Happy Birthday Vale | Valentino Rossi turns clock back, seals Bathurst podium

The MotoGP legend finished on podium in the 12-hour Bathurst Endurance race just hours before his birthday.

MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi who turned 47 today (February 17) could not have asked for a better birthday bash as the Italian finished third on the podium in Australia's 12-hour Bathurst Endurance race.

The MotoGP-turned GT3 star was runner-up in a BMW 1-2 last year, with the 2026 race his fourth attempt at the Bathurst 12-Hour.

The Doctor as he is fondly known in the paddock, finished third in Sunday’s (February 16) dramatic race in the #46 WRT BMW alongside Raffaele Marciello and 2025 winner Augusto Farfus and has hinted that he might race again in the Endurance event next year.

"So I’m very happy, very proud to be here on the podium and we continue to try – and maybe one year we can do," Rossi was quoted as saying in local media after the podium finish.

The seven-time champion in premier class, who was inducted as a MotoGP legend was known in the paddcok and all around the world for some of the scarcely believable moments he produced on and off track across 26 seasons of Grand Prix racing.

It may be recalled that the Italian great had hung up his racing leathers at the end of 2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship season, having celebrated 115 wins and 235 podiums in a racing career that spanned two-and-a-half decades.

A year later, the iconic No.46 was retired from the world of MotoGP to honour the legend with the fluorescent yellow Yamaha bike no longer glowing again on the grid.

The Doctor had played a key role in redefining the sport for millions of fans across the world.

During the Winter Olympics opening ceremony last week, Rossi was honoured with a cameo as a tram driver when he assisted Italian President Sergio Mattarella on his journey to commence the games.

In a pre-recorded video, the President arrived at the games in a traditional Milano tram driven by Rossi himself. The honour was a great nod towards Rossi's skills and career, as well as his stature as the face of Italian sports.