Randy Mamola retired from Grand Prix racing years before Valentino Rossi arrived on the scene. But the two legends still had the opportunity to work together at Yamaha.
Mamola finished third in the 500cc world championship on a Yamaha motorcycle in 1986, and was runner-up to Wayne Gardner the following year. After a three-year stint at Cagiva, he returned to the Japanese manufacturer for his final season in 1992.
It wasn’t until 1996 that Rossi made his 125cc debut, and 2004 that he joined Yamaha. It was there that he encountered Mamola, who had stayed on as a test rider.
| Category | V Ros | R Mam |
| Races | 372 | 144 |
| Wins | 89 | 13 |
| Poles | 55 | 4 |
| Podiums | 199 | 54 |
| Championships | 7 | 0 |
Rossi also rode for Honda and Ducati in MotoGP but is best known for donning the three tuning forks. He won five of his seven premier-class titles on their machinery.
Randy Mamola asked Dorna why they always filmed Valentino Rossi ritual
In an interview with Motorsport’s YouTube channel, Mamola was asked to name the ‘weirdest’ pre-race ritual he’d witnessed during his career. He called Rossi’s routine ‘incredible’.
Mamola even spoke to MotoGP bosses about it, asking why they insisted on broadcasting it every time. Their reply was simply ‘this is Rossi’.
Like Marc Marquez, Rossi inspired ‘hero worship’ among motorcycle racing fans. That didn’t stop Mamola teasing him when he climbed on the bike.
“When you watched Valentino, Valentino always had an array of things – touching his ears before he walked out of the garage, touched his knees,” he recalled. “After he did this, he did what Rafa Nadal does a lot – pulls his underwear. It was just kind of weird.
“The funny thing about that is I used to say to Dorna, ‘Why are you filming this every week?’. They said, ‘Because this is Rossi’. Yes, but one time is enough per weekend!
“I believe this was one of the most incredible. Remember he used to hold the footpeg before he got on the bike. When I used to test the bikes in Valencia at the end of the year, every time I rode the Yamaha of Valentino, I squatted down and I held the footpeg.
“I looked at him and he said, ‘If you crash it, I’ll kill you’. I said, ‘But this will stop me from crashing right here’. This was always funny.”
Why VR46 team owner Valentino Rossi can barely watch MotoGP races
Like Mamola, Rossi remains involved in MotoGP after retiring. In addition to overseeing his academy, he owns the VR46 team.
Juggling his own racing commitments on four wheels, Rossi was present in the paddock at Lusail and Jerez. His riders find his presence morale-boosting.
But in a recent interview, Rossi admitted that he suffers watching races. His half-brother, Luca Marini, races for Honda, while he also has close relationships with the likes of Francesco Bagnaia and Franco Morbidelli.
Rossi believes that MotoGP ‘has no equal’ when it comes to the adrenaline before a race. That may be the one thing the Italian misses most.
