Eighteen years ago Valentino Rossi had the honor of making a dream come true and living an unforgettable day a Fiorano behind the wheel of the same Ferrari F2004 who would race a few days later in Imola in the hands of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello (victory for the Kaiser in front of Jenson Button and Juan Pablo Montoya). We report the words of the ace of Tavullia through some extracts from the chapter of his autobiography Think if you hadn’t tried dedicated to this test, the first of a series of private tests carried out at the wheel of Ferrari. It was supposed to be a day top-secret, but it was not. The mutual attraction between Rossi and Ferrari, however, never materialized, even if the Doctor revealed that in 2006 a serious program had been set up for his arrival in Formula 1.
“[…] My test with Ferrari was a real testnot a gift or a favor, not even a promotional event […] everyone behaved like in an official test, they wanted to get an idea of my potential […] the biggest problems came from my sponsors and those of Yamaha. All companies competing with those that sponsor Ferrari […] there was enough to make a good mess […].
We agreed on absolute silence […] Obviously I hadn’t said anything to Brivio, while I told my mom that I was going to Milan […] We arrived in Fiorano the night before and slept there so as not to arouse suspicion […] in the evening they prepare my seat on the ‘fourth car’ […] The next morning I entered the garage dressed as Schumacher, from the suit to the helmet […]
The mechanics had made betsor if I would have been above or below the minute barrier, which at Fiorano means going strong enough or not […] I missed the start and I suddenly turned around at the hairpin, one of my classic debuts in short […] After three laps I turned back into a fast corner just when I was starting to enjoy myself […]
The hardest thing for a motorcycle rider to understand is braking, which is very powerful […] From the telemetry I realized that Schumacher was exerting double pressure on the pedal than mine […] My concerns about secrecy have proved justified. […] Someone inside Ferrari had spoken to reporters […] Already at lunchtime while I was eating Studio Sport gave the news that I was in Fiorano to test the Ferrari […] The disclosure of the news spoiled my day […] When my mom managed to get in touch with me I admitted that I was in Fiorano. ‘You really made a figure of me * da today,’ she told me […]
In the late afternoon I was able to shoot for an hour, after Schumacher had also arrived with whom I took some photos […] Slowly, however, I gained confidence and began to adapt to the car. And in the end I shot in 59 ″ 10. And someone lost the bet ”.
Valentino Rossi, Think if you hadn’t tried
Alberto Antonini on that day also revealed that Michael Schumacher did not particularly like all the attention that had been given to the event, complete with super performance tires to put the Doctor in a position to achieve a good time trial.
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