Monster Energy Yamaha’s Franky Morbidelli had the best seat in the house for Valentino Rossi’s last MotoGP race.
Adorned with his own Rossi replica helmet to celebrate the occasion - 1999 Peace&Love - the VR46 Academy rider completed the Valencia GP in 11th, one place behind his friend and mentor, as the veteran Italian took his final premier class bow. And he was quick to admit he enjoyed every second of it.
“It was great to have the luck to make the whole race behind him,” Morbidelli said on Sunday evening, after the Yamaha celebrations had dipped enough for his media duties.
“Actually, before the race, I just wanted to stay as far as possible from him. I said, ‘I don’t want to get involved in anything’. But at one point I found myself right behind him and I said, ‘Okay, let’s try to push and let’s try to maybe overtake him or do something’. But he was so fast and so un-attackable that I needed to stay the whole race behind him.
“I was thinking that I was very, very lucky to have the chance to enjoy his last laps in MotoGP right from a really special position. And it was great - he was riding fantastic. He was riding unbelievable. He increased the speed in the last laps and you could see that he was really appreciating and enjoying these last moments on the MotoGP.”
Morbidelli’s own 2021 MotoGP season has been quite a rollercoaster. Recording a podium at Jerez in the opening part of the season, as part of the Petronas Yamaha team on the 2019 M1 before pulling out of the Assen GP in favour of knee surgery. Morbidelli tentatively returned to action at Misano on factory machinery in the Monster Energy Yamaha garage, continuing to familiarise himself with the 21-spec Yamaha while building strength in his left leg.
“Crazy season!” Morbidelli admitted. “Lots of ups and downs, more downs than up, but such a last race makes us end the season with a sweet taste in our mouth and a great belief in next year.
“So now it’s a matter of understanding well in Jerez what we need for next year. Understand well if we what we did is better. Jerez is a right-handed track and it’ll make me work better. Then have a nice recovery, a nice and good recovery this winter and get prepared as the 2022 season starts. Get well prepared for next year,” he concluded.