MotoGP – Valentino Rossi: "I think the 800cc was the worst mistake of the last 15 years"

According to Valentino Rossi, going from 900cc to 800cc was the worst mistake of the last 15 years. In an interview with the Spanish magazine Motociclismo.es, the rider from Pesaro retraces his entire career in the world championship, a career that began with the 125cc and then moved on to all engine sizes. Rossi has in fact managed to win all the world championships starting from the eighth liter, up to the 500/MotoGP. Here is an excerpt from the interview conducted by Dennis Noyes of the Spanish magazine.

Valentino, you are the last rider to win the world championships of all variants of modern categories, 125-250 cc up to three versions of the 'master class': 500 cc MotoGP 990cc and 800cc. So I dedicate this interview to the state of speed, and with particular attention to the changes caused by recent legislation. First of all, I ask you to remember the sensations of the first time you tried the Honda 500, the Honda 990, the Yamaha 990 and the Yamaha 800. Let's start with the 500cc

“The first time I tried the 500cc was in Jerez in the winter of 1999. The first experience was impressive, because the 500 was… Wow! Brutal! The engine was incredible. The power delivery was very strong, very aggressive. When he takes the 500 he says: “How difficult it is! “. And you hate it. But the other part of your mind tells you: "I love this bike!". Because we know that it is a difficult task to try to control this type of motorcycle.”

Since your youth you dreamed of becoming world champion in 500, didn't you?

“Yes, because when I was young the best 4-stroke motorcycle was only the Superbike but the 500 was the best”

And your first impression of the Honda RC211V?
“Bad impression except for the engine. It was a very fast bike with great potential. But “shit”, like a superbike… rougher. It's impressive how much this bike has improved in a short time. The fact that the MotoGP bikes are so fast is a factor of the tyres. First impression with the MotoGP 990? Great drifts and less rough handling. Entering corners was fun because with the engine braking it was always possible to go sideways. The Honda 990 was fun, but it was much more exciting to bring the 500.”

But when you made the switch to Yamaha, Honda worked even better, right? What was your first impression of Yamaha?

“Yes, Honda has improved a lot, but when I first met Yamaha it wasn't bad. I thought it was much worse. I had problems because I think that in 2003 they lost the direction of development a bit, because the factory riders were riding differently. There was a lot of confusion. But it wasn't a motorcycle disaster. And when I signed Yamaha decided to make a big effort to improve the M1. Yamaha believed in me 100% from the start. Therefore, with mutual trust, we were able to improve the bike in a short time.”

And the first impression when you tried the Yamaha 800

“Fffffuuu! When I first tried the 990 the bike was very rough, wild, but with a great engine and lots of power. The 800 is worse, only worse, it's the same bike with less power. I was very sad at first, now it has improved, yes… But the power of the 990 was much more fun.”

From the point of view of the entertainment in the stands and of the television audience, what can be done to recover what has been lost?

“For me the spectacle with the 990 was no less than that of the 500. There were great battles and great drifts… And that's what the public wants, isn't it? Great drifts both entering and exiting, but especially the exits of the corners. But with the 800… I think the 800 is the biggest mistake of the world championship in the last 15 years. We've lost a lot of the show and part of that is because electronics have come a long way. For me, the manufacturers made a big mistake by switching to the 800. The 990 was better in every way.”