“ I had an official offer from my team ,” Rossi admitted . “ I think deeply about continuing because I ( would ) like to race in my team , to have my bikes in Tavullia ( Rossi ’ s hometown ). We have a great Moto2™ and Moto3™ team with a lot of people I know for a long time . It ( would be ) very fascinating to race with my team . At the end I decide not . It ’ s a good project if you have two or three years . But if you think you have just 1 season . Maybe it ’ s more of a risk than a good thing .”
Rossi joined the World Championship as a 16-year old in 1996 and has since racked up 427 GP starts over 25 and a half seasons , the most in history . On what he will miss most from life as a MotoGP™ rider , Rossi explained . “ I will miss a lot the athlete life . To wake up every morning and train with the target , to try to win . I like a lot this life . Number one , I will miss riding the MotoGP™ bike . It ’ s always a great emotion . Also , to work with my team , starting from Thursday and trying to fix all the small details to be stronger .
“ After I will miss a lot of Sunday morning , 2 hours before the race , it ’ s something where you don ’ t feel comfortable ., you are scared but it ’ s an emotion because you know the race starts . This is something that will be hard to fix .”
For most of his premier class career , Rossi transcended the sport . His charm , charisma and outstanding racing ability was a heady mix that captivated audiences around the world and raised MotoGP™ to a major sport in his native Italy . His on-track antics and famous celebrations catapulted his profile to be among the most famous sportsmen in the world .
Along with the nine world championships , 115 Grand Prix race wins , 199 premier class podiums , and 65 pole positions , Rossi considered another aspect of his career to be the standout achievement . “ A lot of people followed motorcycles because of me ,” he said . “ This is the most important thing I did in my career . I entertained a lot of people on Sunday afternoon and a lot of people enjoyed for one or two hours during the Sunday when they don ’ t think about anything , just enjoy my races .”
Valentino : A life Less Ordinary | 53 Season Preview | MotoGP TM | 53