Valentino Rossi has his sights on another victory in Assen during this weekend Motul Grand Prix. This track was memorable for him because it is where he had his first victory after coming back to Telefonica Movistar Yamaha Racing in 2013.

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The 7-time MotoGp World Champion believed his teammate Jorge Lorenzo race potential on this track is on the same level as him. Improving his qualifying times becomes a necessity if he wants to stay at the top of the Championship ladder. Because after seven races into this MotoGP season, the Telefonica Movistar Yamaha Racing duo are now just separated by just a single point.

"Assen will be another very intense weekend," Rossi told Crash.net via Super Sports.com on Wednesday. "After seven races the difference between me and Jorge is just one point and to keep the first place I have to finish in front of him. It won't be easy because Jorge is in a great shape, but so am I. Jorge's and my potential are very similar."

With Lorenzo in perfect condition to topple him after the Assen race, Rossi made a point to have a better position on the gird if he wants to keep lead over his teammate. Another sub-par qualifying performance could be costly for Rossi since he has to pass and battle through the pack of riders to find a better position in front, while his Lorenzo has a wide lane ahead of him. The Spaniard has been on a groove lately, winning the last four races to put him in striking position.

Neither of them has a distinct advantage when it comes to race pace, as both of them rode the same machine and always performed well during the race. Even though it is a track suited for Yamaha, as the M1 usually working pretty well there, Rossi is expecting a very intense race against their rivals - including his Spanish teammate on Saturday.

"First we must improve our qualifying and we will work on making a better start to the race in Assen." He added. "I like Assen, it's a nice circuit. I did some good races there in the past and usually our bike is working really well, so it will be another important race. I'm sure our rivals will do everything they can to fight for the victory and we have to keep our eyes out for them."

TagsValentino Rossi, Assen, Motul Grand Prix, Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, Yamaha Racing