Rossi pays tribute to Edenderry rider

Moto GP superstar Valentino Rossi has paid tribute to “his greatest fan”, a young Edenderry man who was killed in a motorcycle accident last month.

After Kenny Dunne’s tragic death on September 13, his cousin Joanne started a Facebook page in the hope of getting the Italian sportsman’s attention.

According to Stephen Dunne, Kenny’s brother and fellow motorcycling enthusiast, his sibling was the Italian sportsman’s “greatest fan”.

“It (the Facebook page) got posted everywhere including Valentino Rossi’s fans page and the British Moto GP page. They shared it on to Martin Finnigan, who is the UK ambassador for the Marco Simoncelli foundation. Marco was a Moto GP ride and Valentino’s best friend.

“Martin has a connection with Marco’s father, who got in touch with Valentino’s manager and it took off there,” Stephen said.

Much to the delight of Kenny’s family and his large circle of friends, Rossi posted a photo online of him holding a piece of paper with the 'ForKenny’ hashtag. Not only that, Martin Finnigan and his friends Alex and Nicole Gaines personally delivered a framed copy of the photograph to the Dunne family in Edenderry.

Stephen said that his family were deeply touched by the gesture and wanted to thank everyone who helped.

“It (the motorcycling world) is a close community and always had been. Being close to a fallen rider is something everyone dreads. If you crash a car you can walk away, but if you crash a bike more than likely that won’t happen.”