10,000 extra Misano fans for Valentino Rossi's farewell

A relaxation in Covid restrictions means an extra 10,000 fans per day will be able to attend home hero Valentino Rossi's final MotoGP race at Misano later this month.

Attendance for the previous September round was capped at 25,000 fans per day. The Sunday was sold out, with 60,453 fans present over the three-day race weekend.

The new rules mean that up to 35,000 fans can now attend on each day of the October 22-24 event. All spectators will again need a grandstand ticket with the grass banks remaining closed due to Covid regulations.

To put those figures into perspective, a total of 158,000 fans attended the pre-Covid 2019 Misano round (21,000 Friday, 41,000 Saturday, 96,000 Sunday).

Due to further Covid cancellations, Misano is joining Qatar, Portimao and the Red Bull Ring in hosting two MotoGP events this season (as it did last year).

Francesco Bagnaia and Ducati took a close home victory over title leader Fabio Quartararo in the September round, when Rossi could only manage 17th place.

The Doctor will clearly be aiming for a far more competitive showing in his final home appearance, at a circuit where he won in 2008, 2009 and 2014.

After Misano, Rossi's grand prix career will conclude with events at Portimao and Valencia.

The 2022 Misano MotoGP round is set for September 2-4.