"And I would think Valentino himself probably wanted to get out with the other guys, because it's one thing batting around a private circuit on your own looking at the stopwatch, but to be out on a track with other drivers and riders - whether you're in a bike or a car - you actually get to see for yourself.
"You can't lie to yourself then. You watch what other people are doing and get to see if you can cut the mustard and, from what I saw, I reckon he can."
Parrish, a close friend of the late Barry Sheene, then explained why - if he was Rossi - he would call time on a sensational
MotoGP career at the end of 2006. Rossi has already won 53 500cc/MotoGP races and five consecutive 500cc/MotoGP world championships since joining the premier-class in 2000.
The Doctor's success means he is already just one win behind Mick Doohan - and 15 from all-time win record holder Giacomo Agostini - while only Agostini, who claimed eight 500cc titles between 1966 and 1975, now has more premier-class championships.
"If I was
Valentino Rossi right now, with lots of millions of pounds - or euros as it would be in Italy - in the bank, I think I'd call it a day at the end of this year whatever happens," said Steve. "He's achieved everything that he can; he's pretty much blown everybody away for the past five or six years, it's a dangerous occupation - racing motorcycles for a living - he's 27-years old now and I think he'll want another challenge.
"So if I was Valentino Rossi I think I'd make that transition; whether it be to
F1, to rallying or something else. He's a real charger, he likes a challenge and F1 would be the best one to take. It would be slightly safer - I'm not saying that racing a
Formula One car is like a knitting competition - but it's definitely safer than racing a grand prix motorcycle."
But could Rossi really match the achievements of John Surtees and become only the second person in history to win the greatest prize on both two and four wheels?
