MotoGP: “we will have to wait 20 or 30 years for me to get along with him”: but who is Rossi talking about?

Valentino Rossi is on his last MotoGP tour and he still has six performances before he bows out. In Valencia, the curtain will fall definitively and his last teammate will have been Andrea Dovizioso in a final Petronas team which will also close its doors. The one who has done a lot for a Yamaha factory, also ready to discuss with him a new relationship in this approaching future, takes advantage of this epilogue to talk about his memories and give his feelings about the pilots he worked with and those they still meet on the track…

Valentino Rossi spoke about the drivers, former and current, who left their mark on him during the last British Grand Prix.

A special moment between the Italian star and the legendary star presenter Suzi Perry : Five minutes to collect the Doctor's comments in front of the list of 175 drivers who raced against him in the premier category. An exhaustive list which also shows the full extent and longevity of the Doctor's career since there are several generations... Let's start with the old ones:

“John McGuinness!” Yes, I am still in contact with him. »

Suzi Perry asks him if he would like to race the TT…

“It’s very similar to Panoramica, near Tavullia. Where we learned to race with a scooter, but it's not a track, it's a normal road, but it's similar to TT. But I don't want to race against him in the TT, he's too fast (laughs). »

Scrolling through the names, Valentino stops on that ofAlex Barros.
“Another one I want to talk about is Alex Barros, one of the drivers I learned from how to brake and enter corners, because he was very fast. »

The Doctor moves on to Colin Edwards...
“Colin Edwards is very funny, even off the track. I always have fun with Colin. And then there's Nicky Hayden. It's a shame because he was a very good guy. Gobert… Arf! The Go Show. I had a party with him in Rio… Difficult (laughs). Difficult, difficult, yes. Very difficult, but fun! It's hard to stay in his wake (laughs) but he was a good guy. »

Valentino Rossi then moves to the era of modern MotoGP and arrives at Casey Stoner et Jorge Lorenzo
“One of the most talented and hardest drivers to beat, because in my opinion, in terms of pure talent, he was unbeatable. And also Lorenzo. I didn't deserve a teammate like Lorenzo at Yamaha, after what I had done for Yamaha! I needed one a little slower (laughs). »

When the surname of Marco Simoncelli appears among the names, we can clearly see the emotion transforming the face of the Italian champion.
“Then there was Marco, SIC… Very bad… (silence)…, a disaster. Also the way… Really unfortunate. »

 

The reconciliation between Rossi and Marc Marquez will probably never take place

And then there is the subject Marc Marquez...

“Márquez… Márquez… Hey, Márquez is a great rival and he is very fast and very strong, one of the best. But with Márquez… (silence), I don’t feel very good. Hard to fight. »

Suzi Perry: “You still have to wait a little (to forget)…”
Valentino Rossi : “Yes, another 20 or 30 years (laughs). »  Might as well say never.

In his journey through time Red opens up about the future he sees in his pilots of the VR46 Riders Academy :

“I'm very proud of that, because at the end of the season, when I'm done, it's like something of me remains. Now they are real athletes, for what they do in their day, what they eat, how they sleep. So when you see them, they are better on the bike too. »

The interview ends with a question: what is the name of the only rider that Valentino Rossi has never beaten in a race?
Valentino Rossi :" Never ? No… You mean there's a driver here that I've never beaten in a race? Ah, ok, it’s possible, because this year I’m coming in behind (laughs)! Wait… Martin? No, I already beat him. Quartararo? No, because I beat him in the past. I don’t know…Gerloff? OK, he only did one race: Now I'm more relaxed (laughs). But I was in front at Assen… Before I crashed (laughs)! »