“Bagnaia is the first Italian to win the MotoGP title since Rossi in 2009”
MAT OXLEY
Pecco Bagnaia’s 2022 MotoGP world championship success is important because he is the first Italian to win the title since Valentino Rossi in 2009. Italy is MotoGP’s most successful nation, with 21 world titles and 264 grand prix victories achieved by 25 riders, so a 13-year drought is significant. And, just as significantly, Bagnaia would not have got there, certainly by now, if it wasn’t for Rossi.
A decade ago, when MotoGP was dominated by Spaniards, Rossi and his closeknit gang of friends and collaborators established the VR46 Riders Academy, to mentor young Italian riders and challenge Spain’s hegemony. Bagnaia was one of the first to join, following his rookie GP season, the 2013 Moto3 world championship.