Motorcycle racing has for the first time surpassed first division soccer in the hearts of Italian sports fans, according to a new poll.
MotoGP is now the third most followed sport in Italy, after the exploits of the national soccer team and Formula 1, according to a study carried out by Sponsor Value StageUp and the Ipsos research group.
A poll taken for the study found that 28.4 million Italians are interested in motorcycle racing, compared to 26.8 million who follow Serie A.
A total of 35.2 million Italians were Italy fans while 31.5 million kept up with events in Formula 1.
Despite the upsurge in popularity in motorcycle racing, seven-time world champion Valentino Rossi trailed behind soccer players Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero and ex-Italy coach Marcello Lippi in the hearts of Italian sports lovers.
The Roma and Italy striker is the most popular sportsman, the favorite of 94.5% of Italians, followed by the Juventus star with 93% and the World Cup-winning coach with 92.6%.
With his 89% popularity rating, Rossi came out ahead of Juventus and Italy goalie Giancarlo Buffon, 88.7%, and Ferrari's now-retired Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher, 88.3%.
