When you’re Valentino Rossi and you have to get from point A to Point B in the MotoGP paddock, do you swing a leg over your iconic (and stupid expensive) YZR-M1 prototype to cruise to the nearest team press conference?
Of course not, don’t be silly; there are scooters for that.
Yes, the versatile scooter has been used since the 1920s for anything from basic commutes, to single-sapien shuttles, to the occasional match of scooter polo.
Even Valentino Rossi, nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion, was reported to have his own personal 50cc, single-cylinder scooter for the mundanities of the Grand Prix circuit – and now, that very same 3hp workhorse is up for sale.
“The scooter was part of the factory Yamaha MotoGP squad and helped Rossi travel from his truck to the pit lane and vice versa,” states the report from Top Speed.
“The #46 had two custom versions of the scooter, one of which is the scooter on sale here…all the proceeds [of the sale] will go to the Medea La Nostra Famiglia Institute for a research project on the Autistic Spectrum.’
We’re told that the scooter herself will start at a price of €7,000 and comes with an ‘official registration certificate, insurance, and a regular number plate’ – she even comes with her previous owner’s signature overtop the front fairing.
Everything is confirmed to be functional for this particular machine, since the thing was never taken out of the MotoGP paddock – pity, that, I’d have loved to have seen the thing on the circuit, myself.
With the bids getting as high as €15,000, we’ll be looking froward to seeing what Rossi’s MotoGP machine will sell for. Care to take a guess at what the final bid will be?
Be sure to check back at our shiny new webpage, drop a comment below letting us know what you think, and as ever – stay safe on the twisties.