MotoGP Aragon: Valentino Rossi “The Team in Moto3 is a great adventure, I'm happy to help the young people”

Valentino Rossi spoke in the classic Thursday press conference, this time on the Aragon circuit, scene of the fourteenth stage of the 2013 world championship. The rider from Pesaro answered both questions about the team he created in Moto3 (which he said he was very enthusiastic about) , and the current ones, which concern this season finale and the 2014 bike.

“The Team in Moto3 is a great adventure, I'm very happy, it's something unexpected, because this year the idea was only to help young Italian riders with the academy, but it wasn't to create a Team. It was planned in a few years, when I would stop. Then SKY arrived, she wanted to talk to us, she absolutely wanted this Team. I wasn't convinced until shortly before, but it would have been a shame to miss this opportunity. We have the space, the people, so we said yes and started working on the project. One will comecool“, Fenati, who was already part of the academy, will race with us, we had several options for him, then we offered him this one from the Team and he accepted. The co-pilot could be my brother, but we're not sure yet.”

Who is part of the academy that could arrive in Moto3?

Migno, Marini (his brother), Bagnaia, Manzi and Nicolò Bulega for the CIV. We will help him find a team but we won't make a team in the Italian championship. They will be with us, training at the ranch and in the gym.

You don't just put the name, you seem very inside

“It's true, I put in more, I've always liked the races, I've always watched them. Together with SKY we will choose how to do it, even if for the technical part the choices will be made by VR46; we chose KTMs as motorbikes.”

Could there be a conflict of interest?

“I don't think so, I've always liked SKY, it saved my life at night, I'm glad we thought of us. It won't take anything away from me as a rider, I will always be 100% focused on my job, but being with young people will make me rejuvenate. I have clear ideas in my mind, I have a contract for this year and also for next year and if I am competitive fighting for the podium and with the three in front I would like to race for another two years."

The Pesaro native then spoke about Aragon, a track where he has never achieved positive results

“At this point we shouldn't talk so much about a favorable or unfavorable track, we have to give 100% and both in the tests held here and in those at Misano I went well. I would like to have a weekend like the one in Misano, changing the result on Sunday.

How did you see the 2014 Honda, how does it compare to your bike?

“Our bike is fine, we like it, I hope they work on it again before January February. On the other hand, I haven't met the Honda on the track.”

It seems the Yamaha engine is interchangeable, could you use the new chassis with the current engine?

“Yamaha told me it's not possible, because the current bike and the new one are a bit different, so I was told.”

Photos: Alex Farinelli