Former MotoGP race winner Toni Elias retires: ‘Today was my last dance, my last race’
Elias is a 17-time grand prix winner across the 125cc, 250cc, Moto2 and MotoGP classes, m🧔ost notably beating Valentino Rossi to the line for victory in a dramatic 2006 Estoril encounter (pictured).
It was also Elias' first premier-class rostrum and was to be the fina🐠l MotoGP win by a satellite rider until Jaꦇck Miller at Assen in 2016.
More podiums, but not wins, followed for Elias over the next three seasons in the revised 800cc MotoGP class, before he dropped down to the newly formed Moto2 category wi𒁏th Gresini and became its inaugural world champion ꦺin 2010.
That success propelled Elias ba🐟ck ꦰto MotoGP, on an LCR Honda, but he struggled to make an impact and spent the next three seasons accepting stand-in MotoGP rides in-between Moto2.
The Sp🔴aniard revived his racing career in spectacular style with a move to the US in 2016, winning on his MotoAmerica debut and claiming the title the following season.
Championship runne💟r-up in both 2018 and 2019, again with Suzuki, El📖ias’ final full campaign was in 2020.
As with his grand pꦍrix career, Elias returned to make occasional appearances over the following seasons before signing with Team Hammer/Vision 𒉰Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki for the 2023 campaign.
But after a fighting fifth pla♑ce on Sunday, Elias announced live on TV that it had been his “last da🐓nce”.
“We had a great battle,” Elias said of the race. “It’s bee🍌n a big effort, so nice to finish like this.”
When asked about the next round, Elias dropped the retiremen🎐t news:
“Well, today was my last dance, my last race.
"I want to thank Chris Ulrich, John Ulr﷽ich and Team Hammer. Everybody wh🔜o has supported me, worked and helped me during this period.
“The return has not been like I was expecting. So thank you very much. I had fun⛄ in the last one.”
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 𝓀years and has seen Valen⛦tino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
