Graziano Rossi: 'This was Valentino's most important result for me'

Valentino Rossi has nine World championship titles and 105 victories to his name, but his father Graziano Rossi, a former GP rider himself, was so proud of his son’s comeback during last Sunday’s Qatar GP and taking a second place podium, that after the race he texted him a just a single word, “meraviglioso” (marvelous).

Graziano, or Grazia as Valentino calls him, is just like every other dad when see they their children succeed after a couple of very difficult years, and in an interview with Eurosport he said: “If I had to describe Valentino’s performance in Qatar with a single adjective the first word that comes to mind is exciting.

After a complicated qualifying, and starting on the third row, I thought his race was going to be uphill, but warm up lap times were encouraging.
Based my experience I’ve never take anything for granted because going fast isn’t easy, but Valentino has impressed me once again with his comeback that made me laugh with joy, something that hasn’t happened in a long time … At a personal level, this second place for me, is the most important achievement of his career.

”Graziano also said that Valentino’s motivation comes from his love for motorcycles and racing, and he isn’t out prove something to a lot of ’so-called experts’, who criticized him in these last two years calling him old, washed out, and over the hill rider and on the verge of retirement.