Valentino Rossi: “What happened is part of the past”

The Italian Valentino Rossi, MotoGP world runner-up, wanted to turn the page on what happened at the end of the 2015 World Championship, considering that “it is part of the past” and showed his more diplomatic side by pointing out that “rivalry is always an incentive in the sport of racing. motor”.
Rossi appeared at the official press conference of the Qatar GP, which opens this week the motorcycling world championships, together with the Spanish Jorge Lorenzo -champion- and Marc Márquez, with whom he had a serious confrontation last season and whom he came to blame for that the title was for the Spanish Jorge Lorenzo, and not for him.
Márquez and Rossi did not greet each other in front of the media, neither in the corridor that led to the press room, nor on the scene of the event.
The first question for Rossi was about his rivalry with Marquez. The Italian was serene: “Rivalry is always an incentive in motor sport and this year nothing special is going to happen. We will all try to do our best to stay ahead without adding anything else. “
«In the last races of last year things happened that were out of the ordinary and from my point of view the end of the championship could have been different. But what happened is part of the past and now the important thing is that we are here and that there is a beautiful fight, “said Valentino.
Asked about Dorna’s warning not to make statements that could damage the championship, alluding to the cross accusations last year, Rossi commented that “you can explain what you think correctly” and declared “in agreement.”
The Italian and the Spanish sat in the press room on either side of the world champion, Jorge Lorenzo.
Márquez explained: «sometimes you try to overcome your rival and in the end I have 20 rivals and I have to fight against all of them to win, that is my goal. It is going to be an interesting season and I will try to take advantage of the experience of last season to continue fighting until the last race in Valencia ».
Jorge Lorenzo reviewed the new features of the regulation: «In the past the difference could be made by electronics and now that factor is eliminated. With the new rules equality benefits, they will be tighter races, “he said.
For Rossi there are big differences “because of the tires and the electronics, which are more basic” and he considered: “There are many drivers who will be closer, everything is much tighter than last year. To be in the lead you have to work even harder on the weekend.
In Márquez’s opinion, it was not an easy preseason, “but we have improved,” he warned, “being constant, and in Qatar, in the tests, we have taken a step forward. We continue to suffer, but the motivation and ambition of the first race always comes before problems. EFE