Valentino Rossi
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Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi
Nationality Italian
Date of birth February 16, 1979 (1979-02-16) (age 30)
Place of birth Urbino, Italy
Website valentinorossi.com
MotoGP Record
Current team Fiat Yamaha Team
Bike number 46
Championships 9
125cc - 1997
250cc - 1999
500cc - 2001
MotoGP - 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009
Race starts 227
Wins 103
Podium finishes 164
Pole positions 58
Fastest laps 83
Points 4026
2009 championship position 1st (306 pts)
Valentino Rossi, (born February 16, 1979 in Urbino),[1] is an Italian professional motorcycle racer and multiple MotoGP World Champion. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with 9 Grand Prix World Championships to his name. According to Sports Illustrated, Rossi is one of the highest earning sports personalities in the world, having earned an estimated $34 million in 2007.[2]
Following his father, Graziano Rossi, Rossi started racing in Grand Prix in 1996 for Aprilia in the 125cc category and won his first World Championship the following year. From there, he moved up to the 250cc category with Aprilia and won the 250cc World Championship in 1999. He won the 500cc World Championship with Honda in 2001, the MotoGP World Championships (also with Honda) in 2002 and 2003, and continued his streak of back-to-back championships by winning the 2004 and 2005 titles after leaving Honda to join Yamaha, before regaining the title in 2008 and retaining it in 2009.[3]
Rossi is first in all time 500 cc/MotoGP race wins standings, with 77 victories, and second in all time overall wins standings with 103 race wins (behind Giacomo Agostini with 122).
Contents [hide]
1 The early years
2 The World Championship era
3 MotoGP
4 From Honda to Yamaha
5 Competition
6 Nicknames
7 Plans for the future
8 Equipment and superstitions
8.1 Helmets
8.2 Superstitions
9 Personal life
9.1 Tax scandal
9.2 Other hobbies
9.3 Household Pets
10 Career statistics
10.1 By Seasons
10.2 By class
10.3 Races by year
11 Records
12 References
13 External links
[edit] The early years
Valentino Rossi was born in Urbino, then the family moved to Tavullia. Son of Graziano Rossi, a former motorcycle racer, he first began riding at a very young age.[4]
Rossi's first racing love was go-karts. Fuelled by his mother, Stefania's, concern for her son's safety, Graziano purchased a go-kart as substitute for the bike. However, the Rossi family trait of perpetually wanting to go faster prompted a redesign; Graziano replaced the 60cc motor with a 100cc national kart motor for his then 5-year-old son.[5]
Graziano attempted to forge documents in an attempt to get Valentino's junior kart licence one year before he was legally allowed (he was nine at the time), but ultimately failed.[citation needed]
Rossi won the regional kart championship in 1990.[6] After this he took up minimoto and before the end of 1991 had won numerous regional races.[4]
Rossi continued to race karts and finished fifth at the national kart championships in Parma. Both Valentino and Graziano had started looking at moving into the Italian 100cc series, as well as the corresponding European series, which most likely would have pushed him into the direction of Formula One. However, the high cost of racing karts led to the decision to race minimoto exclusively[citation needed]. Through 1992 and 1993, Valentino continued to learn the ins and outs of minimoto racing.
As Rossi soon started to outgrow minimoto, a proper motorcycle was required. In 1993, he acquired a Cagiva Mito 125cc motorcycle, which was damaged in a first-corner crash no more than a hundred metres from the pit lane.[citation needed] He finished ninth that race weekend.
Although his first season in the Italian Sport Production Championship was varied, he achieved a pole position in the season's final race at Misano, where he would ultimately finish on the podium. By the second year, Rossi had been provided with a factory Mito by Cagiva team manager Claudio Lusuardi and managed to win the Italian title.
In Rossi's youth one of his heroes was the late former WRC Champion Colin McRae. Rally legend McRae taught Rossi the basics of driving a rally car.[7] The two competed against each other at Monza in 2005, with McRae driving a Skoda Fabia WRC and Rossi winning in a Subaru Impreza WRC.[8]
[edit] The World Championship era
In 1994, Aprilia by way of Sandroni, used Rossi to improve its RS125R and in turn allowed him to learn how to handle the fast new pace of 125cc racing. At first he found himself on a Sandroni in the 1994 Italian championship and continued to ride it through the 1995 European and Italian championships.
Rossi had some success in the 1996 World Championship season, failing to finish five of the season's races and crashing several times. Despite this, in August he won his first World Championship Grand Prix at Brno in the Czech Republic on an AGV Aprilia RS125R. He finished the season in ninth position and proceeded to dominate the 125cc World Championship in the following 1997 season, winning 11 of the 15 races.
By 1998, the Aprilia RS250 was reaching its pinnacle and had a team of riders in Valentino Rossi, Loris Capirossi and Tetsuya Harada. The death of two of his friends in a car accident also took a toll.[citation needed] He later concluded the 1998 250cc season in second place, only three points behind Capirossi. In 1999, however, he won the title, collecting 5 pole positions and 9 wins.
