Valentino Rossi: The Doctor Episode 5
Monster Energy releases the fifth and final episode of the Valentino Rossi: The Doctor series. This episode explores the VR46 offices and staff, in his hometown of Tavullia, and the training of young riders at the VR46 Ranch. Staff:
Valentino first believes that the merchandising is the link between the sportsman and his fans. He gave us very few rules. The first one is ‘never compromise on quality”.
Austria MotoGP Test
Rossi improves from ninth to fifth on the final day of MotoGP testing at the Red Bull Ring, in Austria. The race will take place August 12-14.
I raced here in ’96-’97 – a lifetime ago! – but the track was the same and it’s a great feeling [to be back]…It is a particular type of track. Very, very fast and you stay a lot of time at full throttle. There are just nine corners but sincerely speaking I like the track and it’s good to ride. But unfortunately on the performance side it is not our track, because usually we suffer a bit with top speed and in the straight we lose quite a lot. We were able to improve the lap times and our position today and we’re a little bit closer to the top guys. But it will be a very difficult race, especially with some of our factory rivals; they are faster than us.
Supports pit-to-bike radio
After his poor results in Assen and Germany, Rossi says he supports pit-to-bike radio communication.
It’s not Formula One, but for sure now if we can have direct communication with the pit box it can be a lot more easy. Sometimes with the pit board it is difficult, for example if you take Assen, if they say to me that I have already two seconds of advantage, I just have to slow down and I can avoid the mistake. So if it’s possible have a radio, I don’t know why we don’t have. Maybe the cost, but can be important to have yes.
However, Marc Marquez disagrees, saying he cannot imagine leaning into a corner at 200 miles per hour and somebody speaking.
German GP: 8th place
0 CommentsRossi comes eighth in the German GP at Sachsenring. Rossi took second place early in the race, dropping to third until he retakes second behind Andrea Dovizioso, when race leader Danilo Petrucci crashed out. As the track dries out, Rossi delays his tyre change on lap 23 of 30, resulting in a drop in places to eighth. Marc Marquez wins the race, having decided to change to slicks earlier than any other rider.
It’s a great shame because I think that we can be competitive in a dry race and also in a normal wet race I can fight for the victory. But unfortunately it stopped raining and became dry. So we lost a good opportunity to make good points. The biggest problem was that I was very slow in the second part of the race with the intermediate on the drying track. I had no feeling with the bike. I was very, very slow in the first lap, ten seconds, because I didn’t feel the bike. I didn’t feel the tyres.
Third place on grid
Rossi takes third place on the grid for the German GP, behind Marc Marquez in pole and Hector Barbera in second place.
I’m very lucky to remain in the front row because unfortunately I wasn’t able to improve with the second tyre because I was stuck in traffic. Usually one or two people improve with the second tyre and you finish [the session] seventh. But fortunately I was able to stay on the front row, it’s a good place to start the race.
‘All the Yamahas are struggling’
Rossi begins the German MotoGP weekend in 14th place after Friday practice. Unexpectedly cold conditions seemed to hit all of the Yamaha riders, with his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo down in 16th after being one of five riders to fall at Turn 11. Rossi:
It was a difficult day because the weather was very bad. This made everything more difficult, and also more dangerous, because also the soft option for the front [tyre] is a bit too hard for this temperature. This morning, I had a quite good feeling, but after it started to rain. In the afternoon, we tried something different and also I have to work only with used tyres, rear and front. But anyway, our potential is nothing special. Looks like today, all the Yamahas are struggling with the front. We don’t have enough feeling with the front, especially on the right, especially at Turn 11, but also on the other right corners. At the end, I wasn’t able to make a lap pushing at 100%. So I am in a bad position…This track is a particular track because it’s very tight, especially the first part and it is the only place where you stay 25 seconds on the left. And sincerely, it is physically very demanding, because staying for a long time on the left is difficult. Also the track is short and you have to do 30 laps in the race. But for me Assen, or other big and fast tracks, are more difficult. In the end, this track is not so bad, the bigger problem is it goes left, left, left… and then right. So every lap we arrive [at turn 11] is very scary. Apart from that, the rest is good, I like the track.
