As part of Fiat Yamaha's virtual launch of its 2009 MotoGP campai💯gn, the following interview with the team's reigning six time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi has been released.

During the interview, Rossi casts an eye back over last season, looks ahead to 2009, admits to being 'very worried' by the loss of Kawasaki, comments on the lack of close racing in MotoGP, confirms an interest in battling Troy Bayliss in WSBK - plus Rallying, F1, Marco Simoncelli, beating 🌸Agostini and moꩵre...

Q
How was your winter holiday? What have you been doing durin๊g your time off?

Valentino Rossi:
My winter holidays were great! I have a great passion for snowboarding and so I went to the mountains 🐎with my friends, did a bit of boarding, which was great fun, and now I am ready to start working again.

Q
How are your memories of 2008? After having some time for your victory to sink in, 💦can you choose your absolute favourite moment of 2008?

Valentino Rossi:
It'𝔍s difficult to choose my favourite moment because, luckily, there were many in what was an incredible season! I returned to winning ways, but the most emotional race was the one in Laguna Seca, because it was definitely the most important victory of the season.

Q
You had a ch꧃ance to try the prototype bike before the break. What🦂's your opinion of it so far and do you think Yamaha are doing a good job?

Valentino Rossi:
Yes, I had the chance to try th𝔉e 2009 prototype briefly after Valencia but more so in Jerez, when I was very fast. The bike seems better and I was faster than I was with the 2008 version. I'm very confident, and anyway we're only at the beginning of our work and now we must use these months before April to improve the 2009 M1 even more.

Q
What improvements are you hoping for in the next e🐷volution mo✃del that you will test in Sepang [from February 5-7]?

Valentino Rossi:
In Sepang we will use our new bike...I will use my two bikes with the parts which I will use in the race, so I want to quickly try to find a good feeling. We're workin♎g a lot on the engine and we're trying to find a way to improve the acceleration a bit, and I think that this is the area in which we will be concentrating.

Q
Th💃e wall is staying in your garage. Why do you want it to stay?

Valentino Rossi:
In our team there are two very strong riders and both of these riders are setting out to win the world🅷 championship. We found the arrangement to work very well in 2008 and so we will continue with it also in 2009.

Q
Are you expecting Jorge to be one of your main title challengers th♛is 🤡year?

Valentino Rossi:
Yes, I do think that Lorenzo will be one of my strongestꦯ rivals, because he has a year's more experience and this year there is also the monotyre, so we will start equal. He will be a very hard 🐲rival to fight.

Q
Apart from him, w𝄹ho else do you expect will be ♑fighting at the front with you?

Valentino Rossi:
I think❀ that the number one rival will be Stoner. Then also Pedrosa will be very fast, and of course Lorenzo.

Q
What do you th🤪ink about the MotoGP 'crisis' and the departure of Kawasaki? Are you worried about the number of bikes🍎 on the grid?

Valentino Rossi:
I am very wo🅠rried about the number of bikes on the MotoGP griღd because in 2008 there were only 19, which was already not many. I hope that Kawasaki stay because otherwise this will become 17; we have to find a way to have more bikes on the track.

Q
What do y𝕴ou think needs to be changed i🎃n order to try to increase it?

Valentino Rossi:
It's difficult for me💯 to say. I think that we need a bike that is a little less sophisticated 🐲and a little cheaper.

Q
After two tests, what's your opinion about the new mono-tyre rule? Do you think i♛t's going to improve the racing or not?

Valentino Rossi:
It's a bit early to say, but I think that there will be a better show because everyone will have the same tyre. With the monotyre, for better or for worse and considering the show, during ﷽the last few laps of the race the bike will move around a bit more and so you will have to go a little bit slower. This will probably produce closer battles. We hope so!

Q
What else do you think should be done in order to bring back closer racing? You have talked about a reduction in rider aids, can you tell us more about 𒁃what you think should be done in t💖his area?

Valentino Rossi:
In the last few years there have been races, especially since the arrival of the 800cc motorcycle, with a lot less close racing and I think that this is mostly to do with the evolution of the tyres. Now in the corners we're very fast and so there is less time to try to overtake. Furthermore however, the huge evolutions in electr♏onics have leveled the performance of the riders and therefore this has also led to a few less battles.

Q
Everyone knows that you made🌠 a request to Yamaha to take part i🀅n a WSB race, specifically against Bayliss. Are you upset that this is not happening? Would you still like the chance to compete in a WSB race?

Valentino Rossi:
It was a fun idea, and I would have been very happy. I would still like to do a race in superbike and I would like to battle with Bayliss, because he is the world champion!
Unfortunately it is a bit of a difficult period and I didn't have the chance,ꦬ but I hope that in the future, maybe next year, we can do it.

Q
You did very wellꦯ in the Rally of GB. Has this increased your desire to try rall𝔉y fulltime at some point?

Valentino Rossi:
I have always loved rally, ever since I was little. It is one of my great passions and it is great to do one when I have the time and the chance. I always enjoy it a lot and probably, when I have given up the bikes and when I have the chance to improve and I have more time, I will do more...but it's not a𒁏 close future, because I still want to race with the bike for a few more years!

Q
You also had another chance to test the Ferrari.ꦦ Do you think you have improved your level in the car?

Valentino Rossi:
The Form𓂃ula One...to try the Ferrari again was a great emotion. I have always been a great fan of racing cars, not just of rally. I was fast, so I was happy; I am fast enough also in Formula One! In 2006 I decided to stay with the bike and, of course, I still have some doubts, but just to climb inside the red car at Mugello and work with Ferrari was fantastic.

Q
Have you had any more thougꦡhts a𝔍bout F1 racing in the future?

Valentino Rossi:
As I said before, I had m🥃y chance and 𝓀I decided to stay with bikes. The choice is made and I don't think that there will be another possibility.

Q
You are great friends with Marco Simoncelli. What's your opinion about his 250 title last year and do you think he is the 𒅌favourite to win again this year?

Valentino Rossi:
I am good friends with Simoncelli; he is a great guy. We train together and last year he surprised me because I knew that he great potential, but I didn't think he would become world champion. I am happy for him; he deseജrved it. He is staying in 250 and I think that he is the favourite for 2009.

Q
Do you think Marco could be a good prospect for🅷 Yamaha in the future?

Valentino Rossi:
I think that Simoncelli will come to MotoGP, because he is a fast rider and he is very young. In Yamaha, however, we alread🍃y have Lorenzo and I, so I think that he will be a good prospect for other factories.

Q
Are you going to continu🐼e as 'your own' manager in 2009?🙈 Have you considered working with a new manager?

Valentino Rossi:
I am very happy with what I have decided to do and with my actual organisatﷺion, I don't have any need for a manager and I am not thinking of having an♕y type of manager for now.

Q
Th♑ere aren't many targets left for you in your career...you're already the most successful rider in the history of the sport. Do you have many more targets? Would you like to reach Agostini's record of 122 wins in all c♚lasses?

Valentino Rossi:
Agostini's record is something very important, naturally. I am not far off, but to do it I would have to continue to fight and race for a few more years! My principal objective is to win a few more world championships; this is more important than catching Agos🎀tini. Obviously, if I succeed then it will be wonderful!

Q
Do☂ you still have the same level of motivation as previously? How do you keep your interest and hunger?

Valentino Rossi:
To ride the bike on the track and to try to find ways to be faster, but above all to work with Yamaha and with this group of people, always makes me happy and therefore I feel motivated. I have been racing for a long time and every year I need to stay concentrated to find the right motiv🥀ation and to be aggressive. I f🥂eel in form.

Q
Finally, you said 2008 was the hardest title of your career. Do you think 2009 will be easier or even⛦ harder?

Valentino Rossi:
2008 was diffi🌳cult because it was the year in which I had to give the most of myself in order to win. In 2009 it will be even more difficult because my adversaries, who suf𝕴fered in 2008, are now out for payback and will be looking to beat me. I think it's going to be even harder than 2008!