Rossi was rewarded in 2000 for his 250cc World Championship by being given a ride with Honda in what was then the ultimate class in World Championship motorcycle racing, 500cc. Jeremy Burgess had shown him the NSR500 and was convinced that the pairing of it with Rossi would bring nothing but success.[citation needed] Retired 500cc World Champion Michael Doohan, who also had Jeremy Burgess as chief engineer, worked with Rossi as his personal mentor in his first year at Honda. It would also be the first time Rossi would be racing against Max Biaggi, another Italian to whom he was often compared by the racing press.[citation needed] It would take nine races before Rossi would win on the Honda but, like his previous seasons in 125 and 250, it bode well for a stronger second season as he finished second to American Kenny Roberts, Jr..
Rossi won his first 500cc World Championship in 2001 (winning 11 races) in the final year of that class. In the following year, 500cc two-strokes were still allowed, but 2002 saw the beginning of the 990cc four-stroke Moto GP class, after which the 500cc machines were essentially obsolete. In that year Rossi teamed up with American rider Colin Edwards for the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race aboard a Honda VTR1000SPW. The pair won the race despite Rossi's lack of experience racing superbikes.
[edit] MotoGP
Rossi riding his Honda RC211V MotoGP bike.The inaugural year for the MotoGP bikes was 2002, when riders experienced teething problems getting used to the new bikes. Rossi won the first race and went on to win eight of the first nine races of the season, eventually claiming 11 victories in total.
It was more of the same in 2003 for Rossi's rivals when he claimed nine pole positions as well as nine GP wins to claim his third consecutive World Championship. The Australian GP at Phillip Island in 2003 is considered by many observers to be one of Rossi's greatest career moments due to unique circumstances. After being given a 10-second penalty for overtaking during a yellow flag due to a crash by Ducati rider Troy Bayliss, front runner Rossi proceeded to pull away from the rest of the field, eventually finishing more than 15 seconds ahead, more than enough to cancel out the penalty and win the race.
[edit] From Honda to Yamaha
There was much speculation during the second half of the 2003 season about Rossi's plans for the future.[citation needed] Some people suspected that he would succeed in his bid to claim a third consecutive title and wondered where he would go in the future. His contract with Honda was up at the end of the year and there were rumors that Rossi had become somewhat disillusioned with his ride at Honda. His tenure at Honda had effectively run its course; he had provided Honda with a 500 cc World Championship as well as consecutive MotoGP World Championships.
Partnered with increased scepticism that the reason for his success was the dominance of the RC211V rather than Rossi, it was inevitable that Honda and Rossi would part. Mid-season rumors pointed towards a possible move to Ducati, which sent the Italian press into a frenzy; the concept of the great Italian on the great Italian bike seemed too good to be true. Ducati did indeed try to seduce Rossi into riding their MotoGP bike, the Desmosedici, but for numerous reasons Rossi passed the offer up. Critics say that compared to the other manufacturers, Ducati had a significant way to go before being competitive even with Rossi at the helm. This proved to be the truth with Ducati's lackluster performance in the 2004 season, which had actually been worse than their inaugural year in MotoGP in 2003.
In his 2005 autobiography, "What If I'd Never Tried It?", Rossi offers another reason for choosing Yamaha over Ducati, saying that the mindset at Ducati Corse was a little too similar to the one he was trying to escape from at Honda.
Ultimately, Rossi signed a two-year contract with rivals Yamaha reportedly worth in excess of (U.S) $12 million; a price no other manufacturer, even Honda, was willing to pay.
His fiercest critics[clarification needed] claimed that on an inferior machine (the Yamaha YZR-M1), Rossi would not be able to recreate his World Championship wins of the previous years, especially with increased development of the RC211V and the likes of Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau on Hondas. The RC211V was a superior machine in almost every aspect although it was guaranteed that the gap would shrink with the defection of Rossi and Jeremy Burgess (chief mechanic for Rossi at Honda, whom Rossi had also convinced to join). The 2004 season would give Rossi the ability to show everyone, especially his critics what he was made of and provide him with an opportunity to prove that it was his talent rather than his bike that won him his championships.
With the traditional first race of the season at Suzuka off the list due to safety considerations, the 2004 season started at Welkom in South Africa. Rossi won 8 more GP wins during the season, battling Sete Gibernau ferociously until Rossi eventually closed the door on Sete's hopes in the penultimate race of the season at Phillip Island. Gibernau and Rossi had become bickering enemies during the course of the season; whereas in previous seasons they had been competitive but friendly rivals, various disputes arose during 2004 which led to their falling apart. Rossi would continue to rub salt into the wound for both Gibernau and Honda by winning the ultimate race of the season at Valencia. It was a painful blow to both Gibernau and Honda; Gibernau, so close to a World Championship, and Honda, starting to become aware of what they had let go. Valentino Rossi ended up with 304 points to Gibernau's 257, with Max Biaggi 3rd with 217 points.
In 2005 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, Rossi captured his 7th World Championship and 5th straight MotoGP Championship. He finished with a total of 367 points, an incredible 147 points ahead of 2nd place finisher Marco Melandri (220 pt), and Nicky Hayden finishing 3rd with 206 points.
