77 replies to this topic

[Quickshifter]

His retirement would have run in to loads n loads of pages had he not overstayed by a few years. His achievement and contribution to MotoGP and motorsport has been really great without a shadow of doubt.

In any sport you get to choose two things when you are at the pinnacle. One, you choose to leave on a high, you will get accolades galore, a huge farewell and people actually want you to continue while on the hand when you try to prolong your career to a stage where you are just about making numbers on the grid, to a stage where people including your own fans push you to retire as they cannot see the struggles you are going through then naturally the reaction would be one of relief than sadness.

He chose to live out his passion as long as he could and i respect that but i do not necessarily agree with that when he could have planned this a lot better where people could remember him fighting for wins and not scrapping at the back on a bike good enough to win.

Not just Rossi you see many superstars overstaying their career while only a few choose the right moment to leave.

Edited by Quickshifter, 06 August 2021 - 05:53.

[Dhillon]

I remember a lump in my throat when he won for the first time with Yamaha. Rossi gave me so much joy over the years. I'll miss his flamboyant nature, antics and the last lap passes.

Hope to see him around in some other role.

[naiboz]

Thanks for the memories Valentino!

 

 

 

             

[PayasYouRace]

The term “transcends the sport” can get thrown around quite a bit. But I’d say it’s apt in this case. I have zero interest in bike racing and yet I know what a big deal this is.

[pacificquay]

The term “transcends the sport” can get thrown around quite a bit. But I’d say it’s apt in this case. I have zero interest in bike racing and yet I know what a big deal this is.

Likewise.

 

Despite the best efforts of some, it’s a completely different sport - like expecting football fans to closely follow rugby - but for the average punter the name Valentino Rossi at least generated a flicker of recognition in a way not seen since the likes of Barry Sheene.

[messy]

His retirement would have run in to loads n loads of pages had he not overstayed by a few years. His achievement and contribution to MotoGP and motorsport has been really great without a shadow of doubt.
In any sport you get to choose two things when you are at the pinnacle. One, you choose to leave on a high, you will get accolades galore, a huge farewell and people actually want you to continue while on the hand when you try to prolong your career to a stage where you are just about making numbers on the grid, to a stage where people including your own fans push you to retire as they cannot see the struggles you are going through then naturally the reaction would be one of relief than sadness.
He chose to live out his passion as long as he could and i respect that but i do not necessarily agree with that when he could have planned this a lot better where people could remember him fighting for wins and not scrapping at the back on a bike good enough to win.
Not just Rossi you see many superstars overstaying their career while only a few choose the right moment to leave.

Personally I don’t think he overstayed for that long - and if he did, it was understandable. The early races in 2020 he was quite competitive, then the second half was completely derailed by bad luck, incidents and his Covid-19 diagnosis. Moving teams for 2021, I think lots of people (probably himself included) really expected him to be quite strong. And it’s been fairly shocking how poor the season has been. I think it’s incredible how long he’s stayed competitive and I’m glad he’s calling it a day now because I think this is the first time you can see a really obvious drop-off in his ability that can’t be explained by other things.

[Risil]

Free Valentino Rossi races on MotoGP.com for your weekend:

 

https://www.motogp.c...s-career/382377

[Risil]

And some nice social media tributes from Jorge Lorenzo, Max Biaggi, Casey Stoner, collected by The Race's Simon Patterson.

[Ali_G]

Can’t think of another person who transcends motorsport more than Rossi. As others have said, 500cc was in a bleak place in the mid to late 90s and he was one of the main reasons why it reimposed its position over WSB.

Have to wonder what sort of race win and world championship return he would have had if he had stayed at Honda or if he hadn’t gone to Ducati for a few years.

[BRG]

It's just a pipe-dream, but how cool would it be if Rossi moved into cars and ended up winning Le Mans?

[thegamer23]

Well, he's been saying he'd like to race in the WEC & expecially do the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The guy is fast in open wheels too! Indy 500? 

 

[SophieB]

@CSainz_oficial
Passion, talent and hard work. Without a doubt, one of the greatest. Hope to see you one day in the Dakar @ValeYellow46 .

[Alfisti]

When I was taking my first steps into adulthood (lol) 6-7 years ago, I was at the bank setting up a savings account, and the woman helping me was asking about savings goals, etc. I probably said something naff like "I want to go and watch Formula 1 races", to which she told me she was a huge MotoGP and Rossi fan. I've always remembered it. I don't watch MotoGP, but as you've said, he transcended the sport. End of an era, indeed.

Did you ask her on a date? Story can't end there surely.

[steferrari]

Grazie Vale.

 

Leggenda!

[Spillage]

It's probably the right time. Enjoy your retirement, Vale, and rhanks for all the excitement you've given us over the years!

[messy]

Another thing I’m remembering is finding out just what a big deal he is in Italy - never seen anything like it. Me and my wife went on honeymoon on the Amalfi Coast circa 2015, staying in San Agnello, and every single Vespa, every battered Fiat Panda, has a yellow 46 in the window. There’s like two or three Rossi-themed shops which are just full of memorabilia (I remember being gutted I only got to visit one of them having been desperate from the moment I saw them from a tour bus on the way to the hotel), like absolute treasure troves, and everywhere you look there are people in Rossi gear - old and young, men and women, I think I even remember seeing a dog with a Rossi coat on, and I’m not exaggerating on that.

