Valentino Rossi Quotes

Riding a race bike is an art - a thing that you do because you feel something inside.

The most important thing is to have a good relationship with the bike... you have to understand what she wants. I think of a motorcycle as a woman, and I know that sounds silly, but it's true.

To be a great motorbike racer, the most important thing is passion for the bike.

The speed is something dangerous but very exciting.

Giving yourself threads doesn't mean you don't believe in yourself in my opinion.

Maybe the bike is more dangerous, but the passion for the car for me is second to the bike.

I feel 100% a Yamaha rider in my heart. I had a long career and raced with several factory bikes, but the highlight of my career is undoubtedly with Yamaha.

I'm Valentino Rossi. And I want to be a person, not an icon.

Our sport is dangerous. We risk the life out there, so we need to stay calm and focused and leave all the rest out.

But I could also start F1 or rallying. I love rallying much more.

I race to win. If I am on the bike or in a car it will always be the same.

How do Ferrari know what I'm doing next year when I don't know what I'm doing next week?

I would have probably stolen cars - it would have given me the same adrenaline rush as racing.

I'm lucky because I don't feel too much pressure - it's only in the last hour before the race, and even then it's good, positive pressure.

To win the Championship in the first year will be hard. We need time to become competitive and win races.

I am still here because I like to prove myself. I still like to ride the bike on track and enjoy the races. I still have good reasons to be in racing after so many years.

It is dangerous and unbelievably fast and entirely different from the kind of track I am used to racing on

I am focused on racing. I enjoy it. It's a great feeling to be back fighting for the title.

I'm very happy because I won a lot. I've won races and lived in a world that just gave me joy, so I remember it very positively.

Once the races begin it's more difficult and there is never that much time for testing.

The great fights with your strongest rivals are always the biggest motivation. When you win easily it's not the same taste.

It's a big, big advantage because understanding what changes we might make takes time and it takes time to work out settings and to understand everything about the new machine.

I have won on Honda and Yamaha so maybe it is interesting to win with a third team, Ducati, who are Italian.

We kept on racing, doing something that Luis [Salom] loved. Fortunately or unfortunately, life goes on.

I never race for records. The motivation to try to beat the record is not enough to continue. You have to enjoy it.

I have a lot of energy after 2 A.M. I like to sleep in the morning. I have some problems at the start of the day.

The work that we do during the winter is very important; we have a new bike and it's important to develop it during this time.

Fortunately during my career I have won more or less everything, so I need to enjoy it to have the right motivation.

The tragic incident of Luis Salom reminds us that our sport, our passion, is dangerous. We know it but, in a way, we don't think about it.

I like physical exercise. I actually like sports in general. I really like snowboarding and playing soccer, too.

I am completely focused on being strong, riding fast, and enjoying myself. With the new generation of riders, only the chronometer counts. I need to be faster than them on track.

Maybe if Graziano make another work or another sport I wouldn't have had this passion to be a rider.

I am able to ride the bike and think clearly about strategy and tyres. I also have positive thinking. I am very constructively critical.

I don't like being famous - it is like a prison. And driving for Ferrari would make it far worse.

Also, when I started racing he knew a lot of people and it was more easy for me to find the first bike, so I have a good chance for sure.

I was lucky. My father raced bikes. He gave me the passion very early. I had my first bike when I was three or four years old.

I have so much respect for my opponents; many of them watched the races as little children and were supporting me!

You look at Moto3, the races are very exciting. Moto2 is fantastic, and then MotoGP is boring.

My approach to the races hasn't changed in my 20-year career. If I have the chance to attack and to pass, I do it, trying to get the best possible result.

In my opinion we are at the limit now, and 17 races is really too much. With all the testing that we do now, it means we're always on the bike and it's quite difficult.

I'm done with F1 unfortunately. I'm too old, the train has passed

You try to do a technical feature: in front of me I had a strong rider who brakes hard and it's difficult to pass.

However I am looking forward to the two new Grands Prixs both Shanghai and Laguna Seca are fantastic tracks and it will be good to race at them.

I'm really happy, and beating Marc [Marquez] at the very last chicane gives me an extra boost.

Barcelona is a special track. I have always loved the layout of the circuit, but also the atmosphere and the fans are special. It has always been good fun.

If I test the car for a year I can be quite competitive the next season.