The 2006 MotoGP season started off with Rossi, once again, being the favorite to take the Championship, but he had trouble in the first half of the season. Rossi finished 14th in Jerez, making a comeback after Toni Elias pushed him at the very first corner, and had a pair of DNFs in Shanghai and Le Mans due to tyre and electronic problems respectively. Nicky Hayden held the points lead throughout most of the season, but Rossi was slowly working his way up the points ladder. It wasn't until Motegi when Rossi finally grabbed 2nd in the points race behind Hayden. In the Portuguese Grand Prix, the second to last race of the season, Hayden was taken out by his teammate, Dani Pedrosa, and did not finish the race. This led to Rossi taking the points lead with only one race left in the season. Rossi crashed early in Valencia, the last race, and Hayden went on to win the 2006 MotoGP Championship. Rossi finished the season in 2nd place.
Valentino Rossi returned to MotoGP for the 2007 season riding the new Yamaha YZR-M1 800 cc. In the first race in Qatar he came second to Casey Stoner on the Ducati Desmosedici. In the second round of the season Rossi won the Race with Dani Pedrosa in second place and Colin Edwards in third giving both Yamaha riders podiums. Casey Stoner returned to winning ways in the third and fourth races of the season at the Turkish and Chinese grand prix on his Ducati, which has enjoyed a top speed advantage over the rest of the field. Another reason for Stoner's consistency during the 2007 season in comparison with Rossi's mixed results is the advantage Ducati's tyre supplier, Bridgestone, appeared to have over its rival, Michelin, who then supplied tyres for Rossi's factory Yamaha.
Rossi's 10th position at Turkey was put down to a defective tyre and while he managed to bounce back to a second place on the podium at China, a poor tyre recommendation from Michelin was blamed for his 6th place finish in the wet French grand prix at Le Mans. Bridgestone riders took all 3 places on the podium at the French tyre giant's home race, and Rossi went on the record to say that Michelin must urgently address various weaknesses. Rossi won at his home race, the Italian grand prix at Mugello, ahead of Dani Pedrosa, also Michelin-shod on his factory Honda. Championship leader Casey Stoner was beaten to the last podium place at Mugello by Brazilian veteran Alex Barros on a satellite Ducati with Bridgestone tyres.
Rossi's grip on the championship loosened slightly at Catalunya and Donington, finishing second and fourth respectively to winner Casey Stoner, however the Assen race was won by Rossi who charged through the field from 11th on the grid after a poor wet qualifying session to challenge and eventually beat Casey Stoner to the chequered flag by 1.5 seconds. At the half-way point of the 2007 season Rossi was the closest challenger to Casey Stoner's title aspirations, trailing by 21 world championship points. In the month of June, commonly called "Rossi's month" with races consisting of Mugello, Catalunya, Donington Park and Assen, both Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner have scored 83 points each; 2 x 1st place, 1 x 2nd place and 1 x 4th place. This has been done in conditions favourable to the Italian manufacturer and in some cases left Rossi on the fourth row with a point to prove.
Sachsenring saw a disastrous performance from the Italian. After qualifying fourth on the grid, whilst Stoner took pole, Rossi had to use raceday to his advantage. Come Sunday, Rossi lined up with a fever of 102 degrees and dropped down to 8th by the end of the first lap. A pass on Randy de Puniet at the tight Omega corner saw Rossi lose the front, catch it then lose it completely and skid off into the gravel where his right hand clip on was damaged leaving him out of the race on lap 6. Luckily problems for Bridgestone in the blistering heat saw Stoner finish 5th stretching his championship lead by 11 points to 32 ahead of "The Doctor". A visit to Laguna Seca for the USGP, Rossi finished 4th place behind Stoner, Vermeulen, and Melandri respectively.
The end to the summer break in the 2007 season landed the MotoGP paddock at Brno, with various new changes to the Fiat Yamaha. Qualifying 6th for the race start on Sunday morning after struggling in free practice, Rossi spent his rear Michelin early on in the race chasing Capirossi to make it up to 5th. Eventually tyre issues got the best of the 7 times world champion and Rossi crossed the finish line in 7th, a whole 22 seconds behind 1st place man Casey Stoner. This left Rossi 60 points behind the Championship leader with only 150 points up for grabs.
Misano saw Rossi starting from 2nd on the grid behind Casey Stoner. An engine failure five laps in resulted in Rossi falling 85 points behind Stoner as he finished first.
A start from 3rd on the grid in Estoril ended in a no holds barred race with Pedrosa as they both accelerated out of the last corner sideways for Rossi to take the race win and gain 9 points in the World Championship on Stoner who finished in third.
For 2008 Rossi changed to Bridgestone tyres. The season started slowly with a fifth place finish in Qatar, but he took his first win in Shanghai, and also won the next two races. Mid-season, Stoner's Ducati seemed too strong for him, but Rossi took many second places, excluding the Dutch round at Assen, where he crashed on the first lap and finished 11th. Rossi then won at Laguna Seca after an incredible pass down the corkscrew over Stoner, who crashed but continued and took the second place. Stoner crashed out from the lead in next two races whilst under pressure from Rossi, and failed to score, while Rossi won both. After winning a rain-shortened race in Indianapolis, once again completing the achievement that he has won in every current circuit in the calendar, he needed only third place in Motegi to win. He won at Motegi too, his first win there with a four-stroke bike, clinching his first title in 800cc MotoGP, sixth in premier category, and eighth in total.
