Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi is one of the most legendary figures in all of motorsport. Nicknamed “The Doctor” for his surgical overtakes, his ability to improve lower-performing bikes and his overall command of respectability, Rossi’s influence extended far beyond the race-track.

A unique personality with equal parts skill and charisma, Rossi could back up his talk on the track and amassed a total of nine world championships throughout his career, including seven in the MotoGP class. 

Making his 125cc debut in the year 1996, Rossi would go on to compete at the top-end of MotoGP for several decades until his retirement in 2021, demonstrating incredible consistency and longevity as he battled against several generations of rivals. Throughout his career, Rossi achieved no less than 115 wins (89 in the premier class) and 235 podiums (199 in the premier class).

Since retiring, Rossi has taken to GT and Endurance racing, where he has achieved multiple podiums with BMW. 

The first of Rossi’s nine world titles came in 1997 during his second season with Aprilia in the 125cc class. Rossi won 11 out of 15 races to claim the title.

Upon advancing to the 250cc class, Rossi stayed with Aprilia and finished second in his rookie year before dominating the championship to claim his second world title in 1999.

The following year in 2000, Rossi debuted for Honda in the 500cc category which would later become MotoGP. After finishing 2nd to Kenny Roberts Jr in his rookie season, Rossi would go on to win the premier class title in 2001, 2002 and 2003 before shocking the world with a switch to Yamaha, which was largely considered inferior to the dominant Honda.

Rossi proved his talent by winning the championship again in his first year with Yamaha in 2004, before solidifying his position with a successful defence in 2005.

After finishing second and third in 2006 and 2007 respectively, Rossi then reclaimed his title in 2008 and retained it again in 2009. 

After finishing third in the 2010 standings, Rossi made a brief switch to Ducati before returning to Yamaha in 2013. He would then finish as runner-up in the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons, before finishing third in the championship once again in 2018 at the age of 39.

The initial relationship between Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez was one of mutual respect and admiration when the young Spaniard arrived on the scene to claim back-to-back titles in his first two years in MotoGP (2013-14), but it was the 2015 season when things really soured between the pair, leading to one of the most dramatic and intense rivalries in the sport’s history.

The Yamaha was dominant in the 2015 season with the title largely being contested between Rossi and his teammate Jorge Lorenzo, with Marquez sitting in a distant third. 

Toward the tail-end of the season, as the championship came down to the wire, the Hondas made substantial progress and soon became the faster bikes on the grid.

After a thrilling race in Phillip Island in which Marquez set the fastest lap on the final lap, Rossi accused him of “playing” with his opponents, battling unnecessarily and interfering in his championship duel with Lorenzo.

Things got even worse in Sepang, when Rossi would declare in the pre-race press conference that Marquez was acting as a guardian for Lorenzo, trying to help his fellow countryman rather than letting the title be contested fairly. Marquez laughed off the allegations, but the two would meet on track in a dramatic battle for third place during the Sunday race.

After the pair managed to overtake one another ten times, Rossi’s frustration boiled over. At the now-infamous turn 15, Rossi slowed down to purposefully push Marquez wide before appearing to kick the Spanish rider off his motorcycle. 

Rossi was penalized and forced to start the final round of the season from the back of the grid. While he managed to fight all the way up to fourth place, it was ultimately not enough to secure his tenth world title, and Rossi lost out to Lorenzo by just five points.

Since his retirement in 2021, Rossi’s legacy still endures in MotoGP today. His famous yellow colour and iconic number 46 can still be seen throughout the grandstands, worn by adoring fans in countries all around the world even years after his retirement.

The VR46 team is also a striking presence on the grid, and the team is owned by Rossi himself, who still regularly attends races to support them.

Many Italian riders in MotoGP are prodigies of the VR46 Riders Academy, including two-time World Champion Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia, Marco Bezzecchi, Franco Morbidelli and Luca Marini.

Rossi has been asked on many occasions how he came to favour the iconic number 46. He explains that, in 1979, the year Valentino was born, his father Graziano competed in the then-equivalent of MotoGP and achieved a 3rd place finish in the championship. Valentino has used the number since his debut to honour his father’s achievement. The number 46 has since been retired from use in MotoGP to honour the legacy of “The Doctor”.

Valentino Rossi was born on 16th February 1979 in Urbino, Italy. He is currently 46 years old. He is approximately 1.81m tall and weighs approximately 69kg.

Rossi’s net worth is estimated to be somewhere between $135-200 million. Though he is now retired from motorcycle racing, he was earning up to $30 million per season.