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Valentino Rossi has claimed that there has been a vast difference between his preparations for the forthcoming season of MotoGP racing and his 2006 preseason.

Last year, a poor performance in the final test at Jerez proved to be a bad omen for the Italian, who went on to make the podium only once in his first five outings of the season amid speculation that he was on the verge of a switch to Formula One.

Yet having been the fastest rider at the Spanish course this time around, Rossi is hoping to make a similarly improved start to the season and is eagerly anticipating the first race of 2007 in Qatar this weekend.

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He commented: "I like Qatar a lot, it's fast and fun to ride and I have won there twice.

"Of course, it's quite hot and dusty so tyre choice will be very important, especially with the new rules. The other key factor is going to be the fuel consumption - I think it is something everybody is worried about this season, but we are all in the same boat."

The 28-year-old cited young Dani Pedrosa as having been his most impressive rival in preseason, although he also expects defending champion Nicky Hayden, veteran Loris Capirossi and Yamaha teammate Colin Edwards to challenge for the title.

Rossi's performance at last month's trials in Qatar was highly impressive, as he topped the time sheets after the first two days before finally being edged into third place by Pedrosa and Suzuki's John Hopkins.

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