On June 8, 2009, Valentino Rossi rode a Yamaha around the famous Isle of Man TT Course in an exhibition lap along-side fellow Italian motorcycle legend Giacomo Agostini, in what was called 'The Lap of the Gods'.[9]
On June 27 2009, at the Dutch TT in Assen, he clinched his 100th victory, becoming the second rider in motorcycle grand prix history to reach 100 wins.[10]
[edit] Competition
Earlier in his career Max Biaggi was considered Rossi's main rival. At one time his website didn't even have Max's name; instead a glaring "XXX XXXXXX" was placed wherever his name should have appeared. Although they hadn't even raced against each other until 2000, the rivalry between the two had been growing since the mid-'90s. The rivalry has started to die down over recent years due to Rossi 's consecutive World Championships and Biaggi's struggle to find support and a consistent rhythm with his races. Biaggi looked to improve on recent results with a ride with Honda's factory team in 2005. However, he was off the team and unemployed once the 2006 season rolled around.
In his autobiography "What If I Had Never Tried It", Rossi makes a number of claims about the reasons for his rivalry with Biaggi, and some of the incidents which led to its escalation. The rivaly was also featured in the 2003 documentary film, Faster.
During one incident at Suzuka in 2001, Rossi alleges that Biaggi elbowed him on the straightway at 220 km/h to prevent him from overtaking.[citation needed] This caused Rossi to lose a lot of time and drop several places, but he managed to make up the time and eventually overtook Biaggi to win the race. As he overtook Biaggi, he took his left hand from the handlebars of his bike and gave Biaggi the middle-finger.[11]
By the time the 2001 season had moved to Barcelona, the animosity from Suzuka had festered.[citation needed] After the race (which Rossi won), the pair got into a fist-fight before the podium presentation. The tension was evident in the press conference, although the media hadn't yet found out what had happened. The Dorna officials took Rossi and Biaggi aside immediately after the press conference and ordered them not to talk about the incident, and to play it down.[citation needed] Neither rider was sanctioned for the incident.
At the next Grand Prix in Assen, Honda organized a press conference to put the events of Barcelona behind them. Rossi and Biaggi shook hands in front of the media, and that effectively ended the feud. After that, although they have had run-ins on track, the media frenzy surrounding them and any incidents off-track calmed down.[citation needed]
Rossi's main rival in the 2003/2004/2005 seasons was Sete Gibernau, riding with Team Gresini's Movistar Honda team on a satellite RC211V in 2004 and then on an all but in name factory RC211V, which Gibernau helped to develop, in 2005. Initially they were quite friendly in the paddock and off - Gibernau partied on occasions with Rossi at the Italian's Ibiza villa - but a souring in their relationship began in the 2004 season and culminated in the "Qatar Incident" that same season when Rossi's team was penalized for "cleaning" his grid position to aid in traction, along with Honda Pons' Max Biaggi, and both riders were subsequently forced to start from the back of the grid. A number of teams, including Gibernau's Team Gresini and the official Repsol Honda factory team, appealed successfully to race direction for Rossi to be sanctioned. Rossi and his chief mechanic, Jeremy Burgess, insisted that they were doing nothing more than what many others had done before when faced with a dirty track and Rossi accused Gibernau of being behind the move to appeal for a sanction, something the Spaniard categorically denied.[citation needed]
Since then the two have not spoken and Rossi seemed to resolve to use the incident to apply psychological pressure on Gibernau. He is said to have sworn that after the Qatar race, which Gibernau won while Rossi crashed out after rising to 6th position, he would do everything to make sure that Gibernau never stood on the highest step of the podium again.[citation needed] Gibernau retired from Grand Prix racing after an unsuccessful, injury blighted 2006 season with Ducati and he never won another race after Qatar, prompting some in the Spanish and Italian motorcycle racing media to explain this fact by way of reference to the "Qatar curse."[citation needed] But he returned at the end of 2008, after tests on the 2008 Ducati convinced him that he could still be competitive in MotoGP, and signed to ride a Ducati in 2009.
In 2007, Casey Stoner emerged as a rival for Rossi. Coupled with a Ducati, the young Australian won the first race of the year, followed by many more victories resulting in his claiming of the 2007 MotoGP World Championship title. Stoner's and Rossi's rivalry came to a dramatic climax at Laguna Seca in 2008. After numerous position changes, Rossi attempted to overtake Stoner through the corkscrew. This bold move caused Rossi to run wide into the gravel, and his rejoining the track came close to causing a collision between the two riders. A few laps later Stoner went into the gravel on the slow entry into turn 11, yet picked up the bike to finish second while Rossi took the win. After this, Casey Stoner made the comment 'I have lost respect for one of the greatest riders in history'. For the comment, Stoner apologized to Rossi at the next race.[12]
[edit] Nicknames
Valentino Rossi has had numerous nicknames during his racing career. His first prominent nickname was "Rossifumi." Rossi explained the etymology of this nickname as a reference and tribute to fellow rider Norifumi Abe.
