CIAO ROSSI!
In a career that has spanned 26 seasons, Valentino Rossi has rewritten the record book. He triumphed in all classes, took nine world championships, watched rivals arrive with gusto and leave destroyed by his talent and resilience
Grand Prix motorcycle racing may have been the premier class of motorcycle road racing events for most part of the last century, but the ‘Rossiverse’ created a gravitational pull of its own, sucking fans and interest from across the planet if not the solar system. He’s not just an idol to his followers’, but is a man most MotoGP riders, Formula 1 drivers, rally drivers, and road racers revere. The Doctor’s astonishing achievements over the years’, his incomparable zeal for racing, and unrivalled magnetism makes up a huge part of MotoGP’s heritage, earning the Italian, who is recognized the world over, as the “GOAT” (Greatest of All Time).
The fairy tale began in 1996, when a skinny, bright-eyed 17-yearold Rossi lined up 13th on the grid in Sepang, Malaysia. Riding Aprilia’s RS125, Rossi earned himself a top 6 finish, catching the eye of the spectators. A series of exhilarating performances followed by his first podium at the Austrian GP, and then a maiden victory at the Czech GP two weeks later, Rossi was making a name for himself as the rider to look out for. But, it was the following year when Rossi ultimately came into his own blowing the competition away to take home the 125cc World Championship, bagging 11 wins in as few as 15 Grand Prix races. Next year, Aprilia promoted him to 250cc, and started the season with three podiums in the opening five races. His first win came at the Dutch GP, where Rossi ignited the rookie’s Championship charge and despite four successive wins; the then 19-year old had to settle for 2nd position in the overall standings, losing out to the much-experienced Loris Capirossi.
In 1999, Rossi had his retribution, grabbing hold of the Championship after capitalizing at the Spanish and Italian GPs, and seven more wins after that meant the Tavullian kid cruised home to the Championship with a 48 point lead over Honda’s Tohru Ukawa. Inevitably, Rossi made the jump to the premier class the following year, and wasted no time in causing a stir as he rode Honda’s crown jewel, the NSR500. After recording DNFs in his opening two races, podiums soon started to roll in, with Rossi’s first top 3 win coming in Jerez, while a pole at Donington Park ignited his contention for the championship. Despite a victory at the Rio de Janeiro Grand Prix, the title went to Suzuki’s Kenny Roberts Jr., with a tough fight from veteran Jeremy McWilliams.
After just his first season racing at the highest level, Rossi become a household name, and in 2001, sealed his first 500cc class Championship. With 11 wins in 16 races, Rossi ran away in the title race, with his closest rival, Max Biaggi, 106 points behind as the two
stroke era concluded. In the debut year of the MotoGP World Championship, Rossi carried on his form and improved the winning margin to 140 points, with Biaggi and Alex Barros the only other riders to claim wins. The next year, 2003 saw Rossi deliver a final title to Honda before switching allegiance to Yamaha in 2004, where he went on to claim two more Championships until he was finally dethroned by Nicky Hayden in 2006, while he could only manage third place in 2007 as Australia’s Casey Stoner took home the title. Next year came Rossi’s most famous wins, as he dove up on the inside of Stoner at Laguna’s Corkscrew, going down as one of the most memorable passes in GP history. The number 46 took the title that year, but the 2009 season saw the very height of rivalry between teammates Rossi and Lorenzo. Rossi delivered a legendary last corner overtake to deny his Spanish teammate a home win. However, the Italian was then beaten to the title by Lorenzo in 2010. Rossi then left to join the factory Ducati Team in 2010, but after just three podiums over a difficult two seasons, Tavullia’s most famous son returned to Yamaha for the 2013 season and took his first win in three years at the Assen Grand Prix.
Runner up in the title race in 2014, Rossi then fought for his tenth crown in 2015, but it was Lorenzo once again who deprived him of a championship. The following year saw more pole positions, podiums and wins as the Italian finished second in the Championship. Then, 2017 saw him come out victorious at the Dutch GP in Assen, the highlight of a difficult season which saw the Doctor sustain a broken leg prior to the San Marino Grand Prix. With prayers showering in from fans and adversaries alike, Rossi showed his fighting spirit to complete an outstanding turnaround and return to the track just three weeks later in Aragon, before taking another podium after a breathtaking showdown with Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez a.k.a.
WALK THROUGH ANY CITY STREET OR VILLAGE BACKWATER ANYWHERE ON EARTH AND YOU WON’T BE SURPRISED TO SPOT A 46 STICKER ON A BATTERED SCOOTER, CAR BACK WINDOW, OR TO SEE A KID WEARING A FLURO YELLOW 46
Ant of Cervera, in Phillip Island. In 2018, the Italian remained with Yamaha and took a Championship top three, while two more podiums came his way the next year, though a title eluded him in both the seasons.
The last time we saw Doctor Rossi pop the bubbly was in 2020, when he secured third place in Jerez at the beginning Championship. A change came in 2021, with The Doctor returning to a satellite team for the very first time in 19 years which saw him move to Petronas SRT, linking up with his VR46 academy graduate Franco Morbidelli. It proved to be the final chapter of a storied Grand Prix racing career, but it won’t be the final time we see him in the paddock as Rossi brings his VR46 venture to Ducati and MotoGP for the 2022 season.
For the countless unforgettable memories you have created on the track, and for the countless ones you will undoubtedly bring to us in the coming years, Grazie mille Vale!