"I think those were the worst conditions in which I have raced in my career," declared Rossi. "It started to rain strong, so the amount of water went up on the racetrack and it became all dark like in the night, but the biggest problem was the wind. Beer cans and bags [were blown] in front of the bike. It was very, very bad, especially because the wind was so inconsistent and very strong.
"You never knew what would happen," he continued. "Along the straight you used all the width from left to right just to try to go straight! Also, on the exit of turn nine, I had a wheelie and got blown a bit wide, I crossed the white line and lost control of the bike. I was quite lucky.
"Seriously, I think I have to raise my hand [to try to stop the race], but I was in front and could see that my advantage was going up. So I try to go and every lap I wait for the red flag, red flag, and after the red flag arrive I think is the right decision because racing like this is too dangerous."
The race was eventually red-flagged after 20 laps and, following ten minutes confusion as to whether there would be a restart - during which an airfence, amongst other things, was seen being blown in the air - Rossi was confirmed as the first ever
MotoGP winner at the Brickyard.
"In my mind, no way to restart, especially because the wind remained very strong," said Rossi. "A restart for eight laps, with all riders together in these conditions is like when you put one bullet in the gun and you make, "trrrrr," like this. It was dangerous; I think it was the right decision."
Rossi was thus confirmed as winning his fourth grand prix in a row and the first motorcycle race held at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1909.
"This is fantastic because it's been a long time since I won in the rain and even longer since I won four in a row!" smiled Valentino, who dedicated the victory to his Grandfather Dario, who died on Sunday at the age of 82. "To win the first [
MotoGP] race here at
Indianapolis is a great emotion. I'm the first motorcycle winner here in 100 years. It is quite special. I like the track, and I think in the next years we can make it even better."
Agostini's record of 68 premier-class wins had stood unbeaten for more than 30 years - and Rossi's hopes his name will stay on top just as long.
"To beat Agostini's record is incredible. 69 is a great number because it means a long time at the top, but I want to try to make a better number," he said. "I don't want to say [Agostini] was my hero because I don't remember Ago race, just 20 years later on television, but he was the number one - well, some people say it is Agostini, some people say
Mike Hailwood.
"But anyway, Ago has some other records like 122 victories and especially 15 world championships that for me maybe is impossible, but to beat him in the number of race wins in the premier class is great. I hope my record remains for another 30 years!"
