Cheste.- Valentino Rossi put an end to a 26-year sports career this Sunday, finishing in a more than honorable 10th position at the MotoGP Valencia Grand Prix . The Italian celebrated with the fans, with the rest of the drivers, with all the teams, friends and relatives on the track after the race, moments of emotion and also of vindication.
After winning everything until 2009, Rossi has remained at the highest level for more than a decade in the premier class, but without being able to add any more champion crowns, but showing that he worked like the best.
“If I had pushed myself and worked as hard at the beginning of my career as I have in the last ten years, I would still have been able to win more”, valued the nine-time world champion. “But when you’re young, you already know that you’re a bit more of an idiot,” Rossi joked, justifying extending his sports life until he was well past 42 years of age.
Rossi has had to fight in recent races between maintaining competitive concentration and attending to the commitments of a legendary retirement.
“It was a very special weekend, I did not expect it. I was a little worried about this, the last weekend, because I didn’t know if I was going to be able to be focused or sad,” he admitted.
“I have been given many gifts, from the bikes with which I won my titles, to the Academy riders, who wore my helmets,” he said excitedly.
Not even at the last moment did Valentino stop being a driver and show his ambition and desire to win.
“I am happy because I have closed my sports career as one of the ten best drivers in the world”, in relation to his magnificent 10th place in the race, one of his best results of the year.
Although he has not stopped receiving tributes throughout the weekend, Valentino wanted to highlight the details of the Academy riders.
“The best tribute was the helmets of the academy riders”, as they all used a helmet inspired by the design of the helmets with which Valentino won a World Cup, including the one in 2004, used by Pecco Bagnaia to win the race as part of his tribute.
“Pecco helped me get into Q2 on Saturday, and from that moment I was totally into the race,” he said.
“It was a click, during the race I kept my concentration as if I was fighting for the title. And that is not easy, because I had many things to do since Monday. But I didn’t make any mistakes,” he congratulated himself.
A Bagnaia that, in a way, takes over from Valentino in MotoGP, who also pointed out Franco Morbidelli.
“I think Pecco and Franco can fight for the title in the future,” he said, leaving them as heirs.
For #46, finishing in Valencia in the top 10 was the greatest gift.
“The season has not been easy, it was crucial because I had to make the decision to retire. In Portugal we spoke with the team, and I told them that I didn’t want to finish last in Valencia, it was a good finish”, he insisted.
“During the race I didn’t want to think that it was the last one. It was a psychological test to keep me focused only on the race.”
He had such a good time this last weekend that Rossi is sorry it’s over.
“My regret is that it is over. It will surely be more difficult in the coming weeks, months and surely in March, when everything starts again and I am at home.
Another of the ‘gifts’ that Rossi received was the visit of Ronaldo Nazario , his football idol at the time at Inter Milan .
“Ronaldo taught me to be on the other side, to feel a little what the fans feel when they see me,” he admitted.
They asked him, in his last press conference, to review the moments in his career in which he would have acted differently.
“If I could go back, surely in 2006 I would try to be more focused. In 2015 I did everything I could, but it wasn’t my fault. In 2006 it was normal to lose after winning for so long”, he said, before admitting that “2015 has hurt me”, referring to the World Cup that he lost precisely in Valencia.
Finally, Il dottore , which showed neither great emotions nor much less tears in its last appearance before the media, explained the reason for its calm.
“Honestly, I thought I would be very sad and desperate, and instead I had a lot of fun (in the race). And that has been a great surprise”, settled the Tavullia star.
Photo by: Media VR46
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