Valentino Rossi Retirement: Reflections on an Inspirational 25 year Career

Yesterday was the day that motorcycle racing fans have been dreading for the last few years….Valentino Rossi announced his retirement from Moto GP. He has been the icon of Moto GP for 25 years, capturing the hearts and imagination of fans worldwide to an extent that I don’t think has ever been seen before, or will be seen again. He has been a true ambassador of the sport, and has given so much more back into motorcycle racing over his years in the paddock.

He is one of very few motorcycle racers to have become a household name, I’m sure a lot of you reading this know who he is but potentially not many other bike racers. Why? Because he has been captivating to watch throughout his career, both on and off-track. He has always oozed a love for motorcycles, and I think this is one of the main reasons that he has become as successful and loved as he has.

In my opinion the majority of modern day racers seem robotic, like they’re just there doing a job and they’re more worried about upsetting their sponsors than enjoying and being themselves. Valentino has never fallen into that camp. From the moment he broke onto the 125cc World Championship scene in 1996 his love for two wheels has always been apparent. He is fun loving, has always been so exciting to watch on the race track, and not forgetting his legendary celebrations! He has inspired several generations of motorcycle racers at all levels, which just shows the extent of respect for him worldwide.

Click to see some of Valentino’s best celebrations over the years: Photo gallery: Valentino Rossi’s iconic celebrations | MotoGP™

Valentino’s statistics over his career speak for themselves:

There has never been a premier class rider competing at the top of his game for so long, but it’s not just about his talent. Valentino is the greatest motorcycle racer of all time in my opinion, and the impact he has had on the sport is absolutely incredible. Every single race I’ve ever been to, whether it’s Moto GP or not, there will always be a sea of yellow in the crowd. You go to a bike meet – someone will have a Rossi helmet on. You go to the bike show – someone will have a Rossi t-shirt on. It truly is astounding to see his army of fans worldwide, I really can’t think of anyone who has got a fanbase like it.

I am not shy to admit that Valentino Rossi is my hero. He has been since 2002 which is when I can really remember getting absolutely obsessed with Moto GP (which was in its inaugural year) and the man himself. We would pitch a tent and camp in the lounge when the flyaway rounds were on, waking up in the early hours of the morning to watch the racing live. Friends would come around on Sundays and they’d be involved sitting in various VR46 t-shirts, flags, hats…whatever was closest to hand! In most photos from this time onwards I am firmly in my Valentino bucket hat and bright yellow top (which is now signed and a treasured possession)!

I have been fortunate enough to watch Valentino race at circuits across Europe, but one thing I regret is never getting to watch him race in Italy. That is something that we’ve said we would do for years, but unfortunately the timings never worked out and now we have missed our chance. My favourite race would have to be the Dutch TT in 2007, which we had ridden over to on the bikes and spent most of the time absolutely soaking. He qualified 11th on the grid so we were a bit disheartened, but come race day he was on a mission and ended up winning the race! Every time I’ve been to a race that he’s won, wherever it may be in the world, it has always felt like a “home victory” with how the crowd respond! His wins have always been the most popular, and that atmosphere after races like the Dutch TT will never be experienced again I don’t think.

If I look around my house there is something VR46 in most rooms, every single motorcycle helmet I’ve worn has been a Valentino replica and I’ve always worn Dainese kit. I have his sun logo tattooed on my shoulder blade and spent countless hours stalking him at several Day of Champions events as a kid hoping to meet him! I was fortunate enough to meet him at Silverstone 10 years ago, and honestly was completely overwhelmed. There was no way I could say what I wanted to say to him, and to this day I have no idea what came out of my mouth!

I am sure that my love of Yamahas has come from watching him racing them – my favourite era of Moto GP was when he switched to Yamaha in 2004 and was battling with Sete Gibernau and Nicky Hayden for the following years. He has raced with several manufacturers, which again is another huge reason I think he is the greatest of all time. Yes, there have been other people with many wins and titles, but no-one else (in the modern era) has done it across several manufacturers. Valentino has constantly pushed himself in his career – moving away from the championship-winning dominant Honda in 2004 to the terrible Yamaha was a huge risk. Everyone wrote him off, but they were soon silenced when he won the first race of the year, making him the only rider to win back to back races on different motorcycles.

My Mum and I made the pilgrimage to his home town in Tavullia, Italy a few years ago which was an experience like no other. There are cardboard cut-outs of him poking out of the windows in the church steeples!!! Here I joined the fan club, and we soaked up the incredible atmosphere at this tiny little town up in the hills of Eastern Italy. It was amazing to see how inspired and supportive his local community were of him, the whole town is basically a big shine to Valentino which just shows the extent of his popularity and achievements.

Aside from this visit, we also decided to go to the Isle of Man TT in 2009 when he announced that he was going to be there….right in between my AS Level exams! I got picked up from my Maths exam, and when we came back I went straight into my Physics exam….there was no way we were going to miss our hero visiting our favourite circuit in the world! We also went to the Goodwood Festival of Speed when we knew he was going to be there, spending the entire day cheering him on up the famous hill.

I honestly believe that Valentino Rossi is the main reason behind my love for motorcycle racing…obviously I have my family history, but I think being captivated watching VR racing was the reason I fell in love with the sport. He was the rider I dreamed about becoming Crew Chief for as a child, which is the path I am still pursuing 20 years later. For one person to have had such a profound impact on my life is something that’s hard to explain, but I would be lying if I didn’t say that wasn’t the case. I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t sad that I won’t achieve my exact dream, but I figure if I could get a job in his race team that would be close enough…..

Valentino Rossi is Moto GP, and I’m sure the organisers will be feeling unsure how the future will be without him racing. I would expect viewing figures and race attendance to go down, because even when he hasn’t been at his peak in the last few years the crowds are still predominantly sporting the #46 yellow. We won’t be truly losing him from the paddock though as he is going to continue to run his Sky VR46 team, and he has mentioned perhaps competing in other races such as Le Mans 24hrs. This gets me excited because another bucket list career goal for me is to work at Le Mans….maybe the stars will align for that to happen!!

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

Valentino Rossi

Let’s make Valentino’s final year in Moto GP some of his fondest memories…wherever you are in the world book tickets to your closest Moto GP. Go head to toe in his gear, take a flag and airhorn and let’s show the greatest of all time what he means to us all. He may not be competing at the front anymore, but he will always be the most popular racer even when he’s running a team instead of competing on track.

What are your favourite memories of Valentino Rossi? I would love to hear them so please drop them in the comments!

Emilie

The Female Engineer