His next nickname appeared some time around his days racing in the 250 cc World Championship. The nickname "Valentinik" was a reference to the Italian Donald Duck superhero, "Paperinik."
Since his dominance in 500 cc and MotoGP, Rossi has used the nickname "The Doctor." This has been attributed to his "cold and clinical dismantling of his opponents" as well as his cool and calm composure in racing compared to his frenetic days in 125 cc and 250 cc where his performance was erratic and dangerous, resulting in numerous crashes. Two theories prevail as to why Rossi is entitled to "The Doctor." One is that Rossi adopted the nickname upon having earned a degree, which in Italy entitles one to use the title "Doctor.." Another, as spoken by Graziano himself, "The Doctor because, I don't think there is a particular reason, but it's beautiful, and is important, The Doctor. And in Italy, The Doctor is a name you give to someone for respect, it's very important, The Doctor... important". Although Valentino often jokes that the name arrived because in Italy, Rossi is a common surname for Doctors. These days Rossi rarely crashes and in fact holds the record for the longest streak of consecutive podiums. From September 8, 2002 to April 18, 2004, he stood on the podium at the end of all 23 races including every race in 2003.
He has always raced with the number #46 in his motorcycle grand prix career. Rossi has stated that the original inspiration for this choice of number was the Japanese "wild card" racer Norifumi Abe whom he saw on television speeding past much more seasoned riders in a wet race. He later found out that it was the number his father had raced with in the first of his 3 grand prix career wins, in 1979, in Yugoslavia, on a 250c Morbidelli. Typically, a World Championship winner (and also runner-up and third place) is awarded the #1 sticker for the next season. However, in a homage to Barry Sheene (who was the first rider of the modern era to keep the same number, #7), Rossi has stayed with the now-famous #46 throughout his career. The text on his helmet refers to the name of his group of friends: "The Tribe of the Chihuahua," and the letters WLF on his leathers stand for "Viva La Figa," Italian for "Long Live Pussy." He has so far escaped any sanctions or ultimatums that he remove the letters because the "W" in "WLF" represents the two "V"s in "ViVa". Equally obvious is his success at escaping any disciplinary action from the FIM or Dorna for having the letters so brazenly on the front neck area of his leathers. He traditionally also incorporates his favorite color (fluorescent yellow) into his leather designs. Though Rossi won the MotoGP title seven times he never put the number 1 on his motorcycle representing the World Champion, instead staying with his famous "46". But Rossi has worn the #1 reserved for the reigning World Champion on the shoulder of his racing leathers.
Fellow motorcycle racer and former team mate Colin Edwards, as well as some TV journalists have often referred to him as 'the GOAT' (Greatest of all Time).[citation needed]
[edit] Plans for the future
Rumors abounded, speculating Rossi would switch from two wheels to four wheels some time after 2008. Initially these rumours centered on Rossi switching to Formula One and his test drives of the Ferrari F1 car received heavy media coverage.
Most recently Rossi tested the Ferrari in 2006 on January 31, February 1, and February 2 at Valencia, later in 2008. The first test saw Rossi spin out on the damp track into the gravel trap, ending his day. On the second day, he posted the ninth fastest time of fifteen drivers, approximately one second behind Michael Schumacher, who himself was third fastest. Rossi lapped faster than seasoned drivers Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber and David Coulthard and Toyota F1's Jarno Trulli.[13] On the final day of testing, Rossi was just a little more than a half second behind Schumacher's best time.[14] Schumacher hailed Rossi as having immense talent and said he would be perfectly capable of moving to Formula One and being competitive immediately.
On May 24, 2006, Rossi announced that he would be staying in MotoGP until he felt his work on the motorbike was "finished." Ferrari driver Schumacher said that he felt "saddened" by Rossi's decision but supported it. Rossi subsequently signed a new contract with Yamaha for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, then for 2009 and 2010. The two-year contracts were notable as after leaving Honda at the end of the 2003 season Rossi had refused to sign contracts of more than a year.
Beyond his interest in F1, Rossi's strong passion is for rallying. His first official foray into rallying came in 2002 at WRC Rally Great Britain, in which he crashed out on the second stage (first non-superspecial stage). He subsequently raced a factory Subaru Impreza car in the Rally of Monza in November 2005.
On October 11, 2006 it was announced that Rossi would enter that year's Rally New Zealand, a WRC event which was to run from November 17-19.[15] He competed in a Subaru WRC car finishing 11th out of 39. On November 26 2006 Rossi also won the annual Monza Rally driving a Ford Focus WRC car. He beat the 2005 rally victor Rinaldo Capello by 24 seconds, winning five of the seven stages on his way. He also managed to outpace former WRC Champion Didier Auriol by seven seconds in the head-to-head Master Show final. Rossi also announced at the 2006 Monza rally, that he would be entering the 2007 Rally of Great Britain, however, he later opted out. At the 2007 Monza Rally, Rossi again took first place.
