Valentino Rossi: “Jorge Lorenzo will certainly be very strong next year”

Vale knows Ducati very well, having ridden for the brand in 2011 and 2012. He also knows nothing about Lorenzo, whose teammate he was for seven years at Yamaha from 2008 to 2010, then more recently from 2013 to 2016. He is therefore able to analyze the effectiveness of the union of the two parameters, which he was able to evaluate closely this season.

First of all, according to Rossi, we must compare what is comparable: “ When I was racing for Ducati, you couldn't ride the bike » he said during a casual conversation during the Monza Rally. Begun in 2002, Ducati's efforts only really bore fruit when Casey Stoner, who had ridden a Honda at LCR in 2006, arrived in Bologna and became World Champion in his first year on the Desmosedici in 2007. Second in the Championship in 2008, he finished fourth the following two years, then left for Honda at the end of 2010.

Rossi arrived at the Reds in 2011 and experienced the least rewarding period of his career there, with only one podium (third at Le Mans), then two the following year (second at Le Mans and at Misano). He finished sixth and seventh in the Championship, the worst results of his career.

We had to wait until 2016 for Ducati to win a new GP with the victory ofAndrea Dovizioso in Sepang. The coming of Luigi Dall'Igna wasn't there for nothing. “ This year Ducati has won six Grands Prix with Dovizioso, which means the bike is good, believes Rossi. It's difficult to compare with the 2011-2012 era because when I rode for Ducati, the bike was much worse ».

Valentino knows that in 2018 the danger will come from Lorenzo: “ Jorge will definitely be very strong next year. He is still very strong ". The Spaniard has been on the podium three times this year with the Ducati. He didn't win any races, but preferred to discover the machine and adapt to it rather than immediately attacking like a crazy person and risking injury, possibly seriously.

What is Rossi's best memory of 2017? “ I would say Assen, winning is always special ". And for Yamaha? “ We must always give our all, because our goal is always to fight for the championship. It won't be easy, because our opponents are very strong and we have to catch them with Yamaha. We have to work hard and we will try. The final test allowed us to move in the right direction. Now everything is on hold until February. I would like a strong motorcycle. »

At the Monza Rally, Alby (Albi Tebaldi), Rossi's right-hand man, said he could not imagine MotoGP without Vale. Some even argue that a World Championship without Valentino would be like the World Cup without Italy. “ I like this comparison – concludes Rossi with a smile – We will try to continue a little longer.”