GoPro sponsorship
GoPro announces that it will sponsor Rossi. Fans will be able to witness never-before-seen content of Vale’s life outside of MotoGP. Rossi will don the GoPro logo for the first time at the GoPro Grand Prix of Deutschland. GoPro:
It’s an honor to welcome Valentino to the GoPro family. He is a racing icon and we are very excited to help him share more of his world to both the GoPro audience and his adoring fans.
Rossi:
I am excited to partner with GoPro, not only because of the strength of their brand, but also because it will help me capture all of the things I love to do both on and off the track.
Marquez: Rossi not far enough behind
Marquez says that Rossi is still a factor in the Championship.
Jorge is at the moment the strongest one, because he is the closest one in the championship. He is second and will be really strong in the second half of the season, so we need to take care about him. But also not forget Valentino, [the gap’s] far but not far enough. Like we saw last races, he was very strong, and it will be hard to manage this distance.
‘I Really Want To Get Back On Track’
Rossi says he is confident of success at the German GP.
I really want to get back on track. Over these last few days I‘ve rested at home, but now I want to leave for the race at Sachsenring. In Assen we worked well throughout the weekend and we were really fast, both in wet and dry conditions, but the race was not very lucky for us. At the Sachsenring circuit we will have to work well as we have been doing during all weekends this season. We are fast and I‘m comfortable with the YZR-M1 and with the Michelin tyres. I like this track and Sunday I will do my best to make it a good race.
Rossi: Michelin ‘behind schedule’ with wet tyres
Rossi says the high number of crashes in rainy conditions in MotoGP this year will be reduced once Michelin can develop its wet-weather tyres.
With the wet tyres, Michelin right now is where it was with the slicks back in March. After that they worked and improved a lot on the front tyre. With the wet tyres they are behind schedule. These tyres have a lot of grip on the rear and very little on the front, exactly the opposite to the Bridgestones we had last year.We were used to putting a lot of pressure on the front end and that’s why now, as soon as we push the Michelins, we are asking too much of them and the front shuts down.
Master Camp students graduate
After a morning racing minibikes at the Jeepers Kart & Pit Bike circuit on minibikes, the Master Camp attendees are given a tour of the VR46 business headquarters where they take part in a graduation ceremony, where the five riders were handed their official Yamaha VR46 Master Camp certificate of accomplishment and gifts from VR46, which included the newly released MotoGP game. Rossi:
I’m really happy with how the first Yamaha VR46 Master Camp went. The guys were really excited today. Understandably they are tired because of the intense training, but they are happy. They had fun during these five days but above all I hope they will bring home some things they learned from the VR46 Riders Academy, not only the knowledge and skills but also the mentality. It was a great experience also for the Academy riders and all those who were involved in the organisation, the Master Camp has been a success.
Valentino Rossi: The Doctor Series Episode 4
I race always with number 46. It’s important for the fans to recognize. I see a lot of babies love 46 because it’s yellow.
Takes Master Camp riders to Misano
The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp riders spend the day on the nearby Misano circuit for some asphalt laps on Yamaha YZF-R3 bikes. The pupils ride against Rossi, the VR46 Academy Riders and other guests, before being given some clear track time for themselves in a timed practice session.
Again another great day together with the riders of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp. This time we found ourselves at the Misano World Circuit, and these were three hours of very intensive training. Some of the VR46 Academy riders have followed the Asian riders on the track and at the end of the day I saw them riding really well. I too have crossed some of them on the track during training and I was impressed with how well they are picking up on our teachings. [Friday] is the last day of Master Camp. We will end this very exciting week in a really nice way: on track with minibikes!
