Like Heiti, I recently finished reading Valentino Rossi’s autobiography “What if I had never tried it”. Despite its numerous faults this was an incredible read; an absolute must for anyone who loves motorcycle road racing; full of wit and surprising, sometimes shocking, insights into the life of the world champion and the greatest motorcycle racer the world has ever seen.

You’ll get the real scoop on all the gags, from the bizarre story of Osvaldo The Chicken to the Porta-potty break. On the animosity with Biaggi including what really happened with the elbow incident at Suzuka and the staircase scuffle in Barcelona. On the opposition and press gripes on Rossi’s “always fastest” bike. On Don Cesare, the 80+ year old Tavulla priest who postpones service to watch Rossi race. On the Ferrari tests. On Vale’s superstitions. His view of journalists and fans, especially the relentless Italian ones. His battle with the downsides of success. Concerns about his privacy.

You’ll be amazed at the shananigans Vale and his Tribe engaged in on scooters and in “Apecars”. The memoirs of the 2 Suzuka 8 hour races he participated in were hilarious and brutally frank. You’ll even find out what Rossi was really doing inside his helmet at the end of the Welkom 2004 GP…

If you’re a fan of Valentino Rossi, you won’t be disappointed. This book has plenty of his opinions and sheds light on almost everything you’ve ever wondered about.

But unfortunately there’s a downside: this book doesn’t have enough to say about actual, on track motorcycle racing. Oh sure, there’s some great descriptions of the NSR 500’s brutality, the training in “riding sideways” in a rock quarry with Graziano, the short anecdotes from various races.

I really was hoping for more, but then this is a book that was written for fans first, not racers, so I can’t say I fault it. I didn’t expect the Twist of the Wrist, but I wish there was more about specific races, Vale’s strategies, etc. I also found some of the chapters tiresome; Vale’s chance to break silence is sometimes just a personal attack back at people who have annoyed him, especially the Italian press.

The book also suffers somewhat from the “ghost writer” effect and surely the Italian to English translation.

But all in all it delivers a great read and there are three aspects of the story that were not only enlightening but beautiful.

The first is basically the first 3rd of the book and describes the move from Honda to Yamaha. It is an amazingly revealing text that I read nearly breathlessly. All the secret meetings right under the nose of Honda, in the paddock during GPs, at night. The pressure of racing the morning after putting ones career on the line. The third option to Honda. Vale’s reasons for leaving Honda and chosing Yamaha. In a word, incredible. My high regard of this young man has gone up by leaps and bounds based on what I read here. Imagine yourself at 24 years old faced with those decisions and that pressure… Truly, a wonderful tale, a one of a kind story that wiped away almost all of what I thought really transpired.

The second is his warm description of his relationship with Jeremy Burgess and the latter’s unique approaches. A lot of surprises about the young Rossi understanding that the team is key and always persuing specific people to work with instead of just looking for the best contracts. I loved reading about Burgess because I feel he is almost as an amazing a persona in MotoGP as Rossi himself.

Finally, there’s Rossi’s love affair with the motorcycle that connects him with all true lovers of motorcycling. His late nights spent alone with the bikes in the garage. The seeming madness of his owning the application of practically all of the bike’s stickers. Sitting on the bike and just enjoying it in silence; his medidation. His ability to communicate and motivate his team by talking about “his bike”, never treating it as a tool, but as an extension and always always personal.

You and I too have spent many nights in our garages just starting at our bikes. We understand the lust. Feeling the power hidden behind the sleek lines. Feeling that oneness with the mount. Longing for the track or open road. And for the speed. It is a wonderful thing to see that even for a career racer with so much success, this love affair is not lost.

In this the book delivers and was nearly impossible to put down. I have never been much of a biography reader, but I recommend this one completely, whether you are a Rossi fan or not.

Btw, you don’t have to wait for the book to be released in your country. Thanks to the magic of the Internet, just go to amazon.co.uk and buy a copy. The only difference I found was that my copy was “dispatched” instead of being “shipped”…

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