The Italian champion announced his retirement at the end of the season after more than a quarter of a century in the Motorcycle World Championship and the British TV channel BT took advantage of his visit to Silverstone to review his formidable career as a driver.
During the interview, Valentino Rossi was able to see some panels where the names of all his rivals appeared during the years he has raced in the premier class, which are a multitude, some of them great drivers of whom the #46 has a better or worse memory . Or you just don’t want to remember.
Little by little, Valentino was unraveling some anecdotes or experiences of those who were his rivals, such as the Brazilian Alex Barros , or his beloved teammate at the beginning in Yamaha, the North American Colin Edwards .
“From Barros I learned to brake and enter corners, he was a really fast driver. Colin is a very nice guy, I always had fun with him, also off the track. It’s a shame what happened with Nicky Hayden , he was a really good boy”, il dottore recalled about the deceased rider with whom he coincided in Ducati .
The list of drivers reached more modern eras, and the Italian stopped at two names in particular, with which he had battles on and off the asphalt.
“ Casey (Stoner) was one of the biggest talents, a tough driver to beat. For me, from the point of view of pure talent, he was unbeatable”, he assures of his former rival and with whom he had several clashes.
He also had them with his partner for seven years at Yamaha, Jorge Lorenzo , the first rider to beat him and win world championships with the same bike.
“Also Jorge was a fast rider and difficult to beat. I didn’t deserve a teammate with Lorenzo after all he had done for Yamaha . Maybe they could have put me a little slower, ”he said, perhaps remembering Edwards, who never bothered him when they coincided in the Japanese brand.
During the interview, Rossi had a moment of reflection when he came to the name of his great friend Marco Simoncelli , who sadly passed away in 2011, at the Sepang race and in an accident involving Valentino himself.
“A real disaster. Also because of the way everything happened. A great shame,” he said.
Already in the most modern era, and among other names, that of Marc Márquez emerged, six times MotoGP champion between 2013 and 2019 and with various pending accounts with the Tavullia star.
“Marc is a great rival and really a fast driver. One of the best. But I don’t feel comfortable on the track with him, he’s hard to beat”, he admitted before the journalist asked him how long it would take for them to sit down and talk and agree. “I think they still have to spend 20 or 30 years,” settled #46.
Rossi and Márquez in Jerez 2015, before the incident that confronted them
