Valentino Rossi, the Italian professional motorcycle road racer and multiple time MotoGP World Champion, has announced his retirement after a celebrated career in the sport. The Italian racing legend, known as The Doctor, made the announcement at a special press conference at the Styrian Grand Prix in Austria on Thursday.

"It's tough, but I will retire at the end of the current season" - said Rossi - "It was a difficult decision, I would have liked to compete for another 25 years, but it's not possible: in sport, results make a difference." "I think that in 2022 I will race with cars" - he added - "I will remain a rider all my life, I will just change from motorcycles to cars."