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Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi176 posts

Valentino Rossi is a professional motorbike racer, born in Urbino, Italy in 1979. He has won the World Championship nine times.

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18 Feb, 2016

Phillip Island Day 2: ‘Good from beginning to end’

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Rossi improves his performance on the second day of testing, finishing fourth.

Yesterday I did just 7-8 laps, but the first impression was bad and I was a bit worried. But today, with good conditions, already from this morning I was able to go fast and have a good feeling. It is different to ride [with Michelins], but at the same time I like it. It is very funny. This is important. It was a good day from beginning to end. I always stayed [near the top]. At the end I am fourth, but the distance from first position is very close and also I didn’t put new tyres at the end. We will see tomorrow if we can improve. Also the good thing is that we always made progress, step-by-step. We improved quite a lot.

Rossi also says that he is getting used to the balance of his Michelin tires.

For me the front is still a little bit worse compared to Bridgestone but the rear is better. So on balance it is very similar.

19 Feb, 2016

Picks 2015-style bike after second test

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After setting the fifth-fastest time on the final test day at Phillip Island, Rossi says he will stick with a Yamaha YZR-M1 based on the 2015 bike, rather than developing the ’16 version.

In the end we only had one good day and that was yesterday, but it’s better than nothing. Today we continued our job for a bit, especially we compared the two different bikes and I think we will use the bike that’s more similar to last year’s model. It was a positive test, especially yesterday, but also today. I feel good with the bike and with the tyres and my pace was not so bad, so I’m quite satisfied.

1 Mar, 2016

Yamaha partners with VR46 Riders Academy

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Yamaha agrees to a three-year partnership agreement with the VR46 Riders Academy to become and official partner and bike supplier. Yamaha will supply 26 R-Series and YZ series motorcycles for Academy riders to train and develop their racing skills at the VR46 MotoRanch and also at the Misano road race circuit. Rossi:

The partnership between Yamaha and VR46 makes me very happy and incredibly proud. Through the Academy we have been doing very interesting things for young and talented riders and I believe we couldn‘t have found a better partner than Yamaha to provide our guys everything they need to grow up quickly and improve their performances on track.

Jarvis:

The Academy started as a natural development of Valentino‘s incredible passion for motorcycling and racing when he committed himself to supporting the next generation of riders to develop their talent and skills to become future World Championship racers… This new program will give a unique opportunity for selected talented riders to train and learn from “the Master” and from the full-time VR46 Riders Academy riders during the 2 one-week dedicated training sessions.

2 Mar, 2016

Qatar test Day 1: Third place

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Rossi’s Qatar MotoGP test gets off to a bad start when he falls on his out lap. He recovers and finishes in third place, 0.442s behind Jorge Lorenzo and 0.014s from Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales.

I started in a bad way, because after ten corners I crashed. I wasn’t very fast, but maybe because I had too much angle and the rear slid. But fortunately it was just a small slide at 70 km/h. It wasn’t a big problem but to start like this wasn’t fantastic… After, we jumped on the other bike and I’m quite satisfied about today because, also here in Qatar, it looks like our bike is competitive. We can be strong and fast and this is the most important thing, because it’s already the third track where the Yamaha is competitive. We also started with a good base set-up, in fact I didn’t work a lot on it. I felt good from the first moment, rode quite fast and I was able to consistently improve my lap times and in the end I’m in the third position, so it was a good day.

3 Mar, 2016

Qatar test Day 2: Fifth place

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Rossi comes fifth in testing at Losail, Qatar, with a time of  1m 55.947s. Suzuki’s Maverick Vinales leads with 1m 55.436s.

The second day was OK, I worked a lot and did a lot of laps because we have quite a lot of work to do. In the end my performance was not fantastic in the lap and the position because I‘m a little bit worse compared to yesterday, but in reality we didn‘t do a real time attack because we tried to save some tyres because it‘s important for tomorrow. We don‘t have a lot of tyres, so we’re trying to manage. I think Friday will be very important for trying to understand our potential in a better way and especially for trying to improve the lap time and also for making a long run and try to understand our pace.

