Roberto Locatelli, also known as the “Loca” has announced that he has decided to retire after 20 years of racing and 16 seasons in the Grand Prix series.
Locatelli who is 35, one year younger that Loris Capirossi, competed in 244 races between the 125cc and 250cc championships and won the 125cc World Championship in 2000 with the Vasco Rossi Racing Team-Aprilia.
Despite a horrific crash in 2007 during free practice at Jerez, that was caused by structural and technical problems on his bike and resulted in life-threatening injuries, the spunky Italian was back in action within a couple of months from his accident and made several top ten appearances in the second half of the year.
Locatelli in an interview with The Eco di Bergamo has said that he is retiring to make room for younger riders and wants to marry his long time girlfriend Manuela and have a child.
If you understand Italian you can see Locatelli’s video interview with ecodibergamo.