Misano.- The Italian’s Sunday was compromised on Saturday, with a crash that led him to start from the catacombs of the grid (23rd). From that moment on, everything became more difficult for Il Dottore , who made life even more complicated in the first lap, when he found himself involved in a brawl that led him to go long and have to rejoin the track the last .
From then on, Rossi focused on recovering as many positions as he could until he crossed the finish line in 17th , 33 seconds behind Bagnaia, whom he showered with compliments, both for the great race he pulled out of his hat, and for the one on Sunday earlier, in Aragon.
“The Aragon victory unlocked Pecco. It’s a shame that he lost so many points at the beginning of the season, but the World Championship is still open”, said Rossi , who has four Grands Prix left before hanging up his overalls and ending 26 years in the MotoGP World Championship.
The #46 will not race again, but he will leave a legacy that shines in style thanks to the VR46 Riders Academy , from which he can now get more chest than ever thanks to the tremendous moment Bagnaia is going through.
“It was a great day for the Academy, for the double podium in Moto3 (Migno and Antonelli), and obviously for Pecco’s second victory. Two poles with a record and practically leading from the first lap to the last”, said the Sepang Racing Team (SRT) rider, who on the return lap to the garages got out of his M1 to greet the 25,000 fans who, the vast majority of them approached to begin to say goodbye. Especially if we take into account that the one from Tavullia lives 15 minutes by car from the Marco Simoncelli circuit: “Throughout my career, the tifosi have always supported me, even in difficult times. That’s why I feel bad not being further ahead”.
Like most MotoGP riders, Rossi also has the collective test on Tuesday and Wednesday on this same stage on his agenda. However, it would not be surprising if, given his situation and two months after retiring, he barely goes around.
“We have absolutely no new parts to test, so it will probably only roll on Tuesday,” concluded the multi-champion.
(Click on the link or on the image to see all the photos of the 2021 San Marino GP MotoGP race)