Then obviously, you see a MotoGP race at Mugello and that sea of yellow - has there ever been a Motorsport figure, team or individual, who has united a country the way Rossi seems to? Ferrari, I’m thinking, probably also uncoincidentally Italian. Aside from that I’m struggling. In this country, our heroes seem to divide rather than unite, which I think says much more about us then it does about them. But Rossi-mania in Italy, it really hit me. He’s loved. If we’re going to miss his presence in MotoGP I’d suspect they’re gonna miss him much more.

Edited by messy, 06 August 2021 - 13:14.

[paulb]

^For the two MotoGP races I attended at Laguna Seca, the Rossi fans were by far the most visible and numerous.

[Ivanhoe]

^For the two MotoGP races I attended at Laguna Seca, the Rossi fans were by far the most visible and numerous.

Same in Assen, where he was honored with a honorary citizenship and where the Stekkenwal grandstand was renamed into the Rossi grandstand every year.

[thegamer23]

Another thing I’m remembering is finding out just what a big deal he is in Italy - never seen anything like it. Me and my wife went on honeymoon on the Amalfi Coast circa 2015, staying in San Agnello, and every single Vespa, every battered Fiat Panda, has a yellow 46 in the window. There’s like two or three Rossi-themed shops which are just full of memorabilia (I remember being gutted I only got to visit one of them having been desperate from the moment I saw them from a tour bus on the way to the hotel), like absolute treasure troves, and everywhere you look there are people in Rossi gear - old and young, men and women, I think I even remember seeing a dog with a Rossi coat on, and I’m not exaggerating on that.

Then obviously, you see a MotoGP race at Mugello and that sea of yellow - has there ever been a Motorsport figure, team or individual, who has united a country the way Rossi seems to? Ferrari, I’m thinking, probably also uncoincidentally Italian. Aside from that I’m struggling. In this country, our heroes seem to divide rather than unite, which I think says much more about us then it does about them. But Rossi-mania in Italy, it really hit me. He’s loved. If we’re going to miss his presence in MotoGP I’d suspect they’re gonna miss him much more.

Valentino Rossi is probably the single most popular figure ever in the History of Motorsport.

Edited by thegamer23, 06 August 2021 - 15:55.

[Frank Tuesday]

His retirement would have run in to loads n loads of pages had he not overstayed by a few years. His achievement and contribution to MotoGP and motorsport has been really great without a shadow of doubt.

In any sport you get to choose two things when you are at the pinnacle. One, you choose to leave on a high, you will get accolades galore, a huge farewell and people actually want you to continue while on the hand when you try to prolong your career to a stage where you are just about making numbers on the grid, to a stage where people including your own fans push you to retire as they cannot see the struggles you are going through then naturally the reaction would be one of relief than sadness.

He chose to live out his passion as long as he could and i respect that but i do not necessarily agree with that when he could have planned this a lot better where people could remember him fighting for wins and not scrapping at the back on a bike good enough to win.

Not just Rossi you see many superstars overstaying their career while only a few choose the right moment to leave.

I'm sure he'd trade the last 5 years of his racing career for the approval of a bunch of internet strangers.

[Oho]

I thought his retirement was more or less a foregone conclusion, his 2021 season has been so horrid. I guess it was about time. 

[F1 Mike]

So many great memories but this in particular summed up Rossi as a personality!

2004 Barcelona - wins the race and gets a white coat and stethoscope to listen to the heartbeat of the bike 😂

[Dhillon]

Was he in the race today ? Its painful to watch. Rossi is the perfect example why sports person must wisely choose when to retire.

[Atreiu]

Racing is usually much more cruel to pilots in the GOAT shortlist. Rossi is an incredible racer with the sort of records we should never expect to see repeated. He will leave healthy and I hope he holds his head high and feels pride and a sense of accomplishment. All racing fans owe him a lot for how he contributed to MotoGP and bike culture. Well done, hats off. He’s the GOAT to me, at least from my lifetime.

[absinthedude]

 

The end of an era! There's a lot to say about him but there's no doubt he's contributed a great deal to elevating the sport of motorcycle racing across the world. There have been more naturally gifted riders, more dominant ones, and riders who did more to advance the science of motorcycle racing, but in his sheer force of personality he has been unique and peerless.

 

He has indeed contributed a lot to motorcycle racing with his personality. I don't even follow motorcycle racing and I know who he is. I knew who he was long before he dabbled in F1. A rare personality who transcends his sport to become famous outside. A shame his last few years have been so unsuccessful but I now just hope he makes it to the end of his racing career without mishap. A true great. 

[New Britain]

I'm sure he'd trade the last 5 years of his racing career for the approval of a bunch of internet strangers.

 

Your point is spot on. The man quite obviously loved what he was doing. There came an inevitable time when he could no longer be best in the world, but he still loved doing it.

People who say that he should have retired 'at the top' seem to long for that because it would suit their aesthetic preference for some kind of ideal storybook career. The only snag with their wish is that it wasn't their life that Vale was living, it was Vale's life, and how he lived it was up to him.

 

All motorsports fans should forever be grateful for what Valentino Rossi has given us. The fact that more often than probably any other racer in history he was smiling - even in that explosive 2015 press conference when he casually mentioned that Marquez was deliberately slowing him down, he was laughing about it - showed the joy he got from doing insane things on a motorbike.

[milestone 11]

Valentino has a day out with an elderly gentleman.
 


Do I really need a wink?

Edited by milestone 11, 09 August 2021 - 14:10.

[Ivanhoe]

Two all time greats. Nice picture milestone