Rossi has been linked with a move to both Formula One and the World Rally Championship in the past 18 months, having tested for Ferrari and competed in a number of rally events.[16]
But Rossi decided to remain in Moto-GP; "I have a contract with Yamaha until 2008," said Rossi. "When that finishes then we will see. What I am sure about is that I will ride until I'm 31 or 32 at most. I will look for new stimuli in the next few seasons, but for now I am fully motivated."[17]. Rossi signed a new two year contract confirming he will be at Yamaha until 2010.[18] He originally planned to use the Impreza WRC2008 during his participation in the Rally GB in December 2008,[19] but decided to drive a Ford Focus WRC instead.[20] He finished the rally in 12th place, 13 minutes and 20.4 seconds behind eventual winner Sebastian Loeb.[21]
[edit] Equipment and superstitions
[edit] Helmets
Valentino Rossi has gone through numerous helmet designs throughout his career, most featuring the Sun & Moon motif, signifying (according to Rossi) the two sides of his personality. The artist of Rossi's current helmet graphics is Aldo Drudi.[22]
2004-2005 Seasons
Round 1-5 2006 Season
Round 7-16 2006 Season
[edit] Superstitions
Valentino Rossi is a very superstitious person and his pre-ride rituals are well known. On a race day, he will always watch the beginning of the 125cc race. Prior to riding (whether racing, qualifying, or practice), he will start his personal ritual by stopping at about 2 metres from his bike, bend over and reach his boots (thus the 2004 TV spoiler "Are you ready boots?"). Then, when arriving at his bike, he will crouch down and hold the right-side foot-peg, with his head bowed. In an interview, Rossi said "It’s just a moment to focus and ‘talk’ to my bike, like moving from one place to the next."[23] He will also be adjusting the fit of his leathers by standing straight up on the foot-pegs, whilst riding the pit-lane before the start of race or practice; this may merely be a matter of comfort, which has become a much-commented upon habit. He also revealed in an interview with MotoGP.com that he always puts one boot on before the other, one glove on before the other, and he always gets on the bike the same way. He also gets off the bike in the same way, swinging his right leg over the front of the bike.[24]
[edit] Personal life
[edit] Tax scandal
In 2007, the Italian tax authorities declared Rossi was being investigated for suspected tax evasion. Having previously unsuccessfully investigated Rossi for tax evasion in 2002, the authorities announced they were investigating Rossi for undeclared revenues of 112 million euros ($160 million) between 2000 to 2004. The officials said Rossi's London residency has enabled him to take advantage of favourable tax conditions, such as only declaring earnings made in Britain and avoiding taxes on his lucrative merchandising and sponsorship contracts, commenting that Rossi had: "residency in London but is not domiciled there." It noted that in 2002, Rossi's Italian tax form declared earnings of 500 euros, while sponsorship contracts were all reported to be made out to foreign companies, but with his affairs controlled mainly from Italy.[25] In February 2008, Rossi announced that he had reached a settlement with the Italian tax authorities: he paid 35 million Euros to close the tax case.
[edit] Other hobbies
Beyond tax scandals, Rossi tries to keep his personal life out of the public eye as much as possible, though he makes no secret of his fondness for Italian football club Inter Milan. After winning his ninth World title in October 2009, Inter Milan congratulated Rossi on their official website.[26] Rossi is also left-handed.
[edit] Household Pets
Rossi's famous pet dog was Guido,[27] a British bulldog which he has had since 2000. As Rossi frequently travels the world Guido could not stay in London and was living with Rossi's mother in Tavullia. Rossi could only see the dog while visiting her. Guido, whose image has been a mascot on Rossi’s bikes and helmets, died after the 2008 Australian GP and to pay tribute to him, the new World Champion designed a special sticker made up of Guido sporting a pair of angel wings and floating on celestial clouds. Guido has made some other appearances on Rossi's bike. When lagging 32 points in the 2006 championship, Guido was dressed with an Inuit suit. Guido was also wearing a prisoner suit during the pre season tests
Guido's death has garnered so much attention that it was mentioned in Italy's most prestigious sports newspaper the Gazzetta dello Sport. The Dog even starred in Quarantasei, a graphic novel produced by Milo Manara containing a fictional account of Valentino Rossi's adventures and eventual triumph in motorcycle racing.
Since Guido's death, Rossi now has two new dogs (one male and one female), the new dogs are named Cesare and Cecilia. During the Misano GP in 2009, right after Rossi's mistake during Indianapolis, the two dogs were wearing donkey ears on Valentino's helmet.
