Rossi Dairy 13/06

Rider Lounge, where the Yamaha factory riders hang around and give the fans low down on exactly what it like to be an international motorcycle racer - at work and play. Every few weeks Yamaha's MotoGP and Motocross GP stars will check into the lounge to file their latest report and give you an insight into their (sometimes) glamourous lifestyles.

Valentino Rossi (13/06/2006)

Ciao tutti!

Like everybody it has been a very busy start to the season for me and I have had very little time to spend at home in London. I went back there between Istanbul and Shanghai but from China we went straight to Le Mans, which was a very tough and tiring trip.

To have such a long journey with two races in just seven days was very difficult but to be honest I was unbelievably happy to be back in Europe.Now the trips are much shorter and I can travel back to London very easily to get some time to myself. I like to use that time to do very simple things, like exercising at the gymnasium, having dinner with friends or relaxing with movies and music.

It is good to be in Europe but I definitely enjoyed visiting place like Qatar, Turkey and China. I visited Shanghai, which is an unbelievable city, and the Chinese fans supported me a lot. Even last year, which was the first time we had visited the country with MotoGP, there was a nice and warm atmosphere, which I was really surprised about.

I couldn't imagine that I would be so popular there, so that was something very exciting for me. I also really enjoyed the Chinese food - I love to taste different foods from all over the world and even though you can get anything you want in London it is nice to try it in the country where it comes from!

I went straight from China to France and on the Wednesday night I watched the Champions League final between Barcelona and Arsenal on the television. I like both teams because they have some of the greatest players from all over the world. I enjoyed watching Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho in the final but my favourite player is still Ronaldo. I am a supporter of Inter Milan and he has been a hero of mine since he played there, even though he now plays for Real Madrid.

Speaking of Barcelona, I was lucky enough to have a quick trip there after we tested for a day at Le Mans. I was invited to the Laureus Sports Awards, a big party with lots of famous people. It was a very special night for me because I was given the "Spirit of Sport" award for my contribution to the profile of MotoGP.

This was a huge honour for me because this sport is very close to my heart and I grew up watching it as a fan. For people to think that I have contributed to it in such a special way is fantastic.

My passion for motorcycle racing is just the same as it always was and this is why, as many of you will now know, I have decided to stay in MotoGP and not move to Formula 1.

To drive a Ferrari was amazing and if I had taken on the challenge to drive, it would have been a great passion. But to do it well I had to give 100%, and while I still have a challenge in bikes I can't do that. For some time it was great fun, but to do it seriously while still riding the bike is impossible.

One of the big differences is the role of the rider in MotoGP. To go fast you have to absolutely be a part of the bike. In order to brake well you have to move your weight with the bike; in front, behind, left, right. Instead in the car, you can't move and everything is done with your hands. This is a big difference. I think this is why a bike rider finds it easier to quickly be fast with the car, rather than the other way around.

One of the things I like about motorcycles is that, from the start of the race to the finish, it's just you and the bike. In Formula One there are many other variables and many other people to consider and to make decisions. They know how the car is going during the race and make some decisions for you and tell you what to do. Once I had made my decision to stay with bikes there was only one factory for me to turn to, Yamaha.

It's great to fight with the other factories and the new young riders and it's good for the championship to have Dani Pedrosa on a Honda, Loris Capirossi on a Ducati and Valentino Rossi on a Yamaha. That is the way I want it and I am glad that is the way it will stay.

From Thursday, when we made the announcement, I was able to concentrate only on my home race at Mugello. In practice we did a really good job with the bike and I was happy because we didn't have any chatter problems, we found a good setting for the race and I qualified on the front row for the first time since Phillip Island !

To be honest I couldn't have asked for much more than this and I needed every little thing in the race because it turned out to be one of the closest and hardest battles of my career. I got a really good start and after I passed Sete I tried to escape but it was impossible, he was so strong.

For a long time I didn't know where Loris was because he had a bad start but once he arrived I knew I was in for a hard fight. I decided to let him pass and run behind him for a while but I closed the throttle for half a second and three more riders came through! Suddenly I was down in fifth and had it all to do again.

It was just an amazing fight for everybody and I think it is fantastic that it went down to the final lap between two riders, two factories and two tyre manufacturers. This is great news for our sport. If I had to bet on who would win the last lap I honestly wouldn't have been able to choose.

I don't think I took a breath over the last two laps but I made it! To do it in front of so many fans, family and friends is a special emotion. I enjoyed a little celebration on Sunday night but on Monday it was back to work with a quick test to prepare for a tough run of races. Three GPs in three weekends will be hard work but I'm looking forward to it now after this brilliant win. I hope you enjoyed my first diary and I will speak to you all again soon. Hopefully I will have many more victories to talk about!

Ciao,Vale #46