'Rossi's garden' hosts its first grand prize after the withdrawal of #46

The iconic Tuscan track will be the scene this weekend for the Italian MotoGP Grand Prix and it will be the first to be held after the retirement of the great idol of Italian motorcycling in recent years, Valentino Rossi, who hung up the suit last November in Valencia with 42 years.

Mugello and Valentino have lived a passionate love story for more than 25 years, after the emergence of a very young, and already then charismatic and tall rider, in his first Italian Grand Prix, in 1996, in the 125cc class, a race in which he was just one step away from the podium (4th) in just his fifth race in the World Championship.

That was exactly 26 years ago on May 24, no less than 9,497 days in which Mugello became ‘Rossi’s garden’, achieving nine victories, seven of them consecutive (2022-2008) and a total of 14 podiums in 24 races.

Only once did the #46 miss the appointment with the Scarperia track, in 2010, when an injury in free practice at the same transalpine grand prix prevented him from taking part in the race. The other, more recent, absence was in 2020, when the pandemic prevented it from running on the route located north of Tuscany .

Valentino’s first win at Mugello was on May 16, 1997, in his second year in 125cc riding an Aprilia. His two seasons in 250cc, also with Noale , ended with a second place and a new victory (1999) before making the leap to the premier class (500cc), in whose debut with the Honda in Italy he added his worst result crossing the finish line, 12th, having to retire due to technical problems in 2001.

With the arrival of the MotoGP class Rossi completely took over Mugello, achieving seven consecutive victories that added to the previous two to reach nine, in addition to 14 podiums, the last one in 2018, already with 39 years.

Valentino will be, in principle, physically this weekend at Mugello, not in vain MotoGP is preparing a ceremony for him in which his mythical number 46 will be removed, however it will be the first time he is there without competing, something that can, without a doubt, , retract the thousands of fans who had always filled the stands and the lawn of the track to see their idol run.

The withdrawal of Valentino and the coincidence of the race with the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, a season in which the Italians have fallen in love with Ferrari again, threaten a weak start at Mugello, pointing out some information that a few days of the weekend only 20% of the tickets had been sold.

And all this when Ducati, the factory in Bologna (just 90 kilometers from the circuit), is going through one of its best moments and two of its star riders, Pecco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini, are fighting to become the new reference in Italian motorcycling. and make Mugello the garden of his house.

Valentino Rossi at the Italian GP

Valentino Rossi’s last win at Mugello (2008)

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Photo by: Yamaha Motor Racing

Impressive mass bathing for Valentino on his podium (3rd) in 2015, along with Jorge Lorenzo (1st) and Andrea Iannone (2nd)

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Photo by: Yamaha MotoGP