[edit] Career statistics
[edit] By Seasons
Season Class Moto Team Race Win Pod Pole FLap Pts Plcd WCh
1996 125cc Aprilia RS125 15 1 2 1 2 111 9th 0
1997 Aprilia RS125 15 11 13 4 7 321 1st 1
1998 250cc Aprilia RS250 14 5 9 0 3 201 2nd 0
1999 Aprilia RS250 16 9 12 5 8 309 1st 1
2000 500cc Honda NSR500 Nastro Azzurro Honda 16 2 10 0 5 209 2nd 0
2001 Honda NSR500 Nastro Azzurro Honda 16 11 13 4 10 325 1st 1
2002 MotoGP Honda RC211V Honda-HRC 16 11 15 7 9 355 1st 1
2003 Honda RC211V Honda-HRC 16 9 16 9 12 357 1st 1
2004 Yamaha YZR-M1 Yamaha-YMR 16 9 11 5 3 304 1st 1
2005 Yamaha YZR-M1 Yamaha-YMR 17 11 16 5 6 367 1st 1
2006 Yamaha YZR-M1 Yamaha-YMR 17 5 10 5 4 247 2nd 0
2007 Yamaha YZR-M1 Yamaha-YMR 18 4 8 4 3 241 3rd 0
2008 Yamaha YZR-M1 Yamaha-YMR 18 9 16 2 5 373 1st 1
2009 Yamaha YZR-M1 Yamaha-YMR 16 6 14 7 6 306 1st 1
Total 227 103 164 58 83 4026 9
[edit] By class
Class Seas 1st GP 1st Pod 1st Win Race Win Podiums Pole FLap Pts WChmp
125 cc 1996-1997 1996 Malaysia 1996 Austria 1996 Czech Rep. 30 12 15 5 9 432 1
250 cc 1998-1999 1998 Japan 1998 Spain 1998 Dutch 30 14 21 5 11 510 1
500 cc 2000-2001 2000 South Af. 2000 Spain 2000 British 32 13 23 4 15 534 1
MotoGP 2002-Present 2002 Japan 2002 Japan 2002 Japan 135 64 105 44 48 2550 6
Total 1996-2009 227 103 164 58 83 4026 9
[edit] Races by year
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Yr Class Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Final Pos Pts
1996 125 cc Aprilia MAL
6 INA
11 JPN
11 SPA
4 ITA
4 FRA
Ret NED
Ret GER
5 GBR
Ret AUT
3 CZE
1 IMO
5 CAT
Ret BRA
Ret AUS
14 9th 111
1997 125 cc Aprilia MAL
1 JPN
Ret SPA
1 ITA
1 AUT
2 FRA
1 NED
1 IMO
1 GER
1 BRA
1 GBR
1 CZE
3 CAT
1 INA
1 AUS
6 1st 321
1998 250 cc Aprilia JPN
Ret MAL
Ret SPA
2 ITA
2 FRA
2 MAD
Ret NED
1 GBR
Ret GER
3 CZE
Ret IMO
1 CAT
1 AUS
1 ARG
1 2nd 201
1999 250 cc Aprilia MAL
5 JPN
7 SPA
1 FRA
Ret ITA
1 CAT
1 NED
2 GBR
1 GER
1 CZE
1 IMO
2 VAL
8 AUS
1 RSA
1 BRA
1 ARG
3 1st 309
2000 500 cc Honda RSA
Ret MAL
Ret JPN
11 SPA
3 FRA
3 ITA
12 CAT
3 NED
6 GBR
1 GER
2 CZE
2 POR
3 VAL
Ret BRA
1 PAC
2 AUS
3 2nd 209
2001 500 cc Honda JPN
1 RSA
1 SPA
1 FRA
3 ITA
Ret CAT
1 NED
2 GBR
1 GER
7 CZE
1 POR
1 VAL
11 PAC
1 AUS
1 MAL
1 BRA
1 1st 325
2002 MotoGP Honda JPN
1 RSA
2 SPA
1 FRA
1 ITA
1 CAT
1 NED
1 GBR
1 GER
1 CZE
Ret POR
1 BRA
1 PAC
2 MAL
2 AUS
1 VAL
2 1st 355
2003 MotoGP Honda JPN
1 RSA
2 SPA
1 FRA
2 ITA
1 CAT
2 NED
3 GBR
3 GER
2 CZE
1 POR
1 BRA
1 PAC
2 MAL
1 AUS
1 VAL
1 1st 357
2004 MotoGP Yamaha RSA
1 SPA
4 FRA
4 ITA
1 CAT
1 NED
1 BRA
Ret GER
4 GBR
1 CZE
2 POR
1 JPN
2 QAT
Ret MAL
1 AUS
1 VAL
1 1st 304
2005 MotoGP Yamaha SPA
1 POR
2 CHN
1 FRA
1 ITA
1 CAT
1 NED
1 USA
3 GBR
1 GER
1 CZE
1 JPN
Ret MAL
2 QAT
1 AUS
1 TUR
2 VAL
3 1st 367
2006 MotoGP Yamaha SPA
14 QAT
1 TUR
4 CHN
Ret FRA
Ret ITA
1 CAT
1 NED
8 GBR
2 GER
1 USA
Ret CZE
2 MAL
1 AUS
3 JPN
2 POR
2 VAL
13 2nd 247
2007 MotoGP Yamaha QAT
2 SPA
1 TUR
10 CHN
2 FRA
6 ITA
1 CAT
2 GBR
4 NED
1 GER
Ret USA
4 CZE
7 RSM
Ret POR
1 JPN
13 AUS
3 MAL
5 VAL
Ret 3rd 241
2008 MotoGP Yamaha QAT
5 SPA
2 POR
3 CHN
1 FRA
1 ITA
1 CAT
2 GBR
2 NED
11 GER
2 USA
1 CZE
1 RSM
1 IND
1 JPN
1 AUS
2 MAL
1 VAL
3 1st 373
2009 MotoGP Yamaha QAT
2 JPN
2 SPA
1 FRA
16 ITA
3 CAT
1 NED
1 USA
2 GER
1 GBR
5 CZE
1 IND
Ret RSM
1 POR
4 AUS
2 MAL
3 VAL
2 1st 306
* Season In Progress
[edit] Records
All records are correct as of November 8, 2009
500 cc/MotoGP records: Rossi is
First in all time race wins standings with 77 race wins.
