WTI Magazine #43    2014 September, 17
Author : Simone Callisto Manca      Translation by:

The history of the sport is sometimes made of extraordinary coincidences, that some may think just because of destiny, while others may believe it to happen thanks to something higher. Valentino Rossi, the old (for a Moto GP rider) and ailing motorcycling champion, on Sunday won his first GP of the year, after 15 months of abstinence, on the circuit of Misano Adriatico entitled (and in the race dedicated) to Marco Simoncelli, the pilot who died nearly three years ago in Sepang, a very close friend to Rossi.

Sports stories are beautiful, because they often are a perfect metaphor for life: that's exactly what happened with this victory (which still does not reopen the World Cup, still firmly in the hands of the young Spaniard Marc Márquez, the true heir of Valentino).

Misano Adriatico is in Romagna (part of the Emilia Romagna region), the land of Marco Simoncelli but also of Rossi: his hometown, Tavullia, Marche is only a few kilometers from the border between the two Italian regions; but in his way of speaking, his gestures and his manners, easygoing and cocky, Valentino is certainly a true Romagnolo Doc.

Rossi, born in 1979, began his winning career in 1996, always smiling and joking about his victories in every possible way: from then on he won champion for 9 world championships in various categories, becoming a motorcycling legend, second only to another great Italian, Giacomo Agostini, who was able to win 15 world championships.

Marco Simoncelli, born in 1987, also known by everybody as "Sic", was considered a very young promise of the two wheels: raised and "weaned" at races from Valentino himself, who followed him in every step of his motorcycling formation and career, Marco won the 2008 250 cc world championship and then stepped up to the MotoGP class where he had a reputation of a sometimes naive pilot, but capable of risky and certainly spectacular maneuvers, somebody with a great successful future ahead. His hair, his wonderful smile and his rebellious rock star attitude left no doubts about him becoming a true Italian sports celebrity: until, one morning in the October of 2011, on the same circuit where three years before he had officially won and celebrate the 250 cc world championship, Marco Simoncelli died. Marco fell approaching a curve, and ended with his motorbike in the middle of the circuit while another racer was arriving at full speed, absolutely unable to know that he would find Simoncelli right in front of him: it would have been impossible to avoid him. That racer was Valentino Rossi.

Valentino is no longer the same as before, and not only for the death of Simoncelli, which for a time caused him to question his own career: the years pass, the opponents are younger and younger than him and some wrong choices (his years with Ducati team) as well as other mishaps make closer and closer the moment when he will leave the races.

However, it is nice to think that one of the last successes of this great champion has happened right there where it all began, in Romagna land, in the circuit dedicated to his friend: "Sic", who could not win because a tragedy stole his life away, is somewhere smiling and celebrating his old mentor, who once again uncorks the bottle on the top step of the podium, aged but still a forever champion.