Hilda Wright, a resident of Oldham, England and perhaps Valentino Rossi’s oldest living fan, celebrated her 102nd birthday by sitting on and revving the engine of the Yamaha YZF-R1 that the defending MotoGP champion rode during his 2009 Isle of Man TT parade lap. Local motorcycle shop owner Steve Shaw turned Hilda onto motor sport after marrying her granddaughter Julie nine years ago. Shaw tracked down the R1 for his high-spirited grandmother knowing she was a Rossi fan.
“Aren’t I lucky to be sitting on Rossi’s bike?”, the centenarian said.