Together they add 15 world championships, but they have never been friends. On the contrary, theirs has been one of the fiercest rivalries of the last 20 years of MotoGP, born even before they started competing in the premier class.
Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi were a bit like the devil and holy water. And the day of the announcement of the withdrawal of the “Doctor” could not miss a message from the “Pirate”, who sent a video sent to Sky , which the chain broadcast a little later than the press conference where the 46 announced his goodbye.
“This is a special day. Retiring is never an easy thing. After 30 years of career, a sudden change will not be the easiest thing. But there is one thing that must be said, that all the many victories you have achieved will make retirement be less bitter.
“We never pretended to be friends, on or off the track, but we formed one of the most beautiful rivalries in motorcycling. I miss that, at least for me and for our fans. Maybe one day we’ll get together over a glass of wine and Let’s have a laugh.”
“I think it is difficult not to find that adrenaline that you always find during race weekends, that will be a difficult moment. But then you can also think that you are going to be able to do many things that you could not do before and, believe me, it is not bad Have a good life Okay!”
The one from Rome was Valentino Rossi’s first great rival in the heavy bike category, although the age difference (he is eight years older than his compatriot) meant that they only coincided in the World Championship until 2005, when Max Biaggi would go on to WorldSBK, where he was also a two-time champion before retiring in 2012.
In 2015 he returned to compete briefly in the World Superbike Championship, and in 2017 he almost lost his life after a bicycle accident. Then, in 2020, he broke several records with an electric motorcycle.
