V. Rossi: 'I'll try to drive around in a Formula One car….'….

Rossi says goodbye to Honda. "I dream of the rally"

The man from Pesaro takes his leave and announces: "I'll try to drive around in a single-seater
from Formula One but it's not certain that I will be able to be fast"

VALENCIA, 3 NOVEMBER 2003 – "I lived four fantastic and unforgettable years.
We won three world titles together and more or less 50 percent
of the races we played. I won in normal conditions, in the wet,
in the dry, on my favorite track and on the one I like least. The
my work with this bike is finished, even though it may seem like one
crazy choice at the moment". This is how Valentino Rossi bid farewell
at Honda in Valencia. Almost apologizing for a farewell that the "hated"
the Japanese just didn't want it, as Carlo Fiorani guaranteed.

But Rossi, after an adventure that lasted four years and produced three titles
world championships and 33 victories in the premier class, it needs something new
which are not yet four wheels. "I'll try to shoot with one
Formula One single-seater – said Rossi – but it is not at all safe
that I will be able to be fast. F1 requires a lot of concentration and
reasons, I'm already 24 years old and it won't be easy to find everything
that is. In any case, my dream remains to drive in rallies, a discipline
which in my opinion is even more difficult than F1". But this, how
he himself said, it is part of the near future.

The immediate one is called Yamaha, even if he cannot admit it by contract.
In its place, the house of Diapason took care of confirming its arrival via
Davide Brivio. "I can confirm that contacts with his management are continuing
Well. Now that we have confirmation that he will not renew with Honda we can
proceed with our negotiations and hope to reach a conclusion
in the immediate future. We agree on the fundamental points of the agreement and
I would be surprised if something like a Ducati twist happened in the end.
We know that someone put a lot of pressure on him."

Having taken his arrival at Yamaha for granted, it now remains to be determined when
the Doctor will be able to get on the M1, a motorcycle that more than
Honda and Ducati need testing and development. On paper, Rossi will be able to
do it only from January 15 of the new year, when Irta scheduled the first ones
official tests banning those between the Christmas holidays.

And the contract with Honda expires on December 31st. At this point, seeing that
the Brazilian Alex Barros seems the number one candidate to replace him at
Honda, and has the same contractual problem, it seems very likely that the two
houses can carry out the terminations and exchange the two without anyone
you pay penalties. At the moment nothing is known about Rossi's contract which should
still be a two-year deal worth around ten million euros per season.

Source: Ilrestodelcarlino.it