New team breathes new life into Roccoli
Then Roccoli was made an offer by the Czech team and he immediately accepted this new adventure with enthusiasm. In the first three races he has always been in the points (9th, 8th and 14th) despite being on a 2008-spec Honda CBR 600 with no special electronics package.
At Assen Roccoli will have the 2009 version and his aim will be to get closer to the top positions or even the podium.
"This winter I hardly did any testing" declared Roccoli, "because I went down with flu at Portimao and it rained for three days. So the first three rounds of the world championship helped me to get dialed into the bike, especially after 7 years on a Yamaha. It went quite well, seeing as the first two rounds I got into the top 10 and I would have done the same at Valencia if I hadn't had a problem with the clutch at the start".
What differences are there between the Yamaha and the Honda?
"The Yamaha I raced was maybe a bit more difficult to set up and created a few problems for the tyres but it had a superb engine, something that the Honda doesn't have. But the Honda is better balanced and has better acceleration than the Yamaha."
What are your prospects for Assen and the rest of the season?
"At Assen, where I have bad memories after my big crash last year, we'll have the 2009 version of the CBR 600 and I hope to be a lot more competitive, even though I think a podium is a bit unrealistic for the moment. We need to do more work, but there's a lot of enthusiasm in the squad and I hope that if there is an opportunity then we can make the most of it. I don't really have any true aims for the moment other than always giving 110% and maybe be the first Italian to the finish".
