Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi is easily the most recognisable MotoGP figure in the world and has been using his influence to aid the next generation of Italian motorcycle racers through the VR46 Riders Academy.
The VR46 Riders Academy is a professional development programme for motorcycle racers, founded by nine-time Grand Prix World Champion Valentino Rossi.
The academy started as a passion project for The Doctor, and it was designed to revitalise the Italian motorcycle racing landscape by providing up-and-coming talent with training, support, and comprehensive career management.
Through the utilisation of Rossi’s private VR46 Motor Ranch and a structured coaching system, the academy has successfully seen multiple riders graduate into the premier class, including one who has gone on to become a multiple world champion.
When did Valentino Rossi create the VR46 Riders Academy?
The VR46 Riders Academy was established in 2013, and the official headquarters of the company was formally opened in Rossi’s hometown of Tavullia the following year.
However, the concept of Rossi’s mentorship began a long time before then, with his close friend Marco Simoncelli.
The devastation that Rossi felt following the death of the young Italian at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix was the trigger for him to make it an official enterprise and take more young Italian talents under his wing.
The academy’s mission is to ensure that his and Simoncelli’s legacies live on far beyond their racing careers and into those who succeed them in MotoGP.
Who was the first rider to join Valentino Rossi’s academy?
Rossi sees Simoncelli as the very first member of the academy due to the fact that they began training together in 2006, but Franco Morbidelli is recognised as the first official member of the programme.
The current VR46 Racing Team rider joined in 2013 ahead of his step up to the Moto2 world championship, and has been an ever-present figure at Tavullia since.
Morbidelli had already been training with Rossi beforehand, and was the first piece of the puzzle for The Doctor’s dream to become a reality.
Which VR46 Riders Academy graduates have raced in MotoGP?
There have been a total of 16 riders to have been affiliated with the VR46 Riders Academy at some point or another, with five of those having gone on to race in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
They include two-time MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia, Rossi’s maternal half-brother Luca Marini, VR46 Racing’s Franco Morbidelli and Marco Bezzecchi.
Nicolo Bulega was a former member of the academy, but he left after officially parting ways with Rossi’s management at the end of 2019.
The current roster of junior riders includes Celestino Vietti, Matteo Gabarrini (the son of Bagnaia’s Ducati crew chief, Cristian Gabarrini) and their latest signing, Lorenzo Pritelli.
Which VR46 Riders Academy members currently race in MotoGP?
The current members of the VR46 Riders Academy who race in MotoGP are:
- Francesco Bagnaia
- Luca Marini
- Franco Morbidelli
- Marco Bezzecchi
As of the end of the 2025 season, the VR46 Riders Academy boasts a total of 40 wins in the premier class, 39 pole positions and 87 podiums, with Bagnaia serving as the most successful graduate.
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