Valentino Rossi shared intense rivalries with several MotoGP riders over the years, but he shared a different kind of competition with the members of his VR46 academy upon their arrival to the premier class.<\/p>\n
Rossi<\/a> called it quits on his Grand Prix motorcycle career at the end of the 2021 season and was able to race against several members of his academy, including Francesco Bagnaia<\/a>, Franco Morbidelli<\/a> and Rossi\u2019s half-brother, Luca Marini.<\/p>\n One of the moments that pushed him towards retirement came at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix, when a \u2018dangerous\u2019 crash by Morbidelli left Rossi visibly shaken<\/a> after the young Italian\u2019s bike flew centimetres past the veteran\u2019s head.<\/p>\n The race that ultimately decided Rossi\u2019s future in MotoGP<\/a> was the British Grand Prix the following year. The Italian was left \u2018very sad\u2019 after struggling at a race he had won eight times over the course of his illustrious career.<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0Everything you need to know about Valentino Rossi from stats to net worth<\/a><\/p>\n Franco Morbidelli\u2019s personality on track made his rivalry with Valentino Rossi \u2018more intense\u2019<\/p>\n Speaking with journalists from GPOne in an interview from 2020, Rossi was asked about how he feels to race against some of the riders who have come through the ranks at his VR46 academy, saying, \u201cI\u2019ve raised some snakes in my own nest. Honestly, when we started, we didn\u2019t really think about it. <\/p>\n \u201cBut then it went really well, now we already have two riders in MotoGP, and maybe in the next few years, even more will arrive.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great, it makes you proud. Of course, I knew there was this risk. But it\u2019s great to have riders from the Academy who are so strong. And in terms of rivalry, well, that depends on the rider \u2014 each one is different.<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, I have a different relationship with Pecco [Bagnaia] than with Franco [Morbidelli]. With Pecco, we get on better. With Franco, he\u2019s a great friend of mine outside the races, but when we\u2019re racing, the rivalry is more intense. So it depends a lot on the personalities.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0Everything to know about Franco Morbidelli from net worth to career stats<\/a><\/p>\n Who are the current members of the VR46 Riders Academy in MotoGP?<\/p>\n The loss of Rossi\u2019s close friend, Marco Simoncelli, during the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix led the Italian rider to create the VR46 Riders Academy in memory of his first prot\u00e9g\u00e9. The goal of the academy is to nurture the talent of Italian riders on their two-wheel journey to MotoGP.<\/p>\n The first member was Morbidelli, who joined the academy ahead of his step-up to Moto2 in 2013. Bagnaia joined the academy in the following season, whilst he was proving himself in Moto3. <\/p>\n RankRiderTeamBikePoints3Francesco BagnaiaDucati LenovoDucati2134Marco BezzecchiAprilia RacingAprilia1566Franco MorbidelliVR46 RacingDucati13915Luca MariniHonda HRCHonda52VR46 Academy members in the current 2025 MotoGP standings<\/p>\n The academy now has four members who currently compete in MotoGP, with Luca Marini<\/a> and Marco Bezzecchi<\/a> joining their compatriots at the academy in 2015 on their way to the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.<\/p>\n Bagnaia went on to become the first, and currently only, member of the academy to have won a title in MotoGP after his championship feats in 2022 and 2023.<\/p>\n