He was welcomed more like a rock star than a pilot. A little less than two weeks after his last MotoGP race, Valentino Rossi gave himself one last crowd at EICMA. For the initiative entitled “One More Lap”, Yamaha set up a stage worthy of a concert and about 9,000 lucky ones were able to give another greeting to the “Doctor”, battling cold and rain to be able to be present.
The entrance was a triumphal one, because the Italian took the stage riding a Yamaha M1, which for the occasion had the white and red livery celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Iwata brand. Accompanied by Federica Masolin and Linus, the nine-time world champion retraced the 16 years of his adventure as a Yamaha rider with the images that were transmitted on the giant screens of the stage.
“My Sundays will never be the same … I still need some time, luckily I still have a few months to get used to it before the championship starts again. Thinking about not racing anymore is tough, but now you can’t go back. back, “joked Valentino touching the key of his farewell.
“Every now and then I feel sad, because I find myself thinking that I will no longer compete. I will miss the adrenaline and the pressure, even all the people in the paddock, but above all not being a MotoGP rider anymore,” he added.
The trip touched happy moments, such as the victory at Welcom, at the debut on the M1: “The best moment of my career, because I was very afraid of changing”. But also others more difficult to digest, such as Valencia 2006: “The first was a great disappointment, because I had always won before. I was incredulous.” And then there is always the regret of that faded tenth World Cup: “I would have liked to win another title, it would have been nice to get to ten”.
Our thoughts then went to the many fans who came to EICMA, but also to all those who followed him on circuits all over the world: “It was nice to see the many fans, too bad for the rain and the great cold. But they were brave and it was really exciting. They didn’t let me go even today, it was great to have their support since the beginning of my career and to see the yellow people who have always given me so much energy. “
The Yamaha leaders also took to the stage, giving Rossi a double gift. Indeed, to the Rossi family: Valentino was given a VR46 tribute R1 GYTR (in the photo below), but also a small bike for his daughter who will arrive in a few months.
However, his life as a driver is not completely over, because GT races are waiting for him, even if he has not yet planned his 2022 program: “In January, I race with Ferrari in Abu Dhabi, a race that I do often. ‘next year, however, I have not yet decided, there are two or three championships. We will see in the coming weeks with whom I will race on four wheels “. And you can bet that even there the support of his fans will never fail him …
The R1 GYTR VR46
Photo by: Yamaha MotoGP
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