Master Camp Day 3: Dirt track racing
After two days cardio and strength training, the Master Camp youth rider race on The Ranch’s flat track/ Rossi:
We are only at the halfway point of the first Yamaha VR46 Master Camp and already I see the guys are very happy. They are having fun and are interested in whatever is being taught to them and this allows them to learn everything very quickly. They are doing different exercises to gain experience during this Master Camp…They are really good with the flat track bikes and they go very fast! I did several laps with them and I like how they ride! They also had a race and I enjoyed watching them on track, fighting for the glory to be the champions of the first Master Camp race at the Motor Ranch.
Master Camp starts
Rossi’s Master Camp officially starts. Having passed a medical, efive young riders, who are currently racing in motorcycle championships in Asia, Thailand, and Japan, will take part in a 5-day program designed especially for them, with theoretical training and on-track practice with expert trainers, including Rossi himself.
Crashes out of Dutch GP
Rossi crashes out from his lead in the second lap of the restarted Dutch GP. Despite trying to restart the bike, he cannot re-enter the race.
I was a dunce, maybe even something worse … but I think that word will do. It’s a real pity. I had a good chance of bringing home some heavy points. On the dry I had a good pace, but I was doing well even in the wet. I had gotten off to a good start. I could have won. In the second lap I had widened the gap a bit and I wanted to keep pushing for another lap, but instead I made a rookie mistake. With the soft tyre I was able to be fast from turn 9 and I arrived at the braking point on turn 10 4 or 5 kph too fast. It’s one of the worst mistakes of my career, because the one in Austin could be expected after a lot of races. This one, on the other hand, is a rookie mistake. It’s disappointing to make a mistake when you have a chance of winning, when you’re up front with a gap, because it would have been enough just to be a bit more careful, to go a bit slower.
On the restart:
The bike switched off. It has a safety system to prevent the engine from being ruined. Then the race marshals didn’t help me, but I was in a bit of a dangerous spot and they were right. In any case, it wouldn’t have changed much. I would have finished with very few points.
Race stopped in lap 15
0 CommentsThe Dutch GP is stopped on Lap 15 of 26, due to rainy conditions. Rossi is in third place, behind Andrea Dovizioso in first place, and Danilo Petrucci in second. Scott Redding is in fourth place. Starting from second place on the grid, Rossi was behind Yonny Hernandez and Dovizioso until the Columbian crashed out in Lap 11. The race will be restarted if conditions improve.
Second place on grid
Rossi takes second place on the grid in Assen, trailing Dovizioso by half a second. Scott Redding is third.
I stopped at the pit box four minutes before the end of the session, because my rear tyre was already getting too hot, because there were some places of the track that were starting to dry. For me it was too early to change to the intermediate tyre because three or four corners were still completely wet, so we put in another rain tyre and it was the right choice. It’s a shame for me that I’m not in pole position, but above all I’m happy for the second place and starting from the first line tomorrow.
Assen: Friday Free Practice
Rossi comes second in Friday’s second Free Practice session in Assen, Netherlands, behind Andrea Iannone, and in front of Marc Marquez. Rossi tested two versions of his M1 bike. In the earlier practice session he had come seventh.
It was a good day and I’m quite satisfied. This morning I had a small problem but in the afternoon we improved the setting of the bike and we improved my speed. In the end Iannone just beat me by 0.004s, but I’m in second place so I’m quite happy. We compared the chassis we have tried during the Barcelona test another time. The difference is not so big but in the end I prefer my standard frame.
Feels more competitive than in 2015
Rossi says he feels more competitive than in 2015.
The important thing is to be strong and fast on Sunday afternoon at 2pm. This is what I’ve been thinking all my career. Last year I fought for the championship to the last race but sometimes in the race I wasn’t fast like Lorenzo and Marquez. This year it looks like I’m stronger even if it looks like I have less points. It’s a good moment, I like my bike, the Yamaha is very competitive, I like a lot the Michelin tyre because it’s something I used a lot growing up, so it’s something very familiar. I think we are there at the same level, very fast like Marquez and Lorenzo, but at the same time also [Dani] Pedrosa, [Maverick] Vinales and [Andrea] Iannone are very strong…But there is still 11 races to go, so the important thing is to work and try the maximum.