Valentino Rossi Day, the mayor of Tavullia: “You made us proud.”

The ceremony, which will culminate in the handing over of the keys of the city to the ‘Doctor,’ already sees the mayor’s excitement.

Valentino Rossi will receive the keys to Tavullia, his hometown, at an event scheduled for May 19 called TavulliaVale. It had been announced by Francesca Paolucci, mayor of the Marche municipality, who meanwhile thanked the ‘Doctor’ in a post published on social media.

“Thank you Valentino,” wrote the first citizen of Tavullia, “for giving us indescribable emotions in more than 25 years of his career, for bringing millions of people closer to a wonderful sport like motorcycling, for making us even more proud to be Italian, and for carrying the name of Tavullia around the world.

“For these and many other reasons we have decided together with the Marche Region to thank you with an official ceremony to be held on May 19 in your town. During #TavulliaVale, together with many friends, we will hand you the keys to the town. It will be the virtual embrace of your community and the millions of fans scattered all over the world,” Francesca Paolucci concluded in her message addressed to Valentino Rossi.

The TavulliaVale occasion will also see the reunion of the many riders who have come out of Valentino Rossi’s Academy. Among them Pecco Bagnaia, the reigning MotoGP champion, and the Mooney VR46 Racing Team duo of Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi.