those regarding any post-race celebrations or a special helmet design he will likely wear over the weekend.
"It's my home race and also the home race for a lot of our team and to race there is always something very special." commented Rossi.
"I hope the weather is good - for us and for all the fans - and then hopefully we can have a big Italian party!"
The passionate Italian fans will no doubt be willing to oblige when the grid lights go out in the Tuscan hills on Sunday, particularly as Rossi currently leads the rider standings from Spaniards Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa.