One of the questions that I have been asked most frequently since my retirement from racing is whether team ownership can ever replace the thrill of winning a race as a rider Well, the answer is definitely ‘No!’ And in this book, which focuses on my winning and the sheer emotion I felt passing that chequered flag in first place, it should be obvious for all to see. It wasn’t riding at incredible speeds or getting my knee down through a corner, it was knowing I was the best. These pictures show that I was never one to hide my emotions, and how my single-mindedness might not have made me the most popular rider in the paddock while I was racing. Nowadays all the riders seem to be friends but there was usually a tension in the air when I was racing. I had to make myself almost hate my rivals so that I would be even more determined to beat them at whatever cost. And my fans loved it!
But, as they say, all good things must come to an end and, after the crash at Phillip Island in 2000, when I shattered my left shoulder; it was simply no longer possible to ride. Most sportsmen have to decide the best time to call it a day and retire – but the decision was made for me.
The question was then what the future held. Sportsmen can either disappear into the background, counting their money, or accept a new challenge. And I don’t think I would ever have been happy retired from racing if I hadn’t had something to focus my competitive instincts on. So, the next best thing to winning races as a rider has to be winning them as a team owner. That in itself is easier said than done because motorsport is a costly business. You cannot simply decide to set up your own team without the necessary backing. And maybe this is where my career has come full circle: for if I had not been so intent on winning when I was racing, I would not be involved in bike racing at the level I am today.
I am best known for my four World Superbike titles. Those championship wins were achieved when World Superbikes was at its peak, with a lot of factory-supported teams and a lot of very talented riders. And it wasn’t as easy for the Ducati factory riders in those days as it has been recently. Believe me, I fully earned every race win and every world championship. But people sometimes forget that I have another three world titles under my belt, two in Formula One TT racing and one World Endurance Championship. Add to that the FIM World Cup title in 1990 and I have won eight world titles in total.
Having been brought up around road racing – my dad George was also a racer – I knew from an early age that all I wanted to do in
