Italy: Valentino Rossi to retire from MotoGP racing

Rome: Valentino Rossi, the Italian professional motorcycle road racer and multiple time MotoGP World Champion, has announced his retirement after a celebrated career in the sport.

The Italian racing legend, known as The Doctor, made the announcement at a special press conference at the Styrian Grand Prix in Austria.

“It’s tough, but I will retire at the end of the current season” – said Rossi – “It was a difficult decision, I would have liked to compete for another 25 years, but it’s not possible: in sport, results make a difference.”

“I think that in 2022 I will race with cars” – he added – “I will remain a rider all my life, I will just change from motorcycles to cars.”

Widely viewed as one of the greatest motorcycle racers ever, Rossi has won nine Grand Prix World Championships, seven of which are in the premier class.

The 42-year-old champion from Urbino is also the only road racer to have competed in 400 or more Grands Prix.