Not even a year ago he got off the bike in Valencia (November 2021), and Valentino Rossi has returned to riding at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. He now does so at the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS of the WRT team in an endurance championship, the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe, in which Giancarlo Fisichella, Albert Costa, Miquel Molina and Dani Juncadella also compete. Dottore, despite the busyness of his recent fatherhood, has time for cars, without losing sight of MotoGP, a competition in which he yearns for the adrenaline rush of driving.
These were the reflections of Valentino Rossi (43) in his appearance at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where he competes this Sunday (3:00 p.m., the three-hour race).
“I love this circuit, I have great memories. It's hard to say which is my favorite track, but for sure it's one of the three favorites. But perhaps it is the best because I have always had good results, unforgettable races in my career, and Barcelona is fantastic. It is a great pleasure to be here again.”
His first race in Montmeló was in 1995 in the European Championship. At the Circuit he has won 10 times, the driver who wins the most has won.
"The goal with the cars is honestly not to fight for victory because in endurance racing anything can happen; I want to try to get into the top 5 and maybe get on the podium. Normally in endurance racing I'm strong, anything can happen, are very long and there is great competition".
"I like this championship. But it is very different compared to MotoGP: you have to learn many different situations. The most difficult thing about driving cars above all is to understand the races, the many small details, the tricks, there are many cars, a lot of confusion always. It's a mess, with 50 cars on the track, it's a jungle, the fights are very hard, you have a lot of slow laps behind the safety-car, there are very good drivers with a lot of experience, there is also a lot of work in the pits, and not It's easy at the beginning. MotoGP is another way to compete."
"The good things that I have taken from this championship are the good feelings when you drive the car. But compared to MotoGP it is difficult to find something exciting, because when you drive a MotoGP bike you have a lot, a lot of adrenaline. But I really like driving these cars. I have improved during the season."
"I really like MotoGP. It's always in my heart. I have a team and four riders, I always follow them and try to help them. I miss MotoGP a lot, for sure. It's been my life for 30 years, I think, more than three-quarters of my life. For me it's the best show there is in motorsport, much more than the rest. When I follow the races at home it's not the same. I had a lot of adrenaline at home watching my brother's races. It's different from outside.
"I think the championship is still very open for three drivers, Aleix, Pecco and Quartararo. It is very open and anything can happen because they are very close in the points and there are only four races left. It is very difficult to say who will win. I will follow him."
"I have always had in mind to race with cars, for me it has always been important since I left MotoGP to be able to go from 'rider to driver' (from a motorcycle driver to a car driver), to compete, to be able to push, to feel the adrenaline of the start ... I've always tried to race in a car. For example, I love rallies or the Dakar rally. But I've decided it's better to race on a circuit, I feel better on asphalt. The Dakar is a great race, but I prefer to race on asphalt because It's my place."
