The name “Rossi” is known to every motorsport fan. For 26 years, Valentino Rossi has made so many memories in the world of Moto GP! Many regard him as the greatest MotoGP rider of all time!
In 1996, Rossi made his debut in the arena of motorcycle racing. He won his first of nine world championships at the age of 18 in 1997. He won his second one in the 250 cc category in 1999. What happened next is just history!
Back in 2000, the world saw Rossi in the Premier Class (500 cc) category. He won the championship for five straight years, from 2001 to 2005. That time, the world saw Rossi’s dominance on the track. Rossi rode for the Honda Team for the majority of his dominance, winning three championships.
He then switched from Honda Racing to Yamaha Racing in 2004, which everyone thought was a bad decision, but he proved them wrong.
Rossi won his very first race for Yamaha Racing. Later, he went on to win four more titles with the team. Rossi won his seventh title in the premier class in 2009, giving him a total of nine championships as a rider! He set this record at the age of 29; incredible, isn’t it?
What makes him the greatest? We can talk about a lot of things that made him different from the rest.
There’s a saying that your rivals bring the best out of you. It’s the same with Rossi too. Throughout his career, Rossi faced a fierce fight from his rivals, who are also the best riders the sport has ever seen.
Max Biaggi, Kenny Roberts, Marc Marquez, Mike Hailwood, John Surtees, Michael Doohan, Casey Stoner, Wayne Rainey, and Jorge Lorenzo are all outstanding racing legends. But Rossi showed all of them how good he was with the bike on the track!
The way Rossi just glided on the track with such ease was truly stunning. He wore the same number 46 throughout his career, honoring his father.
In the later part of his career, Rossi faced a young Spanish rider named Marc Marquez. The Spaniard came out on top with his battles a couple of times, but that doesn’t take anything away from Rossi. Despite having some racing incidents, the two have each other’s respect. Marquez may beat the record for winning most championships, but what Rossi did in his career is simply astonishing.
Rossi announced his retirement on August 5, 2021, putting an end to an unprecedented career, With so many memories, what a career!
432 race starts, 115 wins, 235 podiums, 65 poles, 96 fastest laps, and 9 world championships; what more can you say?
He was eccentric, charismatic, and also ruthless on the track. He was astute and demonstrated to his classmates why he is the best there is. The world thanks Valentino, by his nickname Vale, and says “Grazie Vale!”
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Writer:
Golam Hasnayn
Intern, Content Writing Department,
YSSE.