Will Valentino Rossi prove he is still a MotoGP force in this weekend's German Grand Prix?

WITH a win under his belt and a spring in his step, MotoGP star Valentino Rossi now races with a different question over his head.

Valentino Rossi

TWO weeks ago, the repeatedly-asked question "will Valentino Rossi ever win another MotoGP race" was finally answered.

At Assen, the nine-times world champ unleashed the kind of winning performance that saw him rack up 80 premier-class wins, and made him a household name.

Media and fans are now no longer speculating if the end of Rossi's career is nigh.

It is different question that hangs over the Italian's head as the championship heads to the Sachsenring circuit in Germany this weekend.

"Was it a flash in the pan, or is "The Doctor" back to his best?"

All signs are pointing towards him at least being more competitive than he was earlier this year.

"I'm going to Sachsenring with a new spirit," Rossi said ahead of the race weekend.

"I am very happy for the Holland race. Now I want to keep it going like that."

The cheeky 34-year-old has had a renewed spring in his step since returning to Yamaha in 2013, after two dire years aboard an uncompetitive Ducati.

But for all the fireworks of his second place at the opening round in Qatar, Rossi still didn't look like the dominant force he once was aboard Yamaha's M1.

A test session at Aragon, held straight after the Catalunya Grand Prix, appears to have cured at least one of his ills.

Although Rossi immediately felt much more 'at-one' with the M1 than the troublesome Desmosedici, he didn't quite feel at ease under hard braking.

Following a day's hard yakka with mercurial chief mechanic Jeremy Burgess working his magic at Aragon, Rossi's braking woes seemingly looked cured at Assen.

"We also want to confirm at Sachsenring the step we’ve made with the bike," Rossi said.

"We must continue to improve the bike, as we have done after testing at Aragon, because now we want to try to fight for important positions.

"We want to stay with the top guys every weekend."