Valentino and the Corkscrew

Are you a Valentino Rossi fan? Fan or not you have to respect the talent he has, especially after this last week end at the Malaysia race - he scored his 46^th victory, a magical number for him. To top all that off he is a great guy, so it is no wonder he has such a huge following.

Valentino Rossi, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Turn 5, 2006.  Photo by Kenny Jones

When I was a Regional Sales manager for Parts Unlimited I was privileged to be able to have dinner with Val several times as a result of a contest sponsored by AGV helmets, Michelin and then Bridgestone tires. At these dinners he answered questions from those in attendance and even those that were quite personal (which we won’t discuss here). He is a very colorful individual and always has time for his fans.

He also took the time to sign autographs on just about anything you wanted and everyone who was invited got a new signed AGV helmet so if you are looking to buy a signed AGV Rossi helmet let me know.

Valentino signing my helmet, 2006.

One year I was staying in the same hotel, on the same floor as Val in Monterey, while we rode the elevator another guy got on and wanted his autograph, but did not have anything so Val suggested he sign his pass. The guy was over the moon when we got off the elevator.

Back to the colorful part at the dinner and the questions that were being asked. One of the questions that was asked was what did he think of the ‘corkscrew’ at Laguna the first time he saw it. (If you have been around the track you can understand why he answered this way). He starts by saying in English with his Italian accent that he was riding around the track on his scooter and when he got to the top of the ‘corkscrew’ he stopped then he looked down and said “ Oh f—k I have to go down this thing fast!!” 

Valentino Rossi in the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca