Rossi: Lorenzo? He's only clever

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Valentino Rossi has kept his word and made an appearance on the colorful Italian talk show ‘Chiambretti Night.’ The show will go on air this Friday and Saturday night, but the episode has already been taped to accommodate the rider's schedule.

Guaranteed to generate top ratings, the eccentric host managed to loosen Valentino up (perhaps with the help of this dancer) enough to have him speak freely about a number of interesting topics.

Here are some highlights from the interview:

Ducati - "I have always felt something inside me for Ducati. For years I have been deciding whether to stay at Yamaha or move to Ducati, and this was the right moment to do it. I haven't had any second thoughts, since we haven't even started yet! How will the Japanese feel about it? We need to see how it goes: if I beat them they will be unhappy, otherwise they will take it well."

The competition - “I would consider Stoner the favorite, but I also say that in the hope it will jinx him a little bit. On pure speed and talent he is a 10, but in terms of tactics and race craft, a little bit less. He is a crazy rider that often repeats the same mistakes. Lorenzo? He is great because he managed to get everyone to agree... in the sense that everyone dislikes him. He is strong, and deserves a nine and a half. I won't say that he is intelligent, because intelligent is a big word, but let's say that he is more clever than intelligent."

Biaggi - "I look back on our battles with a smile. Off the track he uses a lot of little tricks to annoy his competition. Being a good loser is one of the hardest things, and Biaggi was not very good at this."

The Shoulder - “I just met with my surgeon today. I still have some pain, but we were able to understand why. It is being caused by the tendon that connects to my bicep, which hasn't healed properly yet. It still bothers me and will take a little more time."

Ferrari - “Now it's too late to become a Formula 1 driver. There were two occasions in which I came close: the first time I didn't want to do it, and the second time the organizers didn't allow Ferrari a third car."

Love - "I can officially introduce Marwa, my girlfriend. Canalis (current girlfriend of George Clooney, ed.)? I can only confirm that she didn't give it up for me."

Taxes - “The publicity surrounding the whole affair was a big mess. Once I fully understood the situation, I didn't try and hide; I paid the money owed and I changed the people handling my affairs that got me into that situation to begin with. But I was thinking about moving back to Italy even before that happened."

Berlusconi - "In general I can say that he doesn't hold back. After everything that we have heard about him lately, I think we are all a little jealous. I only met him once, and he told me that I'm the world champion of niceness."

Superbike - "I'm thinking about WSBK for retirement, which is like the second division."