Riding on a highly respectable 10th-place qualifying warm-up lap, the Italian was greeted standing under an ocean of yellow flags – his signature color wave with a 76,226-person crowd in grandstands beneath bright blue Sky
After a career spanning 26 years, with 432 Grand Prix starts, 115 victories in all three sections of the World Championship, 235 podiums and 65 poles, it was time to take his final bow for one of the sport’s most charismatic personalities. There was a suitably lively setting.
“Riding a motorcycle and running in MotoGP has always been my first passion, ever since I was a kid. If I think about the moment, two or three years ago, I was desperate, but now I’m ready, It’s time. That’s enough.”
The 42-year-old said that he has to convince his family and friends that the time has come for him to give up his old Yamaha YZR M1. “It was difficult, especially with my mother, my father, and my closest friends, telling them that I would stop at the end of the season, because everyone said, ‘No, you have to continue. You have to continue,’ but I was ready, and I reassured them.”
Rossi admitted that it was a bit difficult to finally give up on his dream of a 10th world title. “It’s a shame because 10 is such a big number, it feels like you close a circle, and I was very close to 10th at times, and I think I’m going for my pace and my career.” Deserved 10th, but unfortunately it’s like that, but I can’t complain with nine championships.”
Perhaps the most famous of those ‘almost’ moments came under the shroud of controversy, after the infamous 2015 clash with Marc Marquez at the Malaysia MotoGP in Sepang, when the Italian was penalized for aiming a kick at the Spanish , was knocking him gravel during a horrific fight.
Punished in the final race of the season with points deducted and starting at the back of the grid, he was unable to claim the title from Jorge Lorenzo. Even after six years, Rossi has not forgiven his younger rival.
“2015 was a really bad moment, probably the worst moment of my career,” he told CNN. “The whole season I had a big fight with Jorge Lorenzo, who was my teammate at Yamaha, and at the end unfortunately another rider decided I didn’t want to win the championship, so Marc Marquez decided not to Have to become world champion for the 10th time.”
Marquez has always denied that he had any intention of ending Rossi’s title bid, but the Italian remains unconvinced, and the ax remains unmoved.
“From that moment, it was not the same. For me, it changed my feeling with MotoGP a lot, and it was also very bad for MotoGP because it was not able to manage this situation, and from that moment we Don’t have a relationship,’ Rossi continued. When asked by CNN if he had any messages for the Catalans, he burst out laughing. “No,” he replied flatly, “I have a message Not there.”
Rossi did not name Marquez in his list of major rivalries, but chose three others from his illustrious career. “I had great rivalries, I always enjoy a lot, I think the best ones are with Max Biaggi, in the 500 and MotoGP, as well as [Casey] Stoner because he was very quick and had a great talent, and with Jorge Lorenzo. I enjoy these three a lot, sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but it was always a great fight.”
It is impossible to overestimate Rossi’s influence on MotoGP to some extent, as he has always been present in the Premier Class since the creation of the MotoGP brand in 2002. “Imagine, that I was in the first race of MotoGP because there was no MotoGP before the name, so from the beginning of MotoGP, you have Valentino Rossi,” laughed the Italian.
Now, as the sport eventually falls apart with its most famous competitor, Rossi sees a bright future for it without him, not least with a new crop of Italian talent on the grid.
bright future
“MotoGP lost a great rider, but I lost a great friend because we always train together and we live together as we normally do,” Rossi told CNN. “The memory of Marco is still very light, not only for me, but for all the paddock because he was a very funny man. It’s already 10 years, but it looks little because a lot of times I talk about Marco I dream, and it seems we meet sometimes.”
The spirit of the occasion as Rossi eventually took his place on the grid at Valencia, even though he was starting from the fourth row. Curiously, the race date gave the occasion an extra note of surprising symmetry: 11/14/21 — add those numbers together and they come, you guessed it, 46: Rossi’s iconic racing number.
Social media was also filled with anticipation, with stars like Tom Cruise, Chris Hemsworth, Keanu Reeves and Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Pirlo paying tributes to Rossi.
In this event, the race itself was a tight contest, with George Martin taking the early lead, before being contested by fellow Ducati rider and Rossi hero, Peco Bagnaia. The young Italian was wearing a helmet specially designed for the race, bearing the number 46, and the words ‘Che spettacolo!’, or ‘What a show!’
Perhaps appropriately, Bagnaya took that number to the line for victory, before a historic first Ducati podium lockout, with the Bologna outfit adding the team’s title to the constructors it had already achieved.
“It was incredible, unbelievable,” Bagnia told the official MotoGP channel after the race. “There’s only one way to celebrate [Rossi] Had to win with my helmet on, so Vale was with me at the top of the podium, so I’m very happy.”
Rossi finished his 10th, underscoring the fact that, even at 42, he can still exceed his grip in a dominant class race.
Close friend and Brazilian football legend Ronaldo waved a checkered flag as the Italian crossed the line. A swarm of fans and riders surrounded him under a cloud of yellow smoke following the flag, before he returned to the guard of honor in the packed and clapping paddock, eventually standing on the saddle of his Yamaha in his now former ally to wave.
two new chapters
However, Rossi won’t shy away from racing just yet. “I will race with cars next year, with GT cars in some endurance championships in Europe,” he told CNN. “And you also have a really cool championship in America called IMSA, and maybe one time, I’ll be in America to race.”
“I always drive racing cars, because that’s my great passion. I started with go karts, so I have some great experience, and driving a car is fun. And also because if you’re a little older, it’s so bad No because it’s easier physically, and I like to be on track, I like to be a driver, so we’ll see. I don’t know my potential, we need to wait for next year.”
The other big new challenge awaiting Italians is parenthood; His partner – former model Francesca Sofia Novello – is expecting their first child.
“It’s fantastic, you know,” he told CNN. “It’s the first time, when I got to know the news I was very happy because I think it’s the right time, and I think it’s a new chapter in life, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
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