Motorcycle Racing Is A Low Sport In Valentino Rossi's Hometown

Valentino Rossi (Source: Commons Wikimedia)

JAKARTA - Valentino Rossi's process of becoming a world-class racer is not easy. Rossi grew up in an environment where motorcycle racing was considered a lowly sport. Rossi broke everything down.

The owner of number 46 believes that there is nothing more important in the world than being a racer. His hard work paid off. He is a champion in all MotoGP classes. The success was for the whole city of his birth, Tavullia thanked Rossi.

There is no figure who is the most influential in Valentino Rossi's life besides his father, Graziano Rossi. His father had a big hand in instilling a love of the art of motorcycle racing in little Rossi. Moreover, his father is known as a reliable motorcycle racer

Because of his love for the world of racing, later when he had a child Graziano wanted to pin the name of his friend Valentino who had died. His friend had great service. Valentino has helped Graziano win in the 250cc Grand Prix motorcycle race.

Therefore, when his son was born on February 16, 1979 in Tavullia, Urbino, his love child was immediately named Valentino Rossi. Rossi's love for the world of racing began to grow when Rossi was a child. The love grew because Rossi spent a lot of time with his father everyday. Indirectly, the nature of the father that is contagious to Rossi.

Therefore, Rossi grew up as a charismatic person, likes challenges, relaxed, and eccentric. What's more, his father's dream is to continue his unfulfilled dream to Rossi: to become a motorcycle racing world champion. However, these ideals are considered excessive by Rossi's mother, Stefania. He is more rational. Stefania wants Rossi to grow up like other aspiring children in general, besides racers.

“This is the character of Graziano who guided the young Valentino Rossi through his childhood. And, looking back, Rossi had to deal with two different parents' views. Although Graziano was an eccentric hippie, his mother's dream of forming Rossi was much more rational and normal.

“Generally Stefania's dreams are considered more honorable and reasonable. Stefania, who works as a surveyor for the local parliament, hopes that her son will grow up to be an engineer or an architect, both professions that were then highly respected in Italy, as in other places," said Stuart Barker in the book Valentino Rossi: The Definitive Biography (2020). ).

The difference does not make Rossi a little indecisive. Rossi's personality who likes challenges makes him choose to be a racer as the most reasonable option. He also worked hard to become a world-class racer, even though he was still in school. Because of his love for the world of racing, Rossi never liked learning activities at school. In his view, education and Rossi will not go hand in hand.

Valentino Rossi (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Skipping school then became Rossi's main training in order to participate in motorcycle racing competitions. This behavior was then disliked by the teachers at Rossi's school. A degrading view of the racer profession is often expressed by Rossi's teachers.

Rossi's art history teacher, for example. The teacher gave a purely negative comment about the fate of a racer. He gave an unpleasant statement to Rossi: do you believe that if you continue to stick with that ridiculous motorbike you will eventually be able to find food?

Rossi proved with a pile of achievements in the world of racing. In his teens, Rossi has even participated in motorcycle racing abroad. And win. Unfortunately a thousand dear, his teacher never responded positively to Rossi's achievements.

His teacher actually tends to think that Rossi's racing activity is like an activity with minimal benefits. Because, the main result of Rossi's skipping school lessons is that his grades have dropped sharply. Because of that Rossi's future is predicted not to be bright. In addition, Rossi dropped out of school during high school.

“I think my teacher's comments describe a small part of me. Art lessons might be my least favorite subject, just like math. It's not the teacher's fault, but I really can't stand studying art history.”

“As a result, I couldn't be the best student and I wasn't the best at paying attention in class. Then my history teacher got angry when he found out I wasn't interested in his lesson. Because he was so irritated, he then immediately predicted things that were not accurate at all, “said Valentino Rossi in his book Valentino Rossi: If I Never Tried (2006).

Rossi's Proof

Valentino Rossi (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Doubts about Rossi's future also occur in the world of racing. Throughout the racing career that Rossi participated in, he was known as an impatient racer. As a result, some of his debuts in the world of racing are always filled with stories of Rossi being eliminated from the track. As a result, all members of his team began to doubt the ability of Rossi -if you don't want to say Rossi is a poor racer.

However, every doubt is always answered by Rossi with a series of achievements. Day by day, Rossi's performance is getting better and better. So is the trophy. It was this winning mentality that led Rossi to taste all classes of motorcycle racing – from the 125 cc, 250 cc, 500 cc and MotoGP classes.

Rossi also won all the world titles on the two-wheeled race track. The fame was then obtained by Rossi. He even received an honorary doctorate from one of the campuses in his hometown. Even though Rossi himself did not graduate from high school.

“Remarkably, the achievement of a 26-year-old teenager who did not graduate from high school but received an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Communication Sciences, University of Urbino, Italy, was achieved in an astonishing way. What's that? He dared to defy the logic of racing people by deciding to move from the Honda team to Yamaha,” said Angryanto Rachdyatmaka in the book It's Injury Time (2008).

Rossi's popularity as a world champion helped bring his hometown, Tavullia, Urbino known to the world. Thanks to Rossi, Tavullia is like the Mecca of world motorcycle racing lovers. No less than 20 thousand tourists "pilgrimage" to the hometown of The Doctor. Old and young. The tourists came from Europe, South America, to Asia. Therefore, Tavullia is never deserted from the presence of tourists every year.

Not only the whole Tavullia are proud. But the whole of Urbino was also proud of Rossi's achievements. The racing profession that was once considered lowly began to disappear like the earth swallowed it. Tavullia then entered a new era. An era where almost every child born wants a career as a racer. Want to be like Rossi, he said.

“The ideal city (Urbino) would be the birthplace of Raphael, Bramante and Barocci, and among the famous figures who lived there were Luca Pacioli, Leonardo da Vinci and Pietro Bembo. Recently, it is known as the birthplace of Valenino Rossi, the MotoGP world champion,” concluded Rajarshi Sahai in the book The Self and the City (2008).

*Read other information about MOTO GP or read other interesting articles from Detha Arya Tifada.

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