Rossi tips Bastianini for big future

Valentino Rossi has backed Italian Moto3 sensation Enea Bastianini to emerge as a big star of the future.

Bastianini has been one of the big revelations of 2014 after graduating from the Red Bull Rookies Cup with Fausto Gresini’s KTM Moto3 squad.

The 16-year-old has scored three podium finishes and one front row start and his stunning performances have caught the eye of nine-times world champion Rossi.

The 35-year-old, who runs his own Moto3 squad with Romano Fenati and Pecco Bagnaia, said: “He is the great surprise of this year, especially about the Italian riders. He was always fast in the past and last year he raced in the Rookies Cup but sincerely nobody expected him to be so competitive in the first season.

“He rides very well and already he has been a lot of times on the podium and he did a great job. He will be very strong for the future because he is so young.”

Bastianini excelled again in Misano last weekend, fighting through from 17th on the grid to fifth.