“My greatest satisfaction” - Valentino Rossi reveals MotoGP career highlight
Valentino Rossi has revealed what his most important MotoGP achievement has been
MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi says his “greatest satisfaction” from his career was how he introduced a new generation of fans to motorcycle racing.
The 47-year-old is one of Italy’s most decorated athletes, having won nine motorcycle grand prix world titles - including seven in the MotoGP class - in a career that spanned well over two decades.
Valentino Rossi retired from MotoGP at the end of the 2021 season, having also won 89 premier class races and 115 grands prix across all categories.
At a recent event in Rome, Rossi spoke of the impact he made in growing the profile of MotoGP as his proudest achievement.
“I’ve had many great results in my career, and that was certainly important,” he said.
“But my greatest satisfaction is having introduced so many people to motorcycle racing, even outside the sport.
“So many people in Italy started following the races during my career - from young children to grandmothers - and that’s definitely the thing that makes me proudest even today.”
“I miss MotoGP… but not that much”
After retiring at the end of the 2021 season, Rossi embarked on a full-time career in car racing, first in the GT World Challenge Europe, before stepping into the FIA World Endurance Championship.
After two years in the WEC in 2024 and 2025, Rossi has returned to GTWCE for the 2026 campaign as a factory BMW driver.
Rossi admits he misses racing in MotoGP, “but not that much”, though is grateful for the reception he still receives across the world.
“Of course, I miss racing in MotoGP a little, but not that much, because I did it as long as I could,” he added.
“Now I race cars, and I’m having a lot of fun.
“But my passion will always be motorcycles and MotoGP, because it was my first love and the most important thing in my life for a long time.
“Even now, there are still so many people who are thrilled to see me and cheer me on just like when I was racing.
“This means that a lot of people enjoyed watching my races.”
Rossi recently jumped back on a Yamaha MotoGP bike at the Goodwood Festival of Speed for a run up the hill.
During the FoS weekend, he commented that he would be keen to tackle the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris.
Rossi continues to have a presence in the MotoGP paddock through his VR46 Racing Team.
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