Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi was the icon of MotoGP during his career and still is to this day, even after retiring at the end of 2021.
The Doctor was regarded as bigger than the sport itself, winning seven premier class titles between 2001 and 2009. Rossi attracted huge crowds to MotoGP and an incredibly loyal fanbase, particularly from his home nation.
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Italy has a proud history in MotoGP, with 294 victories across 27 riders, the most of any nation. Of those wins, Rossi has 89 of them, making him the most winningest rider in premier class history.
Rossi’s partnership with Yamaha skyrocketed his influence even more, winning four MotoGP titles with the manufacturer. His intense rivalry with Marc Marquez ensured that his legacy remains after his retirement, with the controversy of the 2015 season still on the minds of fans today.
MotoGP would ‘lose its appeal’ in Italy without Valentino Rossi, says Michele Pirro
Rossi continues to have an impact on MotoGP to this day. He runs his own team. VR46, who are part of Ducati’s line-up, and his own academy, which has produced talents such as Francesco Bagnaia, Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi.
But since his last championship win in 2009, Bagnaia is the only Italian to have won the MotoGP title, winning back-to-back with Ducati in 2022 and 2023.
Test rider Michele Pirro discussed via GPOne the problem of a lack of talent coming from Italy in recent years. Ducati are looking to address that with their own academy, but the 39-year-old knows the difficult task at hand.
He believes that without Rossi, the sport would ‘lose its appeal’ in Italy: “VR46 has done a great job and has allowed us to inherit incredible riders, but we know very well that apart from the most recent arrivals to MotoGP, we have very little.
“Without the two-wheeled sinner, motorcycling will also lose its appeal in Italy. Personally, I’ll be 40 this year and I’d like to contribute in this regard. It won’t be easy, but you have to start somewhere.”
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Valentino Rossi from stats to net worth
Who could be the next Italian star to rise in MotoGP?
In 2026, six Italians are on the MotoGP grid, and a few of them could be in a position to win the championship. Bezzecchi is being backed to fight Marc Marquez, while Bagnaia is hoping for a revival after a dismal year on the GP25 last season.
But beyond 2026 lies a bleak future for Italy in MotoGP, as the sport seems to be struggling to attract talent from the nation and bring them up through the ranks.
For example, in Moto2, the grid is mostly dominated by Spanish riders, while there are only three Italians. One of them, Celestino Vietti, got his first taste of MotoGP during the Valencia test for Rossi’s VR46.
Whether Vietti is the next star to come out of Italy is up to his performances. But it is clear that there is a huge problem with Italian riders progressing through the ranks, and Pirro will look to address that with Ducati.
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