They nicknamed him in a thousand ways.
Those who dislike him play a lot on his name, hyphenating it: Va-lentino. And the results that didn’t come for some time might even give reason to those who thought he was at the end of his career.
Others, they almost make an anagram of it, calling it Lamentino, when he tells of overtakes suffered without respect by those who play not quite correctly.
For us he is simply Vale, probably one of the greatest motorcycle riders in history.
Difficult to make comparisons, although here in Italy we always tend to make comparisons with the past.
Better Giacomo Agostini or Valentino? That the former was great is undeniable.
I once even had the temerity to ask Agostini the question over the microphone during one of his appearances at the Mille Miglia. He replied with a contrite look, pushing me away, “You don’t ask such questions!”
But I did ask him, and not getting a response leaves me in doubt.
Certainly, Valentino has been the watershed between that world of serious and focused riders, bringing to the track the show, the spectacle, and an ordinary guy’s face who, even in front of the microphones, blurts out the occasional bad word.
Easygoing enough-although the malicious say it is too much-our Champion lacks only the cherry on top of a tenth World Drivers’ Title to win.
It is stuck at nine since 2013, an eternity. One always hopes it could be the good year and in us remains the regret for that “stolen” title two years ago when the Spaniards, did the “little hand” … whatever, water under the bridge doesn’t grind anymore, but certainly that missed opportunity, weighs like a boulder on his career.
One statistic remains: he is the only rider in World Championship history to have won in four different classes: 125, 250, 500 and MotoGp. He may not be the greatest, but …
An avid Ferrarista, Valentino has repeatedly entertained the idea of leaving two wheels for the open-top four of F1.
He has also tried the Maranello Redhead several times, being thunderstruck by it, but his riding career is still far from over.
At least that is our hope. Without him, MotoMondiale would be something else. Happy birthday Valentino Rossi, Vr46, Vale or whatever the hell you want to call him. Today it’s 39, but it feels like 20.
By the way, thank you for the excitement you have given us in this more than two decades of racing.
Alexander Zelioli
