Valentino Rossi has been racing for a number of years with drivers who, according to their ages, could be his children. But now he’s really becoming a father, and one of the first thoughts when he knows his partner Francesca is expecting a baby is that she won’t be a rider. Or at least it gets tougher because women who ride motorcycles outnumber men, but there are some striking exceptions, such as Ana Carrasco, who won the Supersport 300 World Cup in 2018.
“When Franci told me we were going to have a daughter, I replied that it was good news because we don’t have to decide whether to let her run or not – he smiled – She will definitely not compete in MotoGP and I am happy. When I was young I never identified with my parents, I didn’t understand how difficult it is to be on the other side. I’ve noticed with my brother and the other Academy riders that it’s hard to see their races from the outside. “
But you drive in the same class with your brother …
“It’s also different on the bike, you’re in a different dimension. He becomes an opponent, if not quite like everyone else. In the end, I enjoy standing in front of him and vice versa. “
At the end of this first day in Aragon, it will be in front of you: 15th around 18th.
“Today was difficult, even if I expected it a little. It’s not a fantastic track for the Yamaha, but especially for me. It’s one of the worst of my entire career ”.
Why?
“Usually a driver doesn’t like slow tracks, a lot depends on the results. However, there’s no reason you’re fast on one track and slow on another, it’s difficult to speak of technical motivation. “
What can you do this weekend
“I didn’t start well because I made a mistake this morning, I crashed and lost the last part of the session. Things went a little better in the afternoon, we tried not to wear out the rear tire too much. That’s that Most important. I tried a slightly different setup than the one I usually use. In the end, I didn’t do badly on the flying lap, I’m a second behind the fastest, but we’re all close so I’m 18. Usually in Aragon the grip increases over the course of the days, we have to follow the route changes and improve with them.
Let’s talk about your future as a driver, do you already know where you will be racing?
“I haven’t made up my mind yet, but I’ve had a lot of contacts over the past few months and we’re organizing a good program for next year. I don’t think I’ll be racing in the DTM, but in endurance, but I don’t yet know which championship or which car. Mattia Pasini is strong with prototypes, but I only drove one over 15 years ago, it was a Maserati. I’m thinking more about the GT3, but the Paso results show that motorcyclists can also drive cars fast (laughs) ”.