10,000 fans turnout for Valentino Rossi’s first Thai appearance

Ten thousand fans attended Valentino Rossi’s first public appearance in Thailand last weekend.

Rossi and Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo took part in a special two-day PR visit immediately after both had finished testing the new factory YZR-M1 at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia.

The highlight of the visit was close to 10,000 fans welcoming Rossi and Spaniard Lorenzo when they unveiled the new Yamaha Nuovo 150cc. Both riders then made a couple of laps on special 46 and 99 replica versions of the new model.

Rossi, who dominated the Sepang test session with Lorenzo third fastest behind Ducati rival Casey Stoner, said: “This has been my first visit to Thailand and I was very surprised about the number of fans I have here.

“I have touched with my hands the great passion and enthusiasm that Thai people have for motorcycles and for MotoGP here.

“I really look forward to coming to Thailand again in the future, and I hope that MotoGP fans will increase even further.”

Lorenzo said: “This was my second visit to Thailand and I am always happy to come here. The people are incredibly kind and their hospitality and passion for MotoGP is something unbelievable.

“Thailand is one of the most important markets for Yamaha and I hope that our visit here will give a further push to Thailand Yamaha Motor’s business and will increase the number of MotoGP fans in this country.”