Austin, MotoGP, J0, Valentino Rossi conference: Crutchlow's penalty, the handshake with Márquez, the bumps, etc. (Entirety)

The press conference ahead of the Grand Prix of the Americas brought together Marc Márquez, Andrea Dovizioso, Valentino Rossi, Álex Rins, Jack Miller and Joe Roberts.

As usual, we report here the raw words of Valentino Rossi, without the slightest journalistic interpretation.

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How has the last week been since your performance in Argentina? Did you rest and think about the last race?

Valentino Rossi : “when you have a good result or a podium, one of the good things that happens the following week is that you can be happy and more relaxed. Yes, I stayed at home and tried as much as possible to prepare for this race. It is one of the most special circuits of the season, perhaps the most difficult, the most technical, long, with elevation changes and 20 turns, and therefore there is a long distance to finish a lap. In recent years, it wasn't so bad. It wasn't great last year even though I was pretty strong. But we will try our best.”

Your last performances here have been pretty good, but what has changed since that wasn't the case in 2013 and 2014?

“Yes, I was very slow the first year. I needed a little more time to understand the track, but already in 2014 it wasn't so bad. I had a problem with the front tire during the race but I was pretty fast. I made a few podiums and in 2017 I finished 2nd behind Marc. It's difficult because it's a very tricky track where there are a lot of secrets and a lot of places where you can lose a lot. But generally our bike is not bad, so we will try to be strong.”

Is the only possibility of beating Marc Márquez on Sunday if he encounters a problem?

“Yes, so far the figures show that Marc is unbeatable because he has always won. But it's also okay that you don't leave home thinking it's impossible to beat. You're always trying to find a way to improve, to be stronger and to come in front.”

What is your opinion on the penalty that was given to Cal Crutchlow in Argentina?

“For me, the only way to have a clear rule is to say “you cannot move before departure”. Because if you start talking about having won something, or how much you can move, it becomes very difficult. I saw the camera footage of Cal's wheel and I've never seen that before. Maybe it existed before, but for sure it is very precise. Cal didn't win anything, but if you look at this camera, you see he's moving a little bit. Tomorrow after racing we can talk about the penalty, because after the race Cal said that going through the pitlane costs you 35 seconds. So it's over. Maybe you could do the Long Lap. I don't know, but the rule is you can't move. So that’s how it is.”

The changes were made to the surface this year in an attempt to eliminate the bumps. What do you think ?

“Yes, it’s a real shame because the circuit is fantastic. But it's also quite new so the track suffers a lot, as far as the bump problem goes, maybe from something coming from underground. This is a problem because in 3 or 4 places, they are very, very big. I haven't checked the track yet so we have to see, because the last years they tried to do something about the bumps, but unfortunately they didn't improve. But it's like that. We have to check and maybe tomorrow it will be better.”

We saw that you trained with a Minibike in Italy, after Argentina. What does this bring you?

“Yes, we sometimes train with small motorcycles, RMU 75cc 2-strokes. It's an Italian factory that makes them and they're a bit like MiniGP. We train on a track that is a bit similar to the one in Austin, near Forli, with a lot of elevation changes. But this is not a special training for here. It's just that we're always trying to do different things, and I think it's a good way to practice and have fun. But it wasn’t particularly for Austin.”

You also broke the MotoRanch record. How did you do it, and are you able to transpose this for MotoGP?

“(Laughs) I hope so! I don't know. On our track, it depends a lot on the conditions because they change a lot. Sometimes conditions are perfect if it rained 2 days before, as it did on Thursday. Then on Friday there wasn't much sun and it was cloudy. So on Saturday, as usual in this case, the material which covers the track had a different color and another grip. During the year, there are 3 or 4 days where you have these perfect conditions. And that's good because when you realize it's the right day, everyone tries to beat the clock. It was a good fight, especially with Baldassarri, but towards the end I was faster. So that means I'm in good shape, but I don't know it will be the same during the weekend. We’ll try.”

Between the race in Argentina and the podium, it was good to see you shake hands with Marc Márquez. How did this happen and why at that time?

“It was the right moment, and I congratulated him because he had a very good weekend and a very fast race. So I think it was normal.”

You're usually not very fast during qualifying. Does this affect you?

“It’s something I’ve more or less had throughout my career. Normally I am stronger in the race than in qualifying. This comes from different factors, but the most important one is the race. It's a different mental approach because it's long and you have to drive in a different way. Generally, during a lap you need to be 100% focused and try to get the most out of the bike and tires. And usually we're all very close, so if you don't do the perfect trick, you're not on the front lines. But it is very important to start at least from the first 6 positions, because then you are already with the leading group, and if you make a good start, you can be in the first 4 or 5. It's then a different style of racing because if you start from behind, it's more difficult. But anyway, if you have a good pace, as usually the race is long, you can climb back up. But of course, it’s more important to start from the front.”

Social Media Question: What is your favorite memory of Nicky Hayden?

“I have a lot of good memories with Nicky and I remember very clearly when I first saw him. We were in Tokyo because in 2003 I was in the Repsol Honda team. He came from America and he was my teammate. I remember we were waiting for him at Tokyo station. I was with Uccio and some Japanese guys from Honda, and he really arrived with an American style. It was a bit like he came from another planet (laughs). Afterwards, we took the train and Nicky started asking lots of questions. He spoke with a very thick American accent and it was difficult for me to understand. He asked lots of questions like “why are we taking the train? » ou “How long will this last?” ». I told him : “Nicky, some advice. Don't ask a lot of questions, or hope it ends as soon as possible.". (Laughs). He agreed with me and that was the first memory.”