First in all time podium standings with 128 podiums.
First in most podiums in a season with 16 podiums in 2003, 2005 and 2008.
First in most fastest laps in a season with 12 fastest laps in 2003.
First in most points in one season with 373 points in 2008.
First in consecutive podiums with 23 consecutive podiums, from the 2002 Portuguese GP to the 2004 South Africa GP.
Second in consecutive world championship wins with 5 consecutive world championships in 2001-2005 along with Michael Doohan with 5 consecutive world championships in 1994-1998, behind Giacomo Agostini with 7 consecutive world championships in 1966-1972.
Second in all time world championship wins with 7 world championships , behind Giacomo Agostini with 8 world championships .
Second in all time pole positions standings with 48 pole positions, behind Michael Doohan with 58.
Second in all time race fastest laps standings with 63 race fastest laps, behind Giacomo Agostini with 69.
Second in most race wins in a season with 11 race wins in 2001, 2002 and 2005 along with Giacomo Agostini, behind Michael Doohan with 12 race wins in 1997.
Third in most pole positions in a season with 9 pole positions in 2003 along with Casey Stoner and Kevin Schwantz, behind Michael Doohan with 12 pole positions in 1997, Wayne Gardner and Freddie Spencer with 10 pole positions in 1987 and 1985 respectively.
250 cc records: Rossi is
Third in most race wins in a season with 9 race wins in 1999 along with Jorge Lorenzo, Marco Melandri and Max Biaggi, behind Daijiro Kato with 11 race wins in 2001, Anton Mang and Mike Hailwood with 10 race wins in 1981 and 1966 respectively.
Second most podiums in a season with 12 podiums in 1999 along with Marco Simoncelli, Jorge Lorenzo, Marco Melandri, Shinya Nakano, Max Biaggi, Luca Cadalora, John Kocinski and Sito Pons, behind Dani Pedrosa, Tetsuya Harada, Daijiro Kato and Ralf Waldmann with 13 podiums in 2004, 2001, 2001 and 1996 respectively.
125 cc records: Rossi is
First in most race wins in a season with 11 race wins in 1997.
Second in most podiums in a season with 13 podiums in 1997 along with HĂŠctor Faubel in 2007, behind Ălvaro Bautista with 14 podiums in 2006.
Overall records (MotoGP/500 cc/250 cc/125 cc): Rossi is
First in all time points with 4026 points, the only rider to achieve more than 4000 points in the history of the grand prix motorcycle racing.
First in all time podium standings with 164 podiums.
First in all time pole positions standings with 58 pole positions along with Michael Doohan.
Second in all time race wins standings with 103 race wins, behind Giacomo Agostini with 122 race wins.
Second in all time fastest laps standings with 83 fastest laps, behind Giacomo Agostini with 117 fastest laps.
Third in all time world championship wins with 9 world championships along with Carlo Ubbiali and Mike Hailwood, behind Ăngel Nieto with 13 world championships and Giacomo Agostini with 15 world championships.
Other records: Rossi is
the only rider to win world championships in five different engine capacity: 125 cc, 250 cc, 500 cc, 990 cc & 800 cc.
the only rider to win consecutive races with different manufacturers. He won the final race of 2003 with Honda at Valencia and the first race of 2004 with Yamaha at Welkom (South Africa).
the only rider to win championships with the 3 different engines used in the premier class, 500 cc two-stroke (2001), 990 cc four-stroke (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005) and 800 cc four-stroke (2008, 2009).
the only rider to win seven consecutive races at his home Grand Prix at Mugello in 2002-2008.
the only rider to win three races after starting the race from 11th or lower on the grid (British GP 2001, German GP 2006 & Dutch TT 2007).
the only rider to win the premier-class championship on four different types of motorcycle: A Honda 500 cc four-cylinder two-stroke (2001), Honda 990 cc five-cylinder four-stroke (2002, 2003), Yamaha 990 cc four-cylinder four-stroke (2004, 2005) and a Yamaha 800 cc four-cylinder four-stroke (2008, 2009).
the only rider to win at least one race in 14 consecutive seasons.
the second rider to win consecutive world championships with different manufacturers (2001–2003 with Honda and 2004–2005 with Yamaha) along with Eddie Lawson (1988 with Yamaha and 1989 with Honda).
the second rider in history - after Giacomo Agostini - to regain the premier class championship after two successive defeats.
the second rider in history - after Giacomo Agostini - to won the premier class championships with both four-stroke and two-stroke machinery.
Yamaha's most successful rider in the premier class with 44 wins and 4 world championships (2004, 2005, 2008, 2009).
Aprilia's most successful rider in all classes with 26 wins (12 wins in 125 cc and 14 wins in 250 cc).
From all the active riders, he is Honda's most successful rider in all classes with 33 wins and 3 world championships (2001, 2002, 2003).
