Rossi : Season start here

Fresh from taking an emotional victory at Mugello two weeks ago, Valentino Rossi heads to this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona with the impression that his 2006 campaign really starts here as a new Yamaha M1 chassis introduced at Le Mans has enabled him to find his true form.

The Italian was back to his confident best at Mugello after converting his first front row start of the season into a memorable victory, and with the M1 now to his liking, the Doctor is eager to continue that form into the three back-to-back races in Catalunya, Assen and Donington - three circuits at which he has dominated in past years.

"We have finally arrived where we should be with the bike. It worked really well at the Mugello test and now I think we've really shown that we can fight at the front," said Rossi, who is also aiming to become only the second rider after Mick Doohan to pass the 2000 point mark by finishing second or better.

"This championship is very balanced between Ducati and Honda and Yamaha and the other riders are at a great level so it was very important for us to win at Mugello," he added. "Now we have an eleven race championship and we have to be on the podium at every round."

The Italian, who could also surpass the 2000-point barrier should he finish second or better, heads to Spain with a 34-point deficit to championship leaders Nicky Hayden and Loris Capirossi.