Toseland sixth at Assen
JAMES Toseland had his best finish of the season in Saturday's MotoGP round seven, at Assen, Holland.
Kiveton rider Toseland roared back to form with an outstanding performance in one of the most intense battles witnessed in the 800cc MotoGP era, to claim a thoroughly deserved top six finish.
Toseland was embroiled in an incredible seven-rider battle for most of the race that captivated a crowd of 96,152 fans.
Adapting brilliantly to a new set-up inspired by Fiat Yamaha Team Director Masahiko Nakajima, Toseland moved into sixth place on lap 11 and produced a masterclass of riding under pressure to hold off the likes of Mika Kallio, Loris Capirossi and Nicky Hayden.
As the incredible battle unfolded to a gripping finale, Toseland slipped back to ninth on the last lap before he took advantage of a series of mistakes to claim his first top six finish of the season.
"I was a bit nervous on the start because I'd no experience with a new clutch set-up we were running," he said.
"The crash in the warm-up meant I didn't try it before the race, but I did a pretty good start but still lost three or four places."
"I knew I'd got a pretty good race set-up so just tried to stay calm and in the first couple of laps I took advantage of that to get into the top ten."
"It was an incredible battle for most of the race and I knew I wasn't much stronger than the rest and I knew if I got to the front that it wasn't going to be a case of me pulling away."
"I knew once I was at the front of the bunch that it would be a case of protecting it. That's exactly what I did but it was nearly all spoiled on the last lap."
"I was getting ready to pass Mika at the last corner when Elias came under me at Turn 10. That let Loris through too and I'd gone from sixth to ninth!"
"It was so chaotic I didn't even see Kallio crash and I thought when Elias dived under Loris at the last chic ane that they might run off."
"Fortunately for me they did and I took advantage of it, and leading that group for so long I think I deserved sixth."
"It has been great to work with Mr Nakajima and I feel quite privileged to have his help and it just shows that I'm still on Yamaha's thoughts and they want me to get up to speed."
The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team now moves to the American round in Laguna Seca next weekend, brimming with confidence.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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