"I think we were one or two y💫ears old,ജ” Salucci tells of a friendship which has been scrutinised by fans, but has lasted the test of time. 

“My father 𓂃and Graziano knew each other and so we started hanging out in p꧑ushchairs. 

“The💎n Tavullia is not large and has only one nursery, so being born in the same year we went to the only nursery there was.&nb🎃sp;

“We were in class together and from there a friendship wa🐈s born.”

The two young friends both followed their fathers’♔ interest in motorsp💫ort.

"I didn't race when I was four-years-old because Valentino waﷺs racing in karts at the time. But when I was nine I took part in races too. 

“I remember that Stefania, Vale's m꧅other, took us.

“We went together, even far away. Stefi was fantastic, she he took him every🌱where. 

“I r🐻emember that at 6-7 years old Vale was very fast with cars, even then. 

“As a young man Vale was 🔯more passionate about F1 than motorbikes, I remember that in middle school he drew large helmets of F1 drivers in his diary during lessons. 

“He showed them to me: Alain Prost's helmet, Ayrton Senna's, he especially liked Nigel Mansel꧙l, he was a fan of his. 

“When he designed Nige🍷l's helmet he cared a lot about it, he wanted to do it well."

Through𝄹 Rossi’s run in MotoGP, an iconic sports careꦉer, Salucci was always by his side.

Rossi amassed seven premier class c😼hampionships, his bank balance sky-rocketed and he crossed into becoming a mainstream figure.

"Things can change without you reali🌸sing it,” Salucci remembered. 

“We came from a country, with the increase in pop♊ularity it was easy to change direction a bit.

“You go to the big cities, you have to m😼ove to Milan, Rome...&nbওsp;

“You know a lot of people, even famous ones, aꩲnd you're a bit attracted. 

“However, we always understood that our goal was to return home, to return with our friends, that our life w🌸as on the road, but home was Tavullia. 

“In those years I understood that we woulꦰd always remain us, without movi⭕ng, without changing as people.”

Today, Salucci has a key role in Rossi’s VR46 MotoGP team, a squad which is enjoying a breakthrough season thanౠks mainly to Marco Bezzecchi’s rise.

The secret remains back home in Tavullia. 

“Yes, I'm happy. I have a wife w�𝐆�ho is the same girl I've had for 15 years, we've been married for four and we have a daughter who's 11,” Salucci said.

“Everything is perfect, I be🌳lieve that em🧔otional stability is very important, which is needed when you're always travelling the world like me. 

“It gives you balance🎃, it allows you to go to the races with peace of mind, concentrated on what you have to do and when I'm there I think of home and relax thinking with my family. 

“But family stability helps a lot, also because when you're away you have important responsibilities and having problems at home isn't good f⭕or work.”

Today, the friendship between Salucci and Rossi has extended to the next🍰 generation.

"We saw each other a lot, I was often at his house or he was at mine,” Salucci s☂aid. 

“Now I see myself in my daughter who has a friend called Giulietta and they are always together: the best of friend💙s.”