I'm Valentino Rossi. And I want to be a person, not an icon.

In 2009, I didn't like that Yamaha signed such a young and competitive teammate [Jorge Lorenzo]. But now everything is different. We are more mature. Everyone knows his role and position. Things are clear.

We kept on racing, doing something that Luis [Salom] loved. Fortunately or unfortunately, life goes on.

The speed is something dangerous but very exciting.

Also, when I started racing he knew a lot of people and it was more easy for me to find the first bike, so I have a good chance for sure.

Riding a race bike is an art - a thing that you do because you feel something inside.

I try to have a different relationship with the bike. I don't give it a name, but I always speak with it. I don't know if the other riders do the same. This is not only a piece of metal - there is a soul. The bike talks back too. But not with a voice, with the components