Valentino Rossi joins VR46 riders on track at Misano

For the second time in a month, Valentino Rossi has returned to two-wheels for a training day with the VR46 Academy Riders.

Peter McLaren

28 Feb 2023

After an outing at Portimao in late January, just before the Sepang MotoGP test, Rossi has again thrown a leg over an R1 Superbike, this time at his local Misano track.

Rossi was riding alongside reigning MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) as well as fellow premier-class competitors Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha), Luca Marini (Ducati) and Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati), plus Andrea Migno and Celestino Vietti.

Bagnaia, Morbidelli, Marini and Bezzecchi - using production Superbikes to comply with the MotoGP testing rules - will be back on their racing machines during the final MotoGP pre-season test at Portimao on March 11-12.

Rossi, who switched to sportscars after retiring from MotoGP, has already begun his 2023 racing activities, celebrating a podium in Dubai and sixth place at Bathurst with the WRT BMW team.

But as the below images show, the nine-time world champion is still comfortable testing the track limits during a chilly spring day on a motorcycle...