Interesting Valentino Interview...

It's in Italian. I'll translate it for you guys if you bear with me...


Linky

Here goes....

Milan, 9th November, 2007.

So, Rossi, it’s the end of a very difficult season. Let’s make a quick summary, who is Valentino today?
The latest events (tax problems) have made me grow up. I never quite grasped how huge my public figure is, now the situation is clearer. I feel like a rider who will try his best to have everything in order to be able to ride serenely.

Out of 2007, what shall we keep and what shall we throw away?
There were some nice victories, even though in the end even the second place got away. We can throw away all the other non-racing related stuff.

Is Stoner a shooting star or is he the new Valentino?
He’s not a shooting star, but to be the new Valentino he needs to win again, fighting hard against Valentino and even against Pedrosa. However he won’t be the new Valentino, he will be Stoner.

Casey was disappointed at not being congratulated after winning the title.
At Montegi he was stationary on the left side of the track, picking up a flag and I passed by on the other side. It just happened, I certainly didn’t want to offend him. I shook Hayden’s hand last year, there are the photos.

How badly do you want to beat him?
A lot. I really want to measure myself up against a hot adversary, but I need a bike and tyres which go well.

Have you ever had the nightmare that you might no longer be capable of winning?
Everybody has it and I am very realistic. However I’ve reached the conclusion that I am still on form, but I wasn’t in a condition to fight with Stoner.

You’ve pretty much blamed everyone: The Biaggi effect?
Even this is not true. I simply say what’s happening on track, in what I believe to be an objective manner. If we want to make a comparison, riders of the past (Max) complained without reason because according to them my bike was the official one. Then I went to Yamaha but I screwed them anyway. I complained because it was true. However I’ve never ever said that Stoner won because he has the Ducati.

Where did Michelin go wrong?
Last year I already couldn’t ride on these tyres because they’ve gone down a road which followed Honda’s requests. This year, with the new rules, they didn’t invest enough money in development.

Did Yamaha underestimate Ducati?
All the Japanese did. Ducati was intelligent and aggressive, working far better. We used to be competitive with Honda, but they have the money and the people to catch up in a very short time, Yamaha lacks this.

The most worrying thing is that every new thing that was tried had to be discarded.
Correct. It means that something’s not right in the engineering department. Yamaha has never been the fastest bike, but this year we were losing even 15-20kph. We suffered from the fuel restriction. Every time we tried something new we broke down. If I want to win they need to make some important changes. They need better people and more money.

Let’s move on to private matters. Is it true that when the tax chaos broke out, you thought you were on Scherzi a Parte? (For non Italian people, scherzo a parte is this telly program that plays candid camera like tricks and sometimes pretty nasty jokes on famous people)
Well it almost could have been that. I’d like to explain what was going on in the background, but I’m not allowed to for now. There are people who are working at solving the problem. I think it should resolve itself quickly and well. I didn’t expect the media to turn against me so badly. There were mistakes on my part, but things which were incorrect were also written.

So how will it all end? Will you move back to Italy? Will you be a representative for the ministry of Finance?
I’m already a good representative for them…My work is not a joke. Maybe it leads you to concentrate on certain things, whilst ignoring others. If I made mistakes, maybe out of being too flippant, I am ready to fix them. I don’t know if I’ll move back to Italy. The law allows me to go back to Tavullia to be with my mother and my friends. If in the future it will no longer be that way, we’ll have to re-evaluate.

Has this situation distanced you from your fans?
The hardcore ones forgive me many things. For some people there are some doubts. I had been depicted as some kind of perfect hero, but I don’t feel that way: everyone’s got things about them which aren’t perfect. I think I have a lot to give on track and these people will be back.

In this terrible summer, there’s also been the split with Arianna, surrounded by gossip. Wouldn’t it have been simpler to tell the truth, that Canalis (Elizabetta Canalis – the Italian showgirl Valentino was romantically linked with) was at Mugello as a paid guest of the team?
It was a mistake to learn from. The worst was for Arianna: she knows Canalis had nothing to do with our split, because we’d already broken up by then. But a lot of people gave her a lot of hassle about it: I was sorry about that because she was a ‘real’ girlfriend.

Another divorce with the manager who’s been with you for ever, Badioli: necessity or personal growth?
I’d rather not reply to that. I’ll just say that to me human relationships are one of the most important things. All can draw their own conclusions.

Let’s get back on track. Michelin has stopped you from the first two tests: Valencia and Malaysia. Payback?
They won’t let me test simply because they’re afraid of me. I can understand them.

Was this forceful action necessary to get the Brigestones?
I was forceful with Furusawa (Yamaha head) and I never spoke to Ezpeleta.

But technically, is it really what’s required to go back to winning?
Tyres are trust. After the most recent events and the reactions I’ve had from Michelin, I couldn’t trust them anymore. Sadly with them you just never know where you’re going.

And if you don’t win with Bridgestone, what will happen?
I won’t look for excuses, I’ll have other possibilities.

Would you give up one of your past titles in exchange for the next one?
It’s important to win again soon, but I’d hate to give away one of the one’s I’ve already won.

You want a Yamaha which will be competitive at the start: If it doesn’t happen will it be easier to see you on a Ducati or a Honda in 2009?
We’ll have to see how this devil of an engine will improve. If it grows well, we could wait even one more year. If there’s nothing to do, amen. I have good relationships with both, though definitely Ducati is more appealing because it’s Italian.

But there’s Stoner.
I don’t think he’d say no. Maybe he’d like to measure up on the same bike. Now I’ve really shot my mouth off….