In a sea of yellow, a final farewell to Valentino Rossi
On Sunday, in front of packed Ricardo Torno circuit in Valencia, Spain, the curtain finally fell on the extraordinary career of the most iconic motorcycle racer in history, Valentino Rossi.
Riding out on the warm-up lap having qualified in a highly respectable 10th place, the Italian was greeted by a standing ovation from beneath an ocean of yellow flags -- his signature color rippling along the 76,226-person crowd in the grandstands under bright blue skies.
After a 26 year career, with 432 Grand Prix starts, 115 wins, 235 podiums and 65 poles across all three classes of the world championship, it was a fittingly vibrant setting for one of sport's most charismatic personalities to take his final bow.
'I'm ready'
"It's a sad moment, it's difficult because it's the end of my career, but on the other side I'm very happy, I always enjoy a lot, and it's a long, long time, a long career, with a lot of great results, so it was a good journey," Rossi told CNN Sport ahead of the race.
"Riding motorcycles and racing in MotoGP is always my first passion, from when I was a child. If I think of this moment, two or three years ago, I was desperate, but now I'm ready, it's the time. It's enough."
The 42-year-old said he had to persuade his family and friends that the time had come for him to step off his storied Yamaha YZR M1. "It was difficult, especially with my mother, my father and my close friends, to say to them I would stop at the end of the season, because everybody said, 'No, you have to continue. You have to continue,' but I was ready, and I convinced them."
Rossi conceded that finally relinquishing his dream of a 10th world title rankled just a little. "It's shame because 10 is a great number, it's like that you close a circle, and I was a lot of times very close to the 10th one, and I think I deserved the 10th one for my speed and for my career, but unfortunately it's like this, but I cannot complain with nine championships."
Perhaps the most famous of those 'nearly' moments came under a shroud of controversy, after the infamous 2015 clash with Marc Márquez at the Malaysia MotoGP in Sepang, when the Italian was censured after appearing to aim a kick at the Spaniard, knocking him into the gravel during a fractious battle.
Penalized with a points deduction and a back of the grid start in the final race of the season, he was unable to claim the title from Jorge Lorenzo. Even six years on, Rossi has not forgiven his younger rival.
"2015 was a very bad moment, maybe the worst moment of my career," he told CNN. "All the season I had a great fight with Jorge Lorenzo, who was my teammate in Yamaha, and at the end unfortunately another rider decided that I don't have to win the championship, so Marc Márquez decided that I don't have to become world champion, for the 10th time."
Márquez has always denied that he had any intention of scuppering Rossi's title bid, but the Italian remains unconvinced, and hatchets remain unburied.
"From that moment, it was not the same. For me, it changed a lot the feeling that I have with MotoGP, and also it was very bad for MotoGP because it was not able to manage this situation, and from that moment we don't have any relationship," Rossi continued. Asked by CNN if he had a message for the Catalan, he roared with laughter. "No," he answered flatly, "I don't have a message."
Rossi did not name Márquez in his list of major rivalries, picking instead three others from his illustrious career. "I had great rivalries, I enjoy always a lot, I think the best ones are with Max Biaggi, with the 500 and in MotoGP, and also with [Casey] Stoner because he was very fast and was a great talent, and with Jorge Lorenzo. These three I enjoy a lot, sometimes I won, sometimes I lose, but it was always a great fight."
Rossi's impact on MotoGP is impossible to quantify, in part because he has been an ever-present in the premier class since the MotoGP brand was created, in 2002. "Imagine, that I was here in the first race of MotoGP because before the name was not MotoGP, so from the beginning of MotoGP, you have Valentino Rossi," the Italian laughed.
Now, as the sport finally parts ways with its most celebrated competitor, Rossi sees a bright future ahead for it without him, not least with a new crop of Italian talent on the grid.
A bright future
"For the future, we have a lot of very fast Italian riders that can fight for the championship, like [Pecco] Bagnaia, like [Francesco] Morbidelli, and I will cheer for them," he told CNN.
In a career full of joyful moments and great successes, Rossi also harked back to one of MotoGP's most tragic moments, the death of Marco Simoncelli during the Malaysia Grand Prix 10 years ago. He admitted that he often still thinks of his fallen compatriot.
"MotoGP lost a great rider, but I lost a great friend because we always trained together and we stay a lot together during the normal life," Rossi told CNN. "The memory of Marco is still very light, not just for me, but for all the paddock because he was a very funny guy. It's already 10 years, but it looks a lot less because a lot of times I dream about Marco, and it's like sometimes we met."
The sense of occasion as Rossi finally took his place on the grid in Valencia was palpable, even if he was starting from the fourth row. Curiously, the date of the race lent the occasion an extra note of stunning symmetry: 11/14/21 -- add those numbers together and they come to, you guessed it, 46: Rossi's iconic racing number.
With stars ranging from Tom Cruise, Chris Hemsworth, Keanu Reeves, and the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Pirlo recording tributes to Rossi, social media was also abuzz with anticipation.
