The Rossi-less future MotoGP must now navigate

On Sunday 14 November, the greatest chapter in MotoGP’s history – and one of the best in all motorsport – came to a close. We all knew it was coming, Valentino Rossi having announced 2021 would be his last season in grand prix motorcycle racing back in August. Nevertheless, it was a reality hard to comprehend.

Rossi has been racing in the world championship since he burst onto the 125cc scene back in 1996, the Italian winning his first grand prix on 18 August – just one week after this particular writer was born. For so many, Rossi has been a major part of their entire life. For MotoGP, he’s been the most important part.

Grand Prix motorcycle racing has had its popular eras and figureheads driving that. Fans of a certain vintage in Britain fondly remember the hedonistic days of Barry Sheene in the 1970s, while the ‘golden era’ of the late 1980s/early 1990s when the greats from America engaged in rivalries that stand the test of time to this day still brings a joyful tear to the eye for many.

But the MotoGP landscape changed dramatically as the 1990s rolled on, the premier class not the draw it used to be amidst years of dominance for the mighty Mick Doohan and Honda. Rossi’s arrival on the grand prix scene in 1996 caught the attention of many, the Italian having got tongues wagging in his pre-GP days.

As he ascended the ranks and claimed titles in the 125cc and 250cc classes in 1997 and 1999, big things were expected when he stepped up to the premier class in 2000. And big things followed: seven premier class titles on Honda and Yamaha machinery, 89 top-tier wins to bring his total to 115 and some of racing's most intense rivalries.

PLUS: Valentino Rossi’s 10 greatest MotoGP races 

His flamboyant personality, his penchant for wild helmet designs and wacky celebrations captured the hearts of millions worldwide – helping MotoGP to establish itself as one of the biggest motorsport series on the planet. And it has been reaping the rewards from Rossi for two decades, as the Italian continued to evolve himself to bear new threats, even when the results started to dry up. For 20 years, Dorna Sports’ marketing strategy has been thus: come for Rossi, stay for the show.

Rossi has been a valuable asset for Dorna Sports to attract fans

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Now that will be put to the test going forward into a genuinely new era for MotoGP. Some would have you believe Rossi’s retirement is the first sounding of the death knell on MotoGP, and there's a handful of Rossi supporters who insist their interests will go elsewhere now their man is no longer racing. But given they’ve stayed the course even though his last win came back in 2017 and he ended 2021 18th in the points table, perhaps their principles aren’t set in stone.

“I think Valentino is not replaceable in the sense that he was an iconic rider,” Ducati boss Paolo Ciabatti correctly pointed out. “I can only think about Giacomo Agostini in his years as being so famous outside the fanbase that we have for racing.

“It will not be easy to attract the same kind of attention from spectators who were liking the sport because they were willing to see what Valentino was doing when Valentino was winning. On the other hand, the competition on track is so exciting. We have many young riders who are super-fast, who are so much fun to watch. So, hopefully people who came to MotoGP to watch Valentino will realise that it’s a nice show.”

"Now we have these young guns coming up in Formula 1 – they’re young, they’re fun, they’re fast and we have this crazy orange Verstappen movement at the moment. That will probably carry that sport forward. And I think that will happen in MotoGP as well" Lin Jarvis

The reality is, MotoGP is currently living in its greatest era – and it has done so largely with Rossi playing nothing more than a cameo role as the spoils have been shared between an enthralling cast of new runners.

Marc Marquez isn’t exactly new, but at 28 (recent injury woes not permitting) he has a long career ahead of him. Hot on his heels have been the newest world champions in Joan Mir and Fabio Quartararo – the man Yamaha deemed the one to replace Rossi in 2021 – while the likes of Francesco Bagnaia, a VR46 protege, Jorge Martin, Brad Binder, Miguel Oliveira, Jack Miller, Franco Morbidelli and Enea Bastianini to name a few all have title-fighting qualities.

Eight riders won races in 2021, nine did so the year before. Rossi wasn’t close to being amongst them. That, of course, didn’t stop the legions of supporters turning up to see him with hearts full of hope, but nor did it detract from the racing.

Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis - who called Rossi a "cherished icon" of the Japanese brand - sees parallels with Formula 1's current changing of the guard, and notes how MotoGP's four-wheeled counterpart has continued to flourish through its own passing eras.

Bagnaia, Quartararo, Bastianini and others pose an exciting future for MotoGP - and have all been inspired by Rossi

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

"As far as the sport goes, I think we all benefit again from the popularity he’s brought to the sport over the years," he said when asked by Autosport how he felt MotoGP could handle the post-Rossi era. "But all sports move on. You’ve seen it before, whether it be in skiing, tennis, Formula 1 or whatever.

"After the Senna years and the crisis there with the sad passing of Ayrton, Formula 1 continued. Then [came Michael] Schumacher. You have legends, but sport at the end of the day always moves on and there’s always young people coming.

"If you look at Formula 1 right now, you have the existing icon and you have the next generation coming up as well. There are some great young drivers coming up in Formula 1 as well. So, we’ve been through the Senna years, then we’ve been through the Schumacher years, and now we’ve been through the Lewis Hamilton domination, and we had Sebastian Vettel.

"But now we have these young guns coming up in Formula 1 – they’re young, they’re fun, they’re fast and we have this crazy orange Verstappen movement at the moment. That will probably carry that sport forward. And I think that will happen in MotoGP as well."

Silverstone’s managing director Stuart Pringle did admit to Autosport earlier this year that he was worried about the effect being unable to sell Rossi would have on future ticket sales. But, though the man has moved on, Rossi still very much runs through MotoGP’s veins. All of the aforementioned stars of 2021 were inspired by Rossi, while the likes of Bagnaia’s entire career owed to the legend. These riders are also more social media savvy, while a new Amazon docuseries will hopefully have a Drive to Survive effect on MotoGP.

PLUS: How Rossi got the perfect send-off to his MotoGP career 

With a VR46 team also coming to MotoGP alongside the ever-expanding roster of VR46 Academy riders (four will race in the top class in 2022) filling grid slots, the sea of yellow that currently fills grandstands is still likely to remain – albeit, maybe with some different colours thrown in.

There are plenty of exciting talents for Rossi's legions of fans to switch their allegiance to next year

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images