Valentino Rossi discovered speed by competing with everything that had wheels attached on the streets of Tavullia, playing with his friends, joking and always trying to win, with the competitiveness that has always been his trademark. As if in a game, a young Rossi arrived in the world championship in 1996, and he continued to race for the fun of it, taking his friends to races and turning the paddock into a playground for his ‘Chihuahua Tribe’.
Just for the fun of it, he kept on winning, he won the titles in 125cc and 250cc, moved up to 500cc and still wanted to keep having fun, joking with his friends and with his rivals. A grudge made him leave Honda, the world’s biggest manufacturer, to show that it was the rider and not the bike that was winning, and he joined Yamaha, still winning, still being world champion. Rossi left the championship after Valencia two years ago, after a quarter of a century enjoying racing and leaving a legacy that no one is likely to match.
However, before closing one of the most brilliant and successful chapters in sport history, Rossi planted a seed in the shape of his MotoGP team: the VR46 racing team, the result of the VR46 riders academy from Tavullia, the continuation of the project that started on the streets of the town that saw him grow up.
In its second season, the extraordinary results the team has achieved carry the seal of the most authentic Rossi – the young rider who won titles for fun. Now, through the young riders of the academy, it keeps his legacy more alive than ever.
If Pecco Bagnaia’s MotoGP world title or Franco Morbidelli’s victories showed the value of the academy, Marco Bezzecchi’s win last weekend in Termas confirmed the success of the project started in 2014.
“I couldn’t have imagined something like this,” Bezzecchi says after taking his maiden MotoGP win in Argentina. “I had all kinds of thoughts in my mind, but never something like this. Honestly, I’m most happy for the team, because without Vale and the academy it would probably have been impossible to achieve this.”
Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“The idea for the academy began in 2013 with some young riders who were going to the gym with Vale. He gave them advice and helped them with some things, nothing serious,” explains Uccio Salucci, VR46 team director and Rossi’s best friend.
“One day, Franco [Morbidelli] asked me to help him find some overalls, because he couldn’t find any…
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