Valentino Rossi, when a legend’s farewell bears mystical hallmarks

14/11/21. A date that will go down in history, or rather the day on which Valentino Rossi finally bid farewell to the MotoGP world championship. As many have already noted, the numbers 14, 11 and 21 add up to 46: a coincidence or perhaps destiny, for those who believe in such things, Rossi himself touching on this over the weekend. "I realised three or four months back that Sunday’s date adds up to 46 – it wasn’t easy to convince God”, commented the nine-time champion when questioned about it.

46 is always there

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But this is not the only statistic relating to Valentino’s career-long race number, #46. The Doctor has in fact completed more than 46,000 km throughout his career. According to Dorna estimates, Rossi has covered 46,500 km over the years (an approximate figure, considering races that were stopped and then restarted).

Another stat for those who interested in all things mystical – if we look at the 2021 calendar, the Doctor’s first week as a former MotoGP rider (15-21 November 2021) is the 46th week of the year.

For the less superstitious, this is simply a coincidence but, for those who believe, this cannot be anything other than destiny’s tribute to a rider who has written the history of his sport.

Translated by Heather Watson

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