Pedrosa, Rossi talk title team orders

All the attention may be on their team-mates, but Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi could have a crucial part to play in this weekend's Valencia MotoGP title showdown.

Pedrosa's Repsol Honda team-mate Marc Marquez begins the event with a 13-point lead over Rossi's fellow factory Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo.

That means rookie Marquez only needs a top four finish even if Lorenzo wins.

But while Rossi has said he will do what he can to help his team-mate, Pedrosa seemed less enthusiastic.

“Well HRC has no team orders, as everybody knows,” said Pedrosa at Valencia on Thursday. “I think he [Marquez] has 13 points, is on the podium in every race, so is anyway capable to do it.”

Fortunately for Marquez, as highlighted earlier this week, one of the best ways that Pedrosa can help his team-mate is to win the race.

If Lorenzo cannot take victory on Sunday, Marquez only needs to finish in the top eight to be champion.

“I will try to do my best in the race, and winning the race is the best way to help the team,” confirmed Pedrosa, whose own title chance effectively ended when he fell after light contact from Marquez disabled his traction control at Aragon.

Rossi meanwhile will simply try and finish ahead of Marquez. “For me I think the best way to help Jorge is to try to arrive in front of Marc. I know it is very difficult but for sure I will try.”

Reflecting on the title battle, the seven time MotoGP champion added:

“For me both riders deserve the championship, because Jorge did a fantastic job and also Marc, for sure, as a rookie. Now they have to decide all in one race. Marc has some advantage but to decide everything in one shot is always difficult but very exciting.”

Rossi lost the 2006 title to Nicky Hayden at the final round.

Source: http://www.crash.net/motogp/news/197905/1/pedrosa_rossi_talk_title_team_orders.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

Opel Unveils Adam Customized by Valentino Rossi at EICMA

Opel revealed the “Adam & Vale for Charity”, a fully customized version of the city car designed by multiple MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi and Aldo Drudi, a designer who has collaborated with Valentino on his bikes, racing overalls and helmets for a long time. The unique Adam will be on display at the EICMA international motorcycle exhibition (November 7-10) in Milan, Italy.

Rossi and Drudi have put their mark on the Opel Adam, which has been customized from roof to wheels. The car features drawings from The Doctor’s graphic universe, including Valentino’s most widely known images and the symbols most treasured by him.

The car’s intricate livery was designed, redesigned and applied on the bodywork over the course of three months by a team of four people, as Rossi and Drudi changed their minds rather often.

The psychedelic theme of the exterior is continued in the cabin, where Dainese leather was used to trim the seats and doors. No word on performance upgrades, though.

“To tell the truth, the design phase took a very long time,” said Aldo Drudi. “It took us hours of hard work, but then you know Valentino, he is hard to please. And so am I. Scores of drawings were produced, phone calls were made and every time we decided to change everything and started all over again. In other words, it was exhausting but it was worth the effort,” he added.

The car will be put for auction during a fund-raising event next December to support a charity initiative sponsored by Opel: the Meyer Children’s Hospital Foundation

Source: http://www.carscoops.com/2013/11/opel-unveils-adam-customized-by.html

Rossi pledges to help Lorenzo 'as much as possible'

“I want to try and help Jorge as much as possible on Sunday and also to arrive on the podium” – Valentino Rossi.

Valentino Rossi has pledged to help Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo 'as much as possible' in Sunday's Valencia title showdown with Marc Marquez.

Rossi was personally involved in the previous MotoGP championship showdown, losing the 2006 crown to Nicky Hayden after falling early in the race, wiping out an eight point advantage.

With Lorenzo needing Marquez to finish fourth or lower even if he wins the race, Rossi could yet have an influence on the outcome of the 2013 crown, although his own final championship position is already confirmed as fourth.

“Usually Valencia is not one of my best tracks but I have had some good podiums there and some wins,” said seven time MotoGP champion Rossi. “As always we have to try and do the maximum for the weekend. 

“If I am strong enough I want to try and help Jorge as much as possible on Sunday and also to arrive on the podium.”

Team director Massimo Meregalli added: “It will be important that Valentino is in good shape. We'll have to make sure that Valentino can be with the other three riders. He wants it, the team also and we are ready to close the season in the best way.”

Even if Lorenzo, Rossi and Tech 3 Yamaha's Cal Crutchlow are ahead of Marquez, Honda could instruct its riders - especially team-mate Dani Pedrosa - to help Marquez into fourth.

Valentino Rossi Promises Roma Captain Motorcycle Ride If He Delivers Scudetto

Italian motorcycling hero Valentino Rossi has given Roma legendFrancesco Totti extra motivation to win the league title by promising to take him on his bike if he can do it.

