Reigning MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi is happy with his second-place finish in the season opener in Qatar on Monday and remains confident on his chances of retaining his title in the long season ahead.
The nighttime race was to have been held on Sunday but it got washed out due to torrential downpour which flooded the track.
Ducati's Casey Stoner, the 2007 world champion, had pole position and led the race from start to finish while Rossi's Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo placed third.
Speaking after the race, Rossi, who was also second at the starting line, said ''this was a good start to the season, much better than last year,'' when his finished fifth in a race also won by Stoner.
''This year I knew I needed a good start in order to keep up with Stoner but unfortunately I didn't get one and I lost time fighting with Lorenzo and (Loris) Capirossi and by the time I got by them Stoner was gone,'' the eight times world champion recalled.
Rossi was passed at the start by Capirossi and Lorenzo but he got by his teammate at the end of the first lap and put the Suzuki rider behind in the third lap.
''The middle of the race was fun and I had six or seven good laps which allowed me to close the gap, although I knew I couldn't keep up that pace because it was too hard on the tires,'' Rossi added.
''Casey was very strong but he's always fast here. I think we've got good potential and we can fight back in Japan in two weeks,'' the Yamaha rider predicted.
Yamaha team manager Daniele Romagnoli was also pleased with the first race's results but added that ''it's clear we have some hard work to do to close the gap. What we needed to do is improve our setting and that will be our goal for Japan''.
Aside from Rossi and Lorenzo, Yamaha also picked up fourth pace on Monday with former factory rider Colin Edwards, who now rides for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team.
Stoner's Ducati teammate, 2006 world champion Nicky Hayden, was only 12th on Monday.
