Italy's Valentino Rossi was
able to savour one of the finest wins of his illustrious career
after storming from eighth place on the grid to claim victory at
the Argentine MotoGP Grand Prix on Sunday.
The 36-year-old Yamaha rider worked his way through the
field before overtaking world champion Marc Marquez on the
second-last lap and cruised to victory after the Spaniard
crashed out in the ensuing duel.
"Catching him lap by lap, I could see him far away but I
was coming closer and closer, it was a great taste," said
nine-time world champion Rossi, who tops the riders' standings
after winning the season-opening grand prix in Qatar and
finishing third in the second race in the United States.
"I overtook him as we were braking.
"But he is an all-or-nothing rider, he touched me in the
corner, then he touched me again as I was accelerating.
"I hope he's not hurt but I think it was his mistake.
"It's a shame because it could have been a great fight on
the last lap. In three races we have demonstrated we can be
competitive everywhere and fight for the championship".
Rossi, who wore the number 10 Argentina shirt of soccer
great Diego Maradona on the podium on Sunday, heads the overall
standings with 66 championship points, with fellow Italians and
Ducati riders Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone following with
60 and 40 points respectively.
Rossi's Spanish team mate Jorge Lorenzo is fourth on 37
points while Honda rider Marquez is fifth with 36.
The Yamaha rider bounced back last season, coming second
to 22-year-old Spanish ace Marquez, after several disappointing
campaigns, including two winless years at Ducati.
Changing his diet-and-fitness regime and bringing in
Silvano Galbusera as his crew chief after ending his long
relationship with Jeremy Burgess has helped bring him back to
peak form.
Rossi's win was the highlight of a good weekend for
Italian sport.
In Formula, Ferrari confirmed their status as Mercedes's
main rivals in the 2015 championship on Sunday, with Kimi
Raikkonen's second place in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix behind
world champion Lewis Hamilton.
It was the Finn's first appearance on the podium since
2013, when he was at Lotus, and first for Ferrari since 2009,
during his first stint at the Italian glamour team.
His team mate, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel,
came fifth after enduring a wing problem caused by a mistake
that took him into the gravel.
Ferrari are second in the constructors championship after
four races with 107 points, 52 behind Mercedes.
Vettel, who won the Malaysian Grand Prix and finished on
the podium of the other two races this season, is third in the
drivers' table with 65 points, 28 behind leader Hamilton, while
Raikkonen is fourth with 42 points.
And in tennis's Fed Cup, Italy completed a 3-2 win over a
United States team led by world number one Serena Williams on
Sunday to relegate the US to World Group II.
Williams won her two singles matches, but her team mates
lost theirs and she and partner Alison Riske lost to Sara Errani
and Flavia Pennetta in the decisive doubles rubber.
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