February 25, 2022
The Dorna boss returns to Valentino Rossi’s farewell and addresses the young riders: “Imitate him for his strength on the track, not for his media skills”.
Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta at Motorsport is back to talk about Valentino Rossi’s farewell, an undoubtedly heavy blow for MotoGP: “Valentino has done a lot for MotoGP, but for every sportsman there comes a time when he must retire. He he has been with us for a really long time and it is something I thank him very much for. He will still be present in the paddock through his team. Unfortunately, we already knew that Valentino could not race forever. Personally, I will miss him a lot, but life in the paddock he must continue “.
There are many highly talented riders on the MotoGP roster, but none seem to have the charisma and media strength of the Doctor: “Everyone is made in their own way, you can’t force a person to be more likeable or not. But I believe that what made Valentino great was above all what he represented as a rider, not being likeable. It is much easier to be likeable than being a champion. If I can give some advice to the riders who are in MotoGP today and to those who will come in the future is to imitate Valentino, but for what concerns the performance, not for his media capacity “.
Ezpeleta is convinced that Rossi’s fans will still follow the races: “I think he left a great legacy, so I am convinced that his supporters will continue to follow the races, perhaps cheering on his students Bagnaia and Morbidelli, or for his brother Luca “.
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