In the event, the race itself was a tightly fought one, with Jorge Martin holding an early lead, before being hauled in by fellow Ducati rider and Rossi protégé, Pecco Bagnaia. The young Italian was sporting a specially designed helmet for the race, emblazoned with the number 46, and the words 'Che Spettacolo!', or 'What a Show!'
Perhaps fittingly, Bagnaia took that number across the line to victory, ahead of a historic first ever Ducati podium lockout, ensuring the Bologna outfit added the team title to the constructor's title it had already clinched.
"It was incredible, incredible," Bagnaia told the official MotoGP channel after the race. "The only way possible to celebrate [Rossi] was to win with his helmet, so there was Vale with me, on the top of the podium, so I'm so happy."
Rossi held his 10th place, underscoring the fact that, even at 42, he can still more than hold his own in a premier class race.
Close friend and Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo waved the checkered flag as the Italian crossed the line. A swarm of fans and riders surrounded him under a cloud of yellow smoke after the flag, before he returned to a guard of honor in the packed and applauding paddock, eventually standing on the saddle of his Yamaha amid the throng to wave at his now former colleagues.
Two new chapters
Rossi will not be stepping away from racing just yet, however. "I will race with cars next year, with GT cars in some endurance championships in Europe," he told CNN. "And you have also a very good championship in America that is called IMSA, and maybe one time, I will come to race in the US."
"I always drive racing cars, because it's my great passion. I started with a go kart so I have some good experience, and it's fun to drive cars. And also because if you are a bit more older, it's not so bad because it's more easy physically, and I like to stay on the track, I like to be a driver, so we will see. I don't know my potential, we need to wait for next year."
The other great new challenge awaiting the Italian is fatherhood; his partner -- former model Francesca Sofia Novello -- is expecting their first child.
"It's fantastic, you know," he told CNN. "It's the first time, when I know the news I was very happy because I think it's the right moment, and I think it's a new chapter of life, and I think it will be very funny."
在一片黄海中，与瓦伦蒂诺·罗西（Valentino Rossi）的最后告别
周日，在西班牙瓦伦西亚的里卡多·托诺赛道前，历史上最具标志性的摩托车赛车手瓦伦蒂诺·罗西的非凡职业生涯终于落下了帷幕。
这位意大利人以非常受人尊敬的第 10 名获得资格，在热身赛上出线，在黄旗的海洋下起立鼓掌迎接他——他的标志性颜色在亮蓝色的看台上的 76,226 人中荡漾开来天空。
经过 26 年的职业生涯，在世界锦标赛的所有三个级别中，有 432 场大奖赛起跑、115 场胜利、235 次登上领奖台和 65 次杆位，对于这位体育界最具魅力的人物之一来说，这是一个充满活力的环境，他最后鞠躬。
