Italian star goes into China race in unaccustomed position (ANSA) - Shanghai, May 12 - Italian MotoGP ace Valentino Rossi goes into Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix eager to prove he has not lost the winning ways which have given him seven world titles .

Having won only one race out of three so far this season, Rossi is trailing four other riders in the championship standings - a position he has not been in for years .

But after making some adjustments to his bike and clocking the fastest time in Friday's rainy practice sessions, the Yamaha rider seemed to fancy his chances at the weekend .

"Today was much better, finally I was able to ride the bike at 100%. The bike felt good in the rain and I'm confident it will perform well in the dry too," he said .

Rossi won the Shanghai race last year thanks to a masterful performance in rainy conditions. If he repeats the feat this year - and his rivals perform poorly - the 25 points could put him back in his customary place at the top of the standings .

He is only 12 points behind leader Nicky Hayden of Honda. But the 27-year-old has been symbolically knocked off his perch in the early season. He failed to win the season opener in Spain for the first time in six years, wiping out at the start .

After a win in Qatar, he then had to settle for fourth place in Turkey .

The result is that he no longer appears as invincible as he once did .

"At least six riders can contend for the title this year," he said at a pre-race press conference, admitting that he still had "a lot of problems" with his bike .

Pundits note that Rossi's problems are making for a more interesting season .

Above Rossi in the standings are Marco Melandri (Honda) and Loris Capirossi (Ducati), two Italian riders who would be happy to take over the mantle of Italy's king of MotoGP. Australia's Casey Stoner (Honda) is also ahead of him .

Rossi, who will be starting his 101th race in the top grand prix class on Sunday, has won motorcycling's flagship title for the last five years in a row, first on a 500cc bike and then with its 1,000cc replacement .