“I race in two or three classic races a year and I may carry on for 10 more years or I may stop tomorrow.”

They were ridiculous times. After I won my World Championship in 1976, I went to Japan.

I thought: This is not racing, it’s a suicide mission.

Endless motorbike talk can and does bore me.

I vowed I would do everything I could to stop the Isle of Man counting towards the World Championship. And it was stopped, so they love me in the Isle of Man.

The advantage of the rain is that, if you have a quick bike, there’s no advantage.

Nobody within motorcycling has or deserves any respect.

Don’t wait for your ship to come in, swim out and meet the bloody thing.

See, I believe that it is not true that different races and nations are alike. I’m profoundly convinced that that’s a total lie. I think people are different. Sardinians, for example, have stubby little fingers. Bosnians have short necks.

Why should any guy want to be only friends with a girl? It’s like agreeing to be near a chocolate cake and never eat it. It’s like sitting in a racing car but not driving it.

Im running in a race and people are on the other track, I’m running with myself

Riding a race bike is an art – a thing that you do because you feel something inside.

Think about it, no one can win a race in which he had given up. You can’t win a battle for which you have surrendered.

We believe in the dignity of man as an individual, whatever his race, colour or creed, and his right to better, fuller, and richer life.

We kept on racing, doing something that Luis [Salom] loved. Fortunately or unfortunately, life goes on.

Develop a sense of the brotherhood of man. Look upon each person as your own brother. There is only one caste, the caste of humanity. All of us belong to the human race, so everyone is equal. Therefore, love each one equally.