The nine time MotoGP world champion, and a well-known fan of Serie A giants Inter, reached out to Totti when giving an interview about football in which he also spokes about the fortunes of his beloved Nerazzurri.

Speaking to Sky Italia, Rossi said: “Totti is great and always continues to make the difference for his team, he is like [Roger] Federer in tennis. He gives confidence and inspiration to all of my generation.

“Should he win the Scudetto this season then I will I would definitely invite him to take a ride with me.

“Inter? I think the new owner must prove he is the right man for the Nerazzurri,” continued Rossi. “I hope Thohir will bring in the money to again become a great side.

“I liked him straight away as he seems kind and smart so we will see. It would be nice for him to sign a top player like [Lionel] Messi.”

Lorenzo and Rossi poised for Sepang challenge

Jorge Lorenzo heads to Sepang with the knowledge that he collected his first premier class world title at the Malaysian circuit in 2010. On this occasion, the task is to out-score championship leader Marc Marquez by as many points as possible.

With four Grands Prix remaining and a maximum of 100 points left on offer, newcomer Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) heads reigning World Champion Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) by 39 points. With a difference of five between first and second positions (25 and 20 points, respectively), Lorenzo is aware that he must aim for victories while hoping that his chief rival runs into trouble.

"Now we start the big trip, with three races in a row, and face the last part of the championship - the crucial part," Lorenzo acknowledges ahead of back-to-back races in Malaysia, Australia and Japan.

"After Aragón, where we fought so hard, we now visit a special circuit. Sepang is a track everybody knows really well. I guess all the riders will be strong there because we did a couple of pre-season tests. Sepang is a long and technical circuit with two great straights but also some nice corners. The worst thing is it’s always stormy and you never know when it is going to rain.

"I have some good memories there but we need to keep focus now on the race and try to recover a little bit to Marquez. The championship is difficult, but we want to fight until the end. Let’s see what happens!"

Lorenzo could be assisted by former arch rival and Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi, who has won at Sepang on no less than six occasions since 2001.

"The Sepang circuit is a track that I like a lot - I have had many great victories there," begins the Italian, who last time out at MotorLand Aragón picked up his fifth rostrum finish of the 2013 campaign.

"I think it suits the Yamaha quite well. It's very demanding physically, because it’s very hot, but it's also a great track and challenge because of that. I want to try to have a good weekend and work hard on the setup in order to be competitive in the race."

For Constructors’ honours ahead of the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, Yamaha trails Honda by 26 points, whereas Yamaha Factory Racing is second in the Teams’ standings and 73 points in arrears of Repsol Honda Team.

Rossi out to help Lorenzo in Valencia

Valentino Rossi stresses that he will be trying his upmost to assist Jorge Lorenzo at this weekend’s Gran Premio Generali de la Comunitat Valenciana, as his Yamaha Factory Racing teammate vies for the title against Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez.

Following consecutive race victories at Phillip Island and Twin Ring Motegi, Lorenzo sits second in the riders’ standings and the reduced margin of 13 points behind Marquez. Lorenzo may have been a chief rival of Rossi’s in past seasons, but the Italian insists that he will be doing all he can to help the Spaniard on this occasion.

"Usually Valencia is not one of my best tracks but I have had some good podiums there and some wins," Rossi begins. "As always, we have to try and do the maximum for the weekend. If I am strong enough, I want to try and help Jorge as much as possible on Sunday and also to be on the podium."

2013 marks the first time since 2006 that MotoGP™ has witnessed a last-race title decider; it was Yamaha versus Honda on that occasion as well, as Rossi lost out to American Nicky Hayden.

Valentino Rossi and Sky

From the start of next year, Valentino Rossi will be working alongside Sky Italia - the Italian MotoGP™ broadcaster from 2014 - in order to nurture new talents in the Moto3™ category of the World Championship.

Starting with 2014, Rossi will contribute towards a project which will focus on propelling the careers of young riders on international circuits. This comes after a deal was struck between Sky and VR46, the company owned by the nine-time World Champion.

The team, of which Sky will be the principal sponsor, will race with KTM machinery and has already forwarded an official entry application to MotoGP™ governing body the FIM and commercial rights holder Dorna Sports in order to participate in the Moto3™ class.

Romano Fenati will be a rider as he continues his quest of attempting to climb to the top of the World Championship. "We have joined forces with Sky in order to give the Italian riders the opportunity to be competitive and reach the highest levels," says Rossi.

Earlier this year, it was announced that Sky Italia had acquired television rights to the FIM MotoGP™ World Championship starting with the 2014 season, offering coverage across all Sky platforms including FTA TV, pay TV, internet, mobile and Sky Go.