Nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi has announced that he will retire from MotoGP™ at the end of 2021. The Doctor will bring to a close an illustrious 25 year Grand Prix career that has seen him clinch seven premier class World Championships, win 115 Grands Prix, including a record 89 premier class victories, and stand on the podium a remarkable 235 times since he started back in 1996.
On Thursday ahead of the Michelin Grand Prix of Styria, Rossi confirmed that he would be holding a special Press Conference at 16:15 and, with the eyes of the world on him, one of the greatest to have ever graced motorcycle racing confirmed that this season would be his last.
“I said I would take a decision for next year after the summer break, and I decided to stop at the end of the season,” started the legendary Italian. “Unfortunately this will be my last half season as a MotoGP rider. And it’s difficult, it’s a very sad moment because it’s difficult to say and know that next year I will not race with a motorcycle, I’ve done that for I think more or less 30 years!
“Next year, my life will change. But it was great, I’ve enjoyed it very much, it’s been a long, long journey and it was really, really fun. It’s 25, 26 years in the World Championship, so it was great. And I had a unforgettable moments with all my guys, the guys who work for me, so… I don’t have a lot to say! Just this.”
The 42-year-old will continue to ride for Petronas Yamaha SRT throughout the remainder of the 2021 MotoGP™ World Championship before concentrating his efforts on his brand-new MotoGP™ outfit, the Aramco Racing Team VR46, in 2022.