Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi of Italy competes in the practice session at Losail International Circuit yesterday, ahead of the season’s start at Qatar MotoGP Grand Prix.
Bike legend Valentino Rossi is excited to launch his 24th season this week but the Yamaha giant says the line-up of teams in the MotoGP World Championship is ‘unbelievably strong’.
“The line-up of the world championship is unbelievably strong. Some of the factory bikes are very strong. During the (pre-season) tests, everybody more or less was very fast,” Rossi said at Losail International Circuit (LIC).
“If I have to pick now, there are at least seven or eight riders (who could be) on the podium (on Sunday),” Rossi added.
“We need to understand that it is a bit different during the race weekend but we have good riders out there. I can be stronger but Yamaha worked hard during the winter. We have to be faster than others,” Rossi, popularly known as ‘the Doctor’, added.
Rossi, winner of 89 Grands Prix in MotoGP, earlier this year turned 40 but the bike veteran sounded pumped to start the 2019 season tomorrow under lights at LIC.
“I am 40 years old (smiles). It is an important moment in my life. The first race of the season is like the first day at school. It is always interesting. You get to see all the riders in the paddock. The bikes, the new colors, everything,” Rossi said.
Rossi, who will partner Maverick Vinales at the Monster Energy Yamaha camp, said it was tough to predict the outcome at the season’s first race.
“It is difficult to say. There were good results last year. Apart from one race, we were on the podium a lot. But this depends on what happens in the practice. Maybe it is a podium race (for us).
“I don’t know. I am stronger than last year. Last year (it) was a good race (in Qatar). But you have to understand the conditions when it gets windy,” Rossi said.
Sitting next to 19-year-old rider Fabio Quartararo, Rossi said: “We were speaking a short while ago that he (Fabio) could be my son (laughs). He is very, very young. He is just 19. This also means he is two years younger than when I reached MotoGP.”
But the Italian legend, who finished third last season behind Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso, warned of expecting too much too soon.
“In MotoGP you arrive like a genius but after some reason you (could) lose the way. This is a very good chance (for Fabio) to demonstrate his ability. It is interesting because he is young. When I arrived, I was 21 so he is younger than me,” Rossi said.
“We have to understand that different riders can make a lot of difference but we can judge better after five or six races. The bike has improved as we worked in the winter but we have somethings to do. We have to be in the top. We have to be strong with the new tires,” he added.
In a special piece written for www.motogp.com, Rossi revealed he started following bike races at a ‘young age’
“I approached bikes at a very young age. My father was a rider and I always went with him when he was training or racing. I really liked being in the middle of the engines and for this reason my father put me on a motorcycle or a kart very soon. I always wanted to race and from that moment I’ve never stopped,” Rossi said in the article.
“I’ve always been on a motorcycle and I could not imagine doing anything else. If I wasn’t a motorcycle rider I would definitely want to be a sportsman.
“After many years of racing, I can say that being a rider has changed a lot over time. Today the riders are incredible athletes. Physical preparation has become fundamental. I like sports and I try to train so much while riding.
“On weekends when I’m not busy with MotoGP, I’m at the ranch with the guys in the VR46 Riders Academy. It’s good training and it helps me a lot for the physical preparation for the races. Above all it is fun. We often train with mini bikes, karts...anything with an engine,” he added.
“I ‘enjoy it as much as I did when I started. Adrenaline is always a lot, maybe that’s why I can’t go without it! I also do a lot of work in the gym but I prefer the bike, always!
“The routine on race weekends doesn’t bother me, on the contrary. Doing the same things, with a certain order, helps me keep my concentration high and to not forget anything,” he said.
