VOLUME 58 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 10, 2021 P83
outstanding racing ability was a
heady mix that captivated audi-
ences around the world and
raised MotoGP to a major sport
in his native Italy. His on-track
antics and famous celebra-
tions catapulted his profile to be
among the most famous sports-
men 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 ca-
reer. 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."
Yamaha, where Rossi has
spent 16 years of his racing ca-
reer, responded to his announce-
ment. "First and foremost, I would
like to take this opportunity to ex-
press my gratitude to Valentino for
the great partnership we enjoyed
with him," said Yoshihiro Hidaka,
President & CEO, Yamaha Motor
Corporation. "He will be deeply
missed on track, inside the pad-
dock, and behind the scenes at
Yamaha, but we fully respect his
decision.
"At Yamaha we take great pride
in the Grand Prix motorcycle rac-
ing legacy that we have created
together. The 16 years we will
have spent as partners were filled
with epic battles on track and
wins. At Yamaha we always strive
to give our fans and customers
the feeling of Kando [Kando is a
Japanese word for the simultane-
ous feelings of deep satisfaction
and intense excitement that we
experience when we encounter
something of exceptional value].
In a way, Valentino's entire career
at Yamaha embodies this quest
for the deep satisfaction and
intense excitement that we experi-
ence when we encounter some-
thing of exceptional value. We are
all very pleased that Valentino has
decided to remain a Yamaha rider
until the end of his MotoGP racing
career and beyond.
"There are too many great
moments between Yamaha and
Valentino to pick one as a favor-
ite. There were also challenges
throughout the years, but the
trust between us never wavered
and even strengthened our part-
Rossi won
his last World
Championship
in 2009.
