One of the most frequently asked questions in the last years of my career is: “What brings you to compete at this level after so many years?” My answer is always the passion I have always had for this sport. I've always raced with emotion and it's the thing I like to do more. It would be impossible to do this job without passion and it would also be impossible to continue for so many years.
As I have always said, as long as I’m enjoying myself, I ride!
I approached bikes at a very young age. My father was a rider and I always went with him when he was training or racing. I really liked being in the middle of the engines and for this reason my father put me on a motorcycle or a kart very soon. I always wanted to race and from that moment I’ve never stopped.
I've always been on a motorcycle and I could not imagine doing anything else. If I wasn’t a motorcycle rider I would definitely want to be a sportsman.
After many years of racing, I can say that being a rider has changed a lot over time. Today the riders are incredible athletes. Physical preparation has become fundamental. I like sports and I try to train so much while riding. On weekends when I'm not busy with MotoGP™, I'm at the ranch with the guys in the VR46 Riders Academy. It's good training and it helps me a lot for the physical preparation for the races. Above all it is fun. We often train with mini bikes, karts...anything with an engine.
I enjoy it as much as I did when I started. Adrenaline is always a lot, maybe that's why I can’t go without it! I also do a lot of work in the gym but I prefer the bike, always! The routine on race weekends doesn’t bother me, on the contrary. Doing the same things, with a certain order, helps me keep my concentration high and to not forget anything.
I really like working with the team. I'm surrounded by people I trust and they're all big fans like me. The VR46 Riders Academy, the Sky Racing Team VR46, are all projects in which there is so much passion.