MotoGP, Valentino Rossi: a farewell without the crowds?

The question is a direct one - can you really imagine Valentino Rossi waving goodbye to racing, as a rider at least, without spectators at the tracks? Can you imagine a Rossi who announces his retirement only to immediately exit stage left? Think about it. We would go as far as to say it’s impossible. Does anyone believe that a great like him, having lifted MotoGP to dizzy global heights, would leave as if it were nothing? No. It would be like U2 retiring without a Farewell Tour. Something that other athletes had the chance to do in the past, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in NBA for example.

Throngs of people

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The question is a legitimate one as, if Valentino were to announce his retirement, there would be an incredible demand for tickets. In Europe but also in Argentina and Japan, in Thailand as in Australia. Who wouldn’t want to be there for Rossi’s final visit to a particular track or country? It would be a sell-out. But this is not yet possible today, with the ‘closed doors’ policy owing to the pandemic. And consider that a farewell tour would also involve shirts and gadgets, the classic ‘I was there’ merchandise. Multiply that income by the twenty or so MotoGP races that run each season and the figures would be enough to make our heads spin. A calculation that is of particular relevance now, following the economic impact of the pandemic. It would be an exceptional (and global) promotional campaign, both for VR46 that produces the gadgets, and for Dorna.

But also for the manufacturer with whom Valentino is spending his final world championship season. For everything it would mean for his company, for the promoter of the championship and for his millions of fans, it doesn’t look as if Rossi can simply announce his retirement “at will”. As if he were a prisoner of his own legend. Two of the most characteristic images we have of Valentino Rossi are when he gets off the bike and lifts his right leg over the tank, and when he bends down before the race, ‘communicating’ with his M1. Will we see this again in 2022?

The choice lies with Valentino

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The numbers and scenarios are certain, but those who know Valentino well highlight an aspect that could count more than any external factor - his character. On the day he decides that enough is enough, no one will be able to convince him to continue. No one will be able to convince him to do something he doesn’t want to do. We can only hope that his farewell doesn’t take place behind closed doors. That would be a bitter ending to a wonderful story. And then there’s one final detail, an important one at that – as soon as Valentino makes his retirement decision public, the results will no longer be a problem. If they are good, great, but it wouldn’t matter even if they weren’t. Because Rossi would be going to each country to bid farewell to that track and, one hopes, the fans in attendance there. No one would have anything bad to say, unlike now. On his Farewell Tour, Valentino would be running his own race, on a different level.

Translated by Heather Watson

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