The Italian Francesco Bagnaia won the Grand Prix of Valencia on Sunday 14 November, which will go down in MotoGP history as the last race of his mentor, the legend Valentino Rossi, retired at 42 years old.
After a 432e Grand Prix in all world categories since 1996, completed at a 10e Anecdotally, the nine-time world champion said goodbye to his sport, having made it grow to the point of embodying it like no other driver. Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), 5e Sunday, having already secured his first world title in two races, the party was on for Rossi this weekend.
Admittedly, Rossi, demoted this season to the Yamaha-SRT satellite team, did not manage the miracle of placing himself on the podium for the first time in 2021, failing to improve his record of 199 podiums in the premier class. He completed season 18e, his worst result in 26 seasons at the world level. But that did not matter for his thousands of fans who came to see the last tours of the idol (76,226 spectators).
His number 46 was everywhere. On the helmets of his disciples “Pecco” Bagnaia – vice-world champion and winner of his 4e GP of the year Sunday – Franco Morbidelli or Luca Marini (his half-brother). In the full stands that make the Ricardo Tormo circuit an arena, his number and his initials, forming the lucrative mark “VR46”, floated on the yellow flags blazing under the Spanish autumn sun.
Even in the final odometer of his kilometers we find his fetish with 46,000 km covered in the race by “Vale”. In the paddock, the nine motorcycles of his titles had been enthroned side by side since Thursday, when he rode them for the photo and to remember the good memories of his domination (1997 in 125cc, 1999 in 250cc, 2001 in 500cc, 2002 in 2005 then 2008 and 2009 in MotoGP).
On the starting line, near a giant street-art fresco displaying the portrait of the smiling “Dottore”, Rossi set off 10e. In the race, he has never been able to compete with the best.
“Grazie Vale”
Jorge Martin (Ducati-Pramac) and Jack Miller (Ducati) completed the podium of this 18e Grand Prix of the season, ahead of 2020 champions Joan Mir (Suzuki) and 2021 Quartararo. The checkered flag – waved by former Brazilian footballer Ronaldo – passed, the pilots stopped to pay homage one last time to Rossi, as fireworks were fired in broad daylight, a Valencian specialty.
Returning to the garage, the Italian with 89 victories in the premier class got on his motorcycle raising his arms, one last time in his suit, to thank the crowd, to the unanimous cries of “Grazie Vale”. Next year, those who want to try their hand at car racing will remain present in MotoGP with the arrival of the VR46 structure as Ducati’s satellite team.
The other MotoGP figure Marc Marquez (Honda), who dominated Rossi in the 2010 decade, did not attend the departure of his former rival, having withdrawn as during the previous GP in Portugal.
After a fall during off-road training, the six-time MotoGP world champion Spaniard suffered a concussion and has since suffered from diplopia (double vision). A new blow for the one who missed the entire 2020 season after a fractured humerus.
His team-mate and compatriot Pol Espargaro also had to forfeit after a heavy crash on Saturday, leaving Honda unmanned on Sunday.