James Toseland has been receiving oxygen since he has been here because of a chest infection, but he has already provoked a sharp intake of breath from his MotoGP rivals after proving that he has a head for rarefied heights. Now, after a duet with a concert violinist last night, he plans to prove that he can again duel with the best in front of 200,000 fans at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Yorkshireman's MotoGP debut could scarcely have gone any better. He came sixth under lights in Qatar, kept pace with the likes of Valentino Rossi and proved that his bullish pre-season mood aboard the Tech 3 Yamaha was born of real substance. Even Rossi, the five-time champion who never wastes compliments, said: “I was surprised by James because Superbike racing is very different, but he understands the style of the bike.”

Toseland, twice a World Superbike champion, might have done better than sixth after reeling in Rossi in Qatar, but a dangerous last-lap manoeuvre in his maiden race would have been self-defeating. However, it did provide further intimations of Rossi's mortality. The Italian has bestrode MotoGP in the 21st century and will become the first man to achieve 100 podium finishes in the elite class if he manages another tomorrow, but the flip side to that is a prolonged barren spell. Should he fail to win in Jerez, it will be his fifth race without a victory, the longest drought since his first triumph at Donington Park in 2000.

Toseland was eighth in practice yesterday, but got off his bike and went straight to the medical centre for more antibiotics and oxygen. Two hours after the end of the session he was still there sleeping, but he is confident that a high temperature will not wreck his hopes. “To be eighth after the first day is fantastic because we've struggled a bit to set up the bike and the chest infection drained me of my energy,” he said. Illness notwithstanding, Toseland has a genuine chance to become the first Briton since Niall McKenzie 18 years ago to earn back-to-back top-six finishes.

Meanwhile, Rossi's insistence on having Bridgestone tyres on his Fiat Yamaha this season has added to the pressure on him after two years without a title. “The bike is competitive but I need a bit longer to understand how to manage the Bridgestone combination with the [bike],” he said.

He is still the biggest draw in MotoGP, but that status is being threatened here and, to add insult to ignominy, the man upsetting the applecart is his team-mate. Jorge Lorenzo, of Spain, is only 20 but he made his debut in the 125cc race here in 2003, having to sit out the first day of practice until he was 15, and was second on his debut in Qatar. This week, he went on national television to promote his biography. With Casey Stoner, 22, and the Ducati winning in the opening round and Dani Pedrosa, also 22, third on the Repsol Honda, Qatar saw the youngest podium in grand-prix history, a fact that will not have gone unnoticed by Rossi, who was second to Lorenzo in practice yesterday. A podium finish may be too much to ask of Toseland tomorrow, but Bradley Smith, from Oxford, has a real chance of becoming Britain's first 125cc winner for 35 years after making the provisional front row.

Explore More Sport

• Cycling

• Athletics

• Sailing

• US Sport