Friday MotoGP practice in Austin saw Honda debut its ver🔯sion of Ducati's rear swingarm 'tyre cooler'.

HRC - along with Suzuki, KTM and Apriliဣa - had previously protested the device on the grounds that it was mainly for aerodynami💃c purposes.

However the device was confirmed as legal after evidence from Ducati showed the tyre temperature 168澳洲5最新开奖结💦果:reducing by up to seven degrees in Qatar.

The Honda device has apparently been cleared on the grounds of swingarm 'stiffness', although Marc Marquez stated the difference it creates as 'dow🌌nforce. It's an aerodynamic thing'.

Yamaha was the only manufacturer not involved on either side of the protest, and credited by Ducati as inspiration for the cooler due to its swingarm spray𒈔 deflector for wet weather races last year.

Valentino Ross🐎i, currently third in the world championship for Yamaha, now wants the🦹 factory to produce a tyre cooler for his M1.

"For me it's something that can be quite important for us, because it can help the rear tyre to have a little bit less temperature, like Ducati said, a little bit cooler. And it's good especially in the race," said Rossi, after being third fastest ꩵin Friday practice.

"So I push Yamaha to have something similar. Because we already have this [spray deflector] in the wet. But I hope that I can try. I don't think that this makes the difference, I think it's small things, b🧜ut maybe it can be a small help."

When might he get it?

"Ah, I don't know," he shurugged. "I hope during this year, because anyway, we need to continue to🏅 work, because in the last years also, with Yamaha, we started well at the beginning of the season, but then Honda and Ducati improved, and we didn't.

"So also from this point of view, ൩we have to try to improve test by test during the season."

One area where Rossi knows Yamaha cannot gain much ground d𝓀ಞuring the season, due to the technical rules, is closing the top speed deficit to Honda and Ducati.

"For me, anyway we work well. We are working in the right direction, and we have a good group of engineers and people around this year. But the work is long, because we lost time in the last two years. So we need tౠime.

"The bike is not very fast in the straight, but in some other areas, we improved. So we know that the engine is closed [sealed]. So for this year, it will be like this. So wit💝h a long straight, maybe we suffer.

"But we have to work on the corners, and try t🥃o take our strong point."

While his bike might be gasping a little on theဣ straight, Rossi himself is in better physical shape.

"I am better this year because I can train more by running," s🐈aidᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ the 40-year-old. "Because last year, I had still some pain in the leg. So I have to go with the bicycle, but I felt pain if I went running. This winter I can run because I feel good, and I am better. But also I think that the bike is improved compared to last year."

The Italian added of hꦓis 5-2 finishes so far this season:

"We found a quite good balance of the bike on Sunday morning in Qatar. And from that moment, I was not so bad. Also in Qatar I did a good race. From that moment I felt comfortable on ඣthe bike, and also in Argentina we didn't change a lot and I was not so bad. And also here.

"For me, anyway we have to work a littl༺e bit on the balance, because with the race tyres, I'm not fantastic. I have for me five riders which are faster than me. So especially Márquez and Viñales, who are stronger. But we have a good base to work on anyway, and with the soft tyre I did a good la🐷p."

Rossi's team-mate Maverick Vinales was fastest i꧙n Friday practice at COTA, with world champion Marc Marquez second for Honda.