4 Mar, 2016

Qatar test Day 3: Third place

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After crashing on his out lap, Rossi finishes third in the final day of Qatar testing, improving on his fastest time on the first day by nearly half a second to post a best time of 1‘55.429s, o.5s behind the leader, teammate Jorge Lorenzo. Rossi’s combined times for the three days leaves him fifth overall.

In the end I‘m quite happy. Unfortunately I had another crash in the same corner, but it was a small one and I was able with the team to try everything. In the last hour and a half we improved the setting and I had quite a strong pace and did a good time attack. The lap time is not so bad and more importantly I did a race simulation and I was strong. I think that it will be quite tough, because it seems that from the first test the other bikes improved a lot, but now we are there at their level. I think a lot of riders can be fast for the first Grand Prix, but we are competitive…I think the last five laps of the race will be difficult for everybody, but the bike is good to ride, so we‘re able to keep a good pace

5 Mar, 2016

VR46 Academy profile

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VR46 Academy dirt track riders imageCycleworld.com profiles Rossi’s VR46 Academy, where 11 young riders are tought the “Valentino Method,” which combines scientific precision, passion and fun. The school, which is supported by Yamama, has a 1.8 mile dirt-track, which was built based on Rossi’s father’s intuition that training on dirt improves bike control skills.  dirt track to improve his skills controlling the bike. The track has left and right turns, and changes of elevation, and there are already plans to make it bigger, build a jump, and possibly open it to the public. Students learn, race, and discuss their day’s results over a “grigliata,” a typical barbecue. Rossi:

The target is to raise young Italian talent and give them an opportunity to shine.

6 Mar, 2016

Hamilton: Rossi is ‘incredible’

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Hamilton declares himself a fan of Rossi:

I really need to try a MotoGP bike because MotoGP is so cool and more exciting to watch I would say and is closer racing. Valentino is incredible and is my favourite as he is for a lot of people. There are also a lot of other great riders and I definitely want to make it to more races this year as I’ve only been to one a season. This year I will try and make it to more and I’m dying to get on the back of one [bike] at least. I just won’t tell my team!

9 Mar, 2016

Rossi: I was ‘screwed’ by Marquez

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In an interview with Motosprint, Rossi says he had no choice but to speak out against Marquez after Sepang 2015.

I have thought long and hard on what had happened. I also thought that perhaps it would have been better not to do it, but I had to, because I had realised that I was screwed. It would have been already difficult to beat Lorenzo in a normal situation, but when Marquez went against me, I realised I got screwed. With that press conference, more than trying to intimidate Marquez, I tried to call for the attention of race direction, in order to sort out this thing. We had tried to talk to race direction, but they didn’t listen to us, so I tried this other way. I think they underestimated the problem, because what happened is something no one had expected: I didn’t, and neither did they, so when we told them, they looked at us wondering ‘what’s behind this?’ It could have been avoided by talking together in Malaysia.

While he expects to maintain a working relationship with Lorenzo, Rossi still wonders about Marquez’s tactics.

It was completely clear what his intentions were, with the Valencia race [when Marquez finished second to Lorenzo] being the cherry on top. Anyway… it is not very important, in the sense that our relationship, after what had happened, can never be restored. We’ll have to be only rivals, but I would like us to be able to focus on that, more than on nonsense such as ‘let’s shake hands, let’s not. I prefer doing real things, that’s the way.

11 Mar, 2016

Wants to race cars after MotoGP

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Rossi says that after two more years in MotoGP, he may switch to racing cars.

I will take five or six races to decide. But I am pretty convinced I can continue for a couple of years and then maybe Yamaha says something, because I get white hair! But at 39 years old I will be able to run a dozen car races still, make the most fascinating races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans or the Dakar. Although there you have to get up too early!

On this current season:

A year ago I started well but ended badly. I would rather start not so well but be strong until the end.

Rossi: ‘Tricked, betrayed’ by Marquez

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In an interview with Gazzetta World, Rossi talks more about hsi relationship with Marquez.

