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His buccaneering racing style may not be to the taste of all his fellow MotoGP competitors, but Tony Elias believes that he has proved its effectiveness at this level.

Having narrowly failed to make the podium on home territory in the previous race at Jerez, the Spaniard has now moved up to fourth in the overall standings after finishing runner-up to Casey Stoner in the Turkish GP with a typically uncompromising display.

Elias was understandably delighted with both the result and his performance and he asserted that he had already confounded those critics who claimed the switch from 990cc racing would not suit his approach.

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He stated: "I'm pleased to see that my riding style, which many people said would be too aggressive for the new 800cc bike, can be effective and allow me to challenge for victories."

However, Elias did come in for strong criticism from Valentino Rossi for not racing in "the correct way" in Turkey, with the Yamaha man also branding him "dangerous" and accusing him of repeatedly passing him on the inside before altering his line.

The Honda rider has been something of a nemesis for Rossi in the past: his maiden MotoGP victory in last season's penultimate race in Portugal was at the Italian's expense, denying him crucial points in what proved to be an unsuccessful title defence.

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