#uves y ráfagas desde motogp

[kwisatzworld]

By the year 2001, when Rossi secured the first of his seven premier class titles, the rider Rossi had transformed into the phenomenon Rossi, becoming the most sought-after personality by the press wherever the championship took him. As a result, impromptu interviews on the fly became a thing of the past. Every meeting with a recorder or pen had to be pre-approved and supervised by his press or communications department. The avalanche of interview requests was so overwhelming that every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday—after fulfilling the mandatory press conference obligation, since MotoGP riders don’t hide from the media like some other athletes—he faced a series of brief interviews with local or regular journalists, often conducted in groups and limited to ten minutes. It might seem like a short time, but ten minutes with Rossi usually yielded a wealth of material. If you managed to capture his attention and interest, the conversation could last longer, regardless of what the clock said. Still, at the ten-minute mark, the press officer would always signal the end. I fondly remember Roberta Vallorosi, who later worked with Fernando Alonso in Formula 1 when he joined Ferrari. Her charm softened the blow of her dreaded time warnings. Securing even one extra minute with Vale was a personal triumph—a clear sign the interview had piqued his interest. For a journalist facing someone who had given thousands of interviews and answered millions of questions, this was a professional success comparable to the taste of victory for a racer. After all, The Doctor always provided memorable headlines.

I had my own tricks to earn those extra minutes, but I first had to figure out how to win them. The first serious interview I conducted with him, when Rossi was becoming a superstar, didn’t get off to a good start. It was in 2000, when he had moved up to the 500cc. By then, getting a moment with him was much harder than the year before in Rio. Rossi was giving one cliché answer after another, showing zero enthusiasm, and even flipping through a motorcycle magazine as we spoke. Jaime Olivares, the best Spanish motorsport photographer with more shots fired than in an entire war, was doing me a favor by photographing the scene. He, like me, could tell the interview was sinking. Jaime said nothing but shot me a look that urged some kind of reaction—a sign, a wink—anything to salvage the moment. I knew I had two choices: end the interview to avoid wasting Rossi’s time (and mine), or radically change tactics to get at least one headline-worthy quote. I chose the latter. Point-blank, I blurted, “You know what? You’re a great rider, but there’s a Spanish rider who hasn’t won anything yet but beats you in one thing.” That got his attention. Rossi closed the magazine, looked at me for the first time, and asked, “Who?” It was time to strike. “Fonsi Nieto, because he’s got an amazing girlfriend you don’t have: Elsa Pataky.” His face lit up as he exclaimed, “Ah, Elsa! She’s very beautiful and really nice! My friend Fonsi’s got a great girlfriend…” The rest of the interview flowed smoothly. Knowing he was a passionate football fan and loyal to Inter Milan, I teased him about the Real Madrid team’s popularity, even joking that Michael Schumacher might be their next signing—to drive the team bus. Rossi laughed heartily at that, and while the interview wasn’t our best ever, it was good enough. Most importantly, it laid the groundwork for all future encounters, turning each into an eagerly anticipated event. From that point on, my goal was always to extract the most from every conversation, understanding that keeping him engaged was key. Judging by the relaxed tone and length of our chats since then, I’d say he found them interesting, too, as our discussions often went well beyond motorcycles. Those sessions produced fascinating pages of content, with some interviews stretching nearly to the half-hour mark. The record? Twenty-seven minutes, to be precise. If one minute with Rossi provides plenty, imagine what you can do with that many.