After what happened we can no longer have a relationship. However, we must be opponents on the track, for some years I hope, and we have to respect each other. That is important…More than anything I allowed myself to be tricked by Marquez. He really betrayed me. He said he was a fan but those were all lies. I almost believed him and I was ready to have a rivalry with him, giving 100 percent on the track, but those were all lies on his end. At Assen I realised he was only my friend when he beats me.

Referencing an act of on-track revenge by Ayrton Senna in F1:

When Senna raced I didn’t like him. I cheered for Nigel Mansell, and when he joined Ferrari, I cheered for Prost. But I really liked what Senna did at Suzuka in 1990 [when Senna deliberately took both himself and title rival Prost out at Turn 1]. He was ‘worked over’ the year before and then he did what he had to. He showed some balls.

15 Mar, 2016

Aiming for Qatar top-three position

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Rossi says he is aiming at a top-three position in Qatar.

Finally we start talking about racing! I’m very glad that a new season begins. Our tests were definitely positive, but the race is another thing…Last season for me began very well. I don’t know if I will be able to repeat that result but I will try to get on the podium for sure. This first race will be really important to understand the real potential of the bikes and the riders.
It will be important to start to work well from the first sessions and get ready and have clear ideas going into the race. I feel ready and motivated and so does the team, so let’s go!

16 Mar, 2016

Rossi, Morselli split

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After five years together it is reported that Rossi and Morselli separated after the first Sepang test earlier this year. Italian media says that the two had some disagreements in late January, right before the first IRTA test at Sepang, in Malaysia. No new photos of the two together have appeared on social media websites recently, apparently confirming the separation. Sources say Rossi is upset about the breakup.

Rossi: No rivalry with Marquez

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Rossi, Marquez, and Pedrosa appear at a pre-Qatar press conference. In his first appearance with Marquez since last year, Rossi brushes off comparisons to other racing rivalries.

I’m happy to hear my name close to Agostini/Hailwood and Senna/Prost – it is something extra for motorsport, but I think nothing particularly special will happen and on track I think everything will be the same. Everybody will try to give the maximum to try to be in front without something more ‘special’…Personally speaking, the finish can be different and better and I prefer to win than lose. But it is like this and it is past and the good thing is that we are here and we will try to have another good fight in this season.

Marquez does not address the situation with Rossi directly.

We saw in the past in MotoGP, you always try to beat your opponent, but in the end I have 20 opponents and I must fight against each one for try to win the championship and that is my target. This year will be an interesting season because everything looks closer.

Pedrosa:

I think it was a big moment for MotoGP, maybe not like everybody thinks, but there was a lot of fans and the track was super crowded. They had to put up extra grandstands and sell extra tickets, this was a positive thing and the result affects part of the show but overall we can say that MotoGP is trying to grow and that is what we look for, to put on a good show.

17 Mar, 2016

VR46 Academy football game

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Rossi and his VR46 Academy team play a friendly seven-aside football game over two ten-minute halves against Hernandez, who is backed up by Aspire Academy team and former Espanyol player Sergio Garcia. The Aspire Academy team wins victory 3-2. Rossi:

As a football lover, getting the opportunity to play against a great player as Xavi Hernandez is something very special. I told my team to do their best and really go for it, but there was little we could do against such a line-up!

Hernandez: 

Sharing an experience like this with a motorcycling legend like Valentino Rossi is unique. I’m proud to take part in a game like this against him and his team and I have to admit they were really into it and playing for the win, not just training!

Qatar GP Free Practice 1: 2nd place

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Rossi comes second in the first evening’s practice before the Qatar GP, with a time of 1m 55.707, 0.156s slower than teammate Jorge Lorenzo. Rossi achieves his best time time on his final lap of 17. As well as timing, Rossi is working on improving the balance of his YZR-M1 to better improve his feeling with the Michelin tyres.

The first practice was positive. I‘m quite satisfied, it was a strong way to start the season, because the second position is good and also the lap times are already not so bad. They’re in the 1‘55s and the pace is quite good. We start working from what we did in the test. This means that we did a good job during pre-season and we begin with a good base, but now we have to keep focus. The condition of the track changes a lot session by session and together with the team we have to deliver good work so we will be ready when the grip becomes better. I‘ll try to improve the feeling and also try to make the right decision for the tyres.