P138
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
I
've been avoiding this topic,
because it is kind of scary. I
know how fanatical Rossi's
fans can be, and I know that if
they want to they could interpret
my words as insulting. Then I'd
be in trouble.
So let's begin by express-
ing the opposite: I have vast
reserves of respect for Valen-
tino—for his talent, his race-craft,
his intelligence, and his breadth
of vision—nowadays best seen
in how he is training up the next
generation of Italian stars at his
ranch: a program that not only
teaches them about riding but
also how to speak English and
how to negotiate contracts and
fees.
Most of all, I am in awe of his
incredible, undying commitment
to racing.
And not only those things, I
also deeply admire his ruthless-
ness, his ability at the height of
his powers to dismantle his clos-
est rivals. And I am very suscep-
tible, as is the rest of the world,
to his powerful charm.
But I am alarmed to see to just
what extent he has Yamaha over
a barrel.
It was back at Qatar that I
started to think that Valentino,
once the jewel in Yamaha's
BED-BLOCKER
