Quote collection
58 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"I am still here because I like to prove myself. I still like to ride the bike on track and enjoy the races. I still have good reasons to be in racing after so many years."
"It is dangerous and unbelievably fast and entirely different from the kind of track I am used to racing on"
"I have always challenged myself and it's also important to learn from the rivals. Every rider has his own style, and you have to count on some elements that cannot be changed. On the contrary, the bike or the tires can change and it's important to adapt yourself. It's up to the rider to understand what he can change and how much he can adapt."
"Luck is one thing. It has always been there, it has always been a part of my success. It's a part of everyone's success. Without it, you can't be successful. But luck is something you have to stimulate, something you have to nurture through the choices you make...That's why things have always worked out for me. Things work out not just because I'm lucky, but because I plan ahead. I figure out what I want and I go for it. I've always spent a lot of time trying to surround myself with the right people, the kinds of teammates who could lead me to my goals."
"I'm very happy because I won a lot. I've won races and lived in a world that just gave me joy, so I remember it very positively."
"I am focused on racing. I enjoy it. It's a great feeling to be back fighting for the title."
"Once the races begin it's more difficult and there is never that much time for testing."
"It's a big, big advantage because understanding what changes we might make takes time and it takes time to work out settings and to understand everything about the new machine."
"The great fights with your strongest rivals are always the biggest motivation. When you win easily it's not the same taste."
"I have won on Honda and Yamaha so maybe it is interesting to win with a third team, Ducati, who are Italian."
"We kept on racing, doing something that Luis [Salom] loved. Fortunately or unfortunately, life goes on."
"Friendship is very important to me. With some friends, we've known each other since we were kids and it's a very strong relationship. They always tell me what they think even when I am wrong. It's great to share with them the best moments. I also have many friends in the team, and I like to share my passion with them."
"I never race for records. The motivation to try to beat the record is not enough to continue. You have to enjoy it."
"You need a combination of many things to get good results. Experience is one of these, and it can be very useful at the right moment. I don't know if it helps to go faster, but for sure it's an important element that has helped me a lot. Being experienced helps you to make fewer mistakes when you are on track. This is the positive side for being around for so many years!"
"The work that we do during the winter is very important; we have a new bike and it's important to develop it during this time."
"Fortunately during my career I have won more or less everything, so I need to enjoy it to have the right motivation."
"We have the 2004 M1 here for reference, which is useful. It worked well here last year; we won the race and always did fast lap times so it will be interesting to compare it to the new bike and it will help us to understand which parts have improved."
"I like physical exercise. I actually like sports in general. I really like snowboarding and playing soccer, too."
"The tragic incident of Luis Salom reminds us that our sport, our passion, is dangerous. We know it but, in a way, we don't think about it."
"In 2002 the Yamaha was at more or less the same level as the Honda, better in some ways, worse in others. But in the winter of last year between 2002 and 2003, Honda made a big step forward and it seemed as if Yamaha couldn't quite match that improvement."