Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi reveals after a problematic season why the race day is strenuous for him before his performance. And he defines his goals. Movistar Yamaha driver Valentino Rossi just won a race in the 2017 MotoGP World Championship. The almost 39-year-old lost the fourth World Championship place in the finish to Valencia winner Repsol Honda warrior Dani Pedrosa. Also, Vale suffered a shin and fibula fracture during enduro training with friends, after which he gave an impressive lightning comeback after only 33 days in Aragón with rank 5.

“I’ll have my contest”

The 115-times GP winner admits that he often loses himself a little on the race day of a Grand Prix due to his passion for the sport. “I always watch the World Championship races of the Moto3 and Moto2 classes with my Academy boys. Sometimes I feel a little tired. But after that, I’ll have my contest. Power still gives me the time on the bike, the opportunity with my buddies, or just when I can spend time at home.”

Valentino Rossi doesn’t want to go into his future

Rossi doesn’t want to go into his future. “The goal remains to win the World Title. The second goal is to win races. And then comes the claim to finish races on the podium.” But Rossi does not want to talk for long about the current chassis problems with 2018 in mind. “There were difficult races like Jerez, Barcelona, Spielberg or Motegi. We often came to a route in 2017 and then left again with the same problem. Our problem is and was the tire wear on the rear wheel. By trying to solve 2016’s problems, we have created new difficulties.”

“Valentino Rossi: “This is a different world”

Commenting on the future, Valentino said: “Setting up a MotoGP team will interest at some point. But this is a different world. You also need a manufacturer. Now we’re doing the small classes to help our young drivers. We started in the VR46 Riders Academy with Simoncelli by chance. Later Morbidelli joined, then my brother and Migno. Then came team building.” The Italian with the 226 podium finishes confesses: “I’m afraid of quitting. It frightens me, and one day it will be difficult to find something else. My life revolves around MotoGP. The academy is good, but not the same.”