MOTOGP: WORLD CHAMPION ROSSI A 'MARTIAN', SAYS HIS DAD
MOTOGP: WORLD CHAMPION ROSSI A 'MARTIAN', SAYS HIS DAD
(ANSA) - Rome, October 26 - In winning his ninth world championship, MotoGP ace Valentino has become ''a Martian'' a rider from another planet, his father Graziano Rossi said on Monday.
Speaking on Italian radio a day after his son clinched his seventh title in motorcycling's premier class, Graziano Rossi said that ''the only thing he inherited from me is my last name, because on a sporting level he is not like me at all''.
According to the elder Rossi, this year's title was the most difficult in his son's career.
He added that he realised that Valentino was a true champion when he won his first 500cc race, in the rain at the British Grand Prix at Donnington in 2000.
In his five-year career in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Graziano Rossi took part in a total of 22 races, winning three and collecting seven podium finishes.
Although he raced for Suzuki in the then-premier 500cc class, Rossi had his greatest success in 1979 when he also raced in the 250cc championship with the small Italian outfit Morbidelli, ending the season in third place after collecting his three victories and five of his seven podium finishes.
In his ten years in the premier class - which saw him race on 500cc, 1000cc and now 800cc bikes - Valentino Rossi has won seven world championships, placing one behind the legendary Italian record holder Giacomo Agostini who has eight, and he holds the all-time record for victories (77), podium finishes (127), podium finishes in one year (16), fastest laps in a season (12) and most points in one season (373).
Rossi also won the title in the 125cc and 250cc classes.
According to his Yamaha team manager Davide Brivio, the secret to the 30-year-old champion's success is ''he still has fun riding. And seeing what kind of physical and mental shape he's in, I don't see him stopping any time soon''.
The fact that Rossi still enjoys riding, Brivio observed, ''is evident in the happiness and joy he is able to transmit to his fans the world over. Valentino has become an idol because of his ability to keep people entertained''.
However, the Yamaha manager added, ''his consistency in getting results and being the fastest over all these years is thanks to the fact that Valentino is an athlete who works hard to stay at the top. It's not just talent''.
''He really applies himself to every aspect of the sport and he wins a lot because he has a true passion for the sport and likes to measure himself against his rivals,'' he added.
Rossi himself confirmed this after placing third at Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix and mathematically becoming world champion with a race still to go in the season.
''My secret to staying so long at the top is that I have a great passion for motorcycles, I get real satisfaction from riding them and I like the fact that I can express myself on two wheels. Plus I get a kick out of racing and measuring myself up against the others,'' he said.
Among the many singing Rossi's praises on Monday was Gianni Petrucci, the head of Italy's Olympic Committee (CONI), the organ which governs sport in Italy.
''We are going to award him with a prize but I don't know what to give him. Our highest award is a gold necklace, but I think now we're going to have to give him a platinum one,'' Petrucci said.
''The greatest thing about Valentino is that he is always so happy yet cool. The way he handles his victories should be an example for all,'' the CONI chief added.