'我准备好了'
“这是一个悲伤的时刻，这很困难，因为这是我职业生涯的结束，但另一方面我很高兴，我总是享受很多，这是很长很长很长的职业生涯，有很多很棒的结果，所以这是一段美好的旅程，”罗西在赛前告诉 CNN Sport。
“在MotoGP中骑摩托车和赛车一直是我的第一爱好，从我还是个孩子的时候开始。如果我想起两三年前的这一刻，我很绝望，但现在我准备好了，是时候了。已经足够了.”
这位 42 岁的老人说，他必须说服家人和朋友，现在是他离开传奇的雅马哈 YZR M1 的时候了。 “很难对我的母亲、父亲和我的好朋友说我会在赛季结束时停下来，因为每个人都说，'不，你必须继续。你必须继续，'但是我准备好了，我说服了他们。”
罗西承认，最终放弃第 10 个世界冠军头衔的梦想让他有点恼火。 “很遗憾，因为 10 是一个很棒的数字，就像你关闭了一个圆圈，我很多次都非常接近第 10 个，我认为我的速度和我的职业生涯配得上第 10 个，但不幸的是就是这样，但我不能抱怨九个冠军。”
在 2015 年与 Marc Márquez 在雪邦的马来西亚摩托车大奖赛上发生臭名昭著的冲突之后，也许那些“几乎”时刻中最著名的时刻都笼罩在一片争议之中，当时这位意大利人似乎在向西班牙人踢了一脚，将他撞倒后受到谴责在激烈的战斗中的砾石。
在本赛季的最后一场比赛中被扣分和发车落后，他无法从豪尔赫洛伦佐手中夺得冠军。即使六年过去了，罗西也没有原谅他的年轻对手。
“2015 年是一个非常糟糕的时刻，也许是我职业生涯中最糟糕的时刻，”他告诉 CNN。 “整个赛季我都和我在雅马哈的队友豪尔赫·洛伦佐（Jorge Lorenzo）打了一场精彩的比赛，最后不幸的是另一位车手决定我不必赢得冠军，所以马克·马尔克斯决定我不必第 10 次成为世界冠军。”
马尔克斯一直否认他有任何破坏罗西夺冠的意图，但意大利人仍然不相信，斧头仍然没有被埋葬。
“从那一刻起，情况就不一样了。对我来说，它改变了我对 MotoGP 的感觉，而且这对 MotoGP 来说非常糟糕，因为它无法处理这种情况，从那一刻起我们就不再没有任何关系，”罗西继续说道。当美国有线电视新闻网问他是否有给加泰罗尼亚语的消息时，他大笑起来。 “没有，”他干脆地回答，“我没有消息。”
罗西没有在他的主要对手名单中提到马尔克斯，而是从他辉煌的职业生涯中挑选了另外三个人。 “我有很棒的对手，我总是很享受，我认为最好的对手是 Max Biaggi、500 和 MotoGP，还有 [Casey] Stoner，因为他速度非常快，而且是一个伟大的天才，还有 Jorge洛伦佐。这三个我很享受，有时我赢了，有时我输了，但这总是一场伟大的战斗。”
罗西对 MotoGP 的影响无法量化，部分原因是自从 MotoGP 品牌于 2002 年创建以来，他一直出现在顶级赛事中。不是 MotoGP，所以从 MotoGP 开始，你就有瓦伦蒂诺·罗西，”意大利人笑道。
现在，随着这项运动最终与其最著名的竞争对手分道扬镳，罗西看到了没有他的光明未来，尤其是在新的意大利天才出现的情况下。
美好的未来
“对于未来，我们有很多速度非常快的意大利车手可以为冠军而战，比如 [Pecco] Bagnaia，比如 [Francesco] Morbidelli，我会为他们加油，”他告诉 CNN。
在充满欢乐时刻和巨大成功的职业生涯中，罗西还回顾了 MotoGP 最悲惨的时刻之一，马可·西蒙切利 (Marco Simoncelli) 在 10 年前的马来西亚大奖赛期间去世。他坦言，自己时常会想起死去的同胞。
“MotoGP 失去了一位伟大的车手，但我失去了一位好朋友，因为我们总是一起训练，并且在正常生活中我们经常在一起，”罗西告诉 CNN。 “马可的记忆仍然很淡，不仅对我来说，而且对整个围场来说，因为他是一个非常有趣的人。已经10年了，但看起来少了很多，因为很多时候我梦见马可，而且就像我们有时见过面一样。”
罗西最终在瓦伦西亚站上发车位的那种场合感是显而易见的，即使他是从第四排发车的。奇怪的是，比赛日期为这个场合增添了惊人的对称性：11/14/21——把这些数字加在一起，你猜对了，46：罗西的标志性赛车号码。
随着汤姆克鲁斯、克里斯海姆斯沃斯、基努里维斯以及刘易斯汉密尔顿和安德里亚皮尔洛等明星录制对罗西的致敬，社交媒体也充满了期待。
在比赛中，比赛本身就是一场激烈的比赛，豪尔赫·马丁（Jorge Martin）领先，然后被杜卡迪车手和罗西门生佩科·巴尼亚亚（Pecco Bagnaia）拖住。这位年轻的意大利人戴着为比赛特别设计的头盔，上面印有数字 46 和“Che Spettacolo！”或“What a Show!”的字样。
或许恰如其分地，在杜卡迪历史性的第一次登上领奖台之前，巴尼亚亚将这个数字拿下胜利，确保博洛尼亚队将车队冠军头衔添加到它已经获得的制造商冠军头衔上。
“这太不可思议了，太不可思议了，”巴尼亚亚在赛后告诉官方 MotoGP 频道。 “庆祝 [罗西] 的唯一可能方式就是戴着他的头盔获胜，所以有淡水河谷和我一起站在领奖台上，所以我很高兴。”
罗西保持了他的第 10 名，这表明即使在 42 岁的时候，他仍然可以在一流的比赛中保持自己的领先地位。
当意大利人越过界线时，亲密的朋友和巴西足球传奇人物罗纳尔多挥舞着方格旗。一大批车迷和车手在国旗后的一团黄色烟雾中将他包围，然后他在拥挤和鼓掌的围场中回到仪仗队，最终站在人群中的雅马哈马鞍上，向他现在的前任挥手致意。同事。
两个新章节
然而，罗西还不会退出比赛。 “明年我将与汽车比赛，在欧洲的一些耐力锦标赛中使用 GT 汽车，”他告诉 CNN。 “而且你在美国也有一个非常好的冠军，叫做 IMSA，也许有一次，我会来美国比赛。”
“我总是开赛车，因为这是我最大的热情。我从卡丁车开始，所以我有一些很好的经验，而且驾驶汽车很有趣。而且因为如果你年纪大一点，那还不错，因为它是”
等待意大利人的另一个伟大的新挑战是父亲身份。他的搭档——前模特弗朗西斯卡·索菲亚·诺维洛（Francesca Sofia Novello）即将迎来他们的第一个孩子。
“这太棒了，你知道，”他告诉 CNN。 “这是第一次，当我知道这个消息时，我很高兴，因为我认为这是正确的时刻，我认为这是人生的新篇章，我认为这会很有趣。”
