Rossi getting up to speed

VALENTINO Rossi feels he is getting stronger with every passing day after his remarkable return to the MotoGP World Championship at Sunday's German Grand Prix.

The 31-year-old Fiat Yamaha rider finished fourth at the twisty Sachsenring circuit just six weeks after suffering a compound fracture of his right shin during practice for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. The nine-time world champion was widely expected to be on the sidelines for up to five months, but he confounded medical opinion to come within a few hundred yards of a podium finish.

"I was so happy to be back in Sachsenring and to be fighting for the podium, even though I just missed out, was more than we could have hoped for," he said. "I still have some pain in my leg but I am growing stronger every day."