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Valentino Rossi has been all about number 2 recently: second in Austalia, second in Malaysia and second in the championship. Winning is something else, but it's hard to complain about a silver medal. In fact, the Doctor is far from disappointed: “before starting, my main goal was to finish ahead of Lorenzo, followed by the aim to win” he admits.
Were you thinking about second in the championship?
“When you have chance to finish something, you need to do just that. I didn't want to crash, gift him 20 points and then have to fight at Valencia, a track where Jorge is strong but where I've always struggled”.
Did winning cross your mind?
“When I finally got past Iannone, I was optimistic. But the asphalt started to dry out and the front tyre was overheating, the front closed on me a couple of times and I'd have risked too much if I'd continued to push”.
Did the error in braking, when Dovizioso passed you, cost you the race?
“No, he was faster than me on the last laps. I congratulate Dovi, it's great for the championship that 9 different riders have won this year. But they always beat me: first Pedrosa, then Crutchlow, now Andrea. I'd have preferred him to win at Motegi (he laughs)”.
Did you enjoy the battle early on?
“As soon as we started, with so much water, i felt really good on the bike. When I made the triple pass I forced the braking because I felt strong there. At one point I though I might not be able to stop but it turned out OK”.
Then there was the fight with Iannone…
“He had me spitting blood, every time I passed him he'd pass me right back, I wasn't so fast on the straight. I wanted to stay in front of him as my gloves were soaking wet, they were slipping on the throttle (he laughs)”.
Was the last part of the race your Achille's heel?
“Recently it's been like that, it's a weak point on which to work for next year with the new bike. Ducati is the bike that least consumes the front tyre, today that's what made the difference”.
Are you not totally happy with second place in the championship?
“Winning is another thing entirely, but it's always better to finish 2nd than 3rd, 4th or 5th (he laughs). This is the third consecutive year, since Galbusera arrived, that I'm finishing the championship in this position, it's a positive result anyway. It means we're always up at the front. This season I've never been really in the fight for the title, I didn't deserve it ”.
How would you rate this season overall?
“There's still one race to go, and I'm 42 points behind Marquez, anything can still happen (laughs). Joking aside, I want to try and be competitive there too and then we'll analyse how we've done. For now I'm quite pleased, but not completely because I was never in the running for the championship”.
