During today’s press conference for Ducati’s 2012 team launch at the Vrooom media event at Madonna di Campiglio ski resort in Italy saw Valentino Rossi under a barrage of questions regarding the upcoming season, the new GP12 which isn’t present, and obviously the old chestnut, when is he going to retire.
Here’s what a smiling and relaxed Rossi had to say:“The championship will be difficult because the gap in 2011 was quite big.
Our target is to fix problems step by step, and try to get closer to Yamaha and Honda.
And from that moment on, we’ll start to work on the finer details, and be competitive for the victory.
I do not want to say from the start that I won’t be able to fight for the championship, but I have to be realistic.
Ultimately we have 1.
5 second gap to recover, our target is to get much closer to the others and be able to race with them and fight with them.
This is our goal.
We know we need time, but we all work well together – and it’ll be a dream to try and win the first race, but realistically we are still too far off – but maybe the new bike is a miracle.
– The bike has changed a lot and Ducati has worked really hard to have ready for the first test.
I’m not worried, I’m optimistic and confident.
When we’ll test it we’ll know at what point we’re at and if we’ve improved.
I don’t expect that the bike will immediately competitive, but I think it will be enough to know if we worked well and for this season we’ve organized a much simpler and clearer work routine.
”“I think that the first test will be important, and for sure the bike will be different compared to last year.
It is impossible to be competitive from the first test, but I think we have some good information to work from and be ready for the first race.
Last year was a lot worse because from the first test we understood that the season would have been very tough and difficult.
After three laps we understood we could not win the first race, but now the situation is better – because I am fit.
I’m physically in shape now and we have another two or three weeks ahead of us.
I am ready for the first test.
It’s nice working with Ducati, but unfortunately the results were below our expectations.
The atmosphere is nice and we all believe in what we are doing.
”“In MotoGP the fundamental thing to go fast is to make Bridgestone tires work.
Last season we weren’t able to and that’s why we suffered a lot.
With Filippo we’ve tried to make a motorcycle that would make the tires work as well as possible.
”On the 2012 silly season and if he would ride for a Japanese manufacturer again:“The season will be interesting because all riders contracts are up so there could be a lot of movement.
I’d like to help Ducati get to the top and then maybe renew for another two years for the last time and satisfy something I haven’t achieved yet before quiting.
We’re going to talk about contract renewal much later in the season in order not to lose concentration on the current championship.
To go back with a Japanese bike is not very likely, but who knows.
All I can say is that today that’s impossible.
We started with this project with Ducati and we would at least like to be competitive and win something.
”On the CRTs:“It’ll be an important season to understand the potential of these bikes and I hope that the gap won’t be that great and that lap times will get shorter as the season go on.
In a perfect world we’d have 24 MotoGP bikes on the grid, but unfortunately without the CRTs we’d only be 12 and this wouldn’t be possible for a World Championship.
The CRTs aren’t a choice, they are a necessity.
”Rossi also taked about the controversy regarding a statement made by Paolo Simoncelli who said that after Marco’s funeral that he hadn’t heard from him :“I have a great relationship with Paolo and with Kate, who will be working for my company.
I still see Sic’s friends and with Mauro Sanchini we putting together some never before seen footage of all the times that we were at the Cava.
I think that in this situation that a couple of words were taken out of context to make a headline, for me there is no controversy.
”