The Gazzetta dello Sport’s weekly magazine, unoriginally named SportWeek, that comes out tomorrow and has Valentino Rossi on the cover (he debated on Twitter if he should cut his mustache before being photographed – personally I think he looks like a bullfighter in this pic) where the former World champion talks for the first time about being a businessman besides being a motorcycle racer.
Here are just a few excerpts from the interview:“I do not think I’ll be listing my company on the stock market, but if I had enough money I would buy Ducati,” said Rossi, referring to the sale of Ducati.
He’s also talks about the number of business he’s created in his home town of Tavullia under the VR46 brand and the 70 to 80 people who work for him, from those at the Pizzeria da Rossi, his Store, the company that produces all his and several other riders merchandising and of course his new and beloved La Biscia Ranch.
“One day here I could also start a riding school and teach kids.
I’m attached to Tavullia and I thought that if you’re rich, the quality of life must be the most important thing, because if you have to live worse to make more money, that’s a total rip off! My employees are all my friends.
I was able to offer a job to all the people I care about so that they wouldn’t have do tedious jobs.
We only do business that we enjoy.
I wish I had a boss like me!”On his second season with the Ducati, Rossi seems to be more confident: “We and they are working.
It seems that this bike is better than the old one and it gives you a little more feeling and you can push a little more.
With the other one every time we passed the limit, you ended up on the ground.
“ “Although Pedrosa isn’t that far away, it will be a battle between Lorenzo and Stoner.
For myself, I bet I can finish in the first five,” said Rossi, taking about this Sunday’s season open in Qatar.
And regarding cost cutting and the CRTs, he concluded with, “If I were Enzpeleta I’d study a new set of rules that would bring back spectacular racing, while limiting some of the costs, something half way between a CRT and the current MotoGPs.