YZR-M1

If Valentino Rossi started the 2008 MotoGP World Championship as one of the best riders the sport has know then with 9 wins, 16 podiums (both breaking records) and his eighth crown, his sixth in the category with a new conquering YZR-M1, he established himself as the greatest ever MotoGP racer.

The Fiat Yamaha team and the charismatic Italian burst back to prominence after two dry seasons, and with epic performances such as his frantic duel with Casey Stoner at Laguna Seca and a masterful outing in the rain and hurricane condition at Indianapolis Rossi surged back to the very forefront of public consciousness.

The 2008 riders, team and manufacturer’s titles – the triple crown – was won with a string of results that saw the 29 year old only drop off the podium twice in eighteen Grand Prix and a hot spell of 6 victories from 7 races. His career stats are now unparalleled with 97 total triumphs (71 in the premier class) and 151 rostrum trophies and he hasn’t missed a Grand Prix since his debut in 1996.

Born in Urbino, Italy on 16th February 1979, Rossi was riding bikes from an early age thanks to the influence of his father Graziano, himself a former Grand Prix winner. Following an early start in go-karts, Rossi junior progressed to minimotos and quickly showed a talent for two-wheels, becoming regional champion in 1992. The next few years saw him quickly rise up through ranks of junior road racing, claiming the Italian Sport Production Championship in 1994 and the Italian 125cc Championship in 1995. The latter, twinned with an impressive 3rd place in the 125cc European championship, was enough to secure him a ride in the World Championship the following year.

Rossi`s World Championship debut came at the Malaysian Grand Prix in 1996 and he finished his first international season in 9th place with one race win. The following year he became the youngest ever rider at that time to take the 125cc World Championship, winning eleven races along the way with Aprilia. The pattern continued when he moved into the 250cc class, taking second place in his first year before becoming World Champion in 1999, once again with Aprilia.

In 2000 he entered a new phase of his career when he joined forces with Honda in the 500cc class. He proved his worth once again by finishing second, before becoming the last ever 500cc World Champion in 2001. Rossi subsequently took the MotoGP World title in 2002 and 2003, before moving to Yamaha and winning it again in 2004 and 2005. Rossi made history by moving to Yamaha in 2004 and winning the season-opening Grand Prix in South Africa, becoming the first rider in the history of the sport to win back-to-back premier class races for different manufacturers. He went on to win nine out of 16 races, finally clinching the World Championship, Yamaha’s first for 12 years, with victory at the penultimate Grand Prix in Phillip Island. The squad also wrapped up the Team title.

He dominated the 2005 season, winning eleven races in total, taking five pole positions and only finishing off the podium once. In doing he became one of only five riders in the history of the sport to win the premier-class title on five occasions. He also helped Yamaha to win the Manufacturers’ and Team titles, ensuring Yamaha celebrated its 50th Anniversary with one of its best ever years in Grand Prix.

2006 saw him finish World Champion runner-up for only the second time in his premier-class career, having lost the title to Honda’s Nicky Hayden by just five points following a final-race showdown in Valencia. Despite this, Rossi still took five race wins and five pole positions in 2006, more than any other rider, and stood on the podium ten times.

2008 marked a significant improvement over 2007 in which Rossi took four race wins and several podiums, but his prodigious talents were limited by technical and tyre issues as well as plain bad luck.
A renewed effort by rider, team and manufacturer as well as a switch to Bridgestone tyres for 2008 saw Rossi turn around his fortunes. The latest version of the M1 was a cutting-edge tool for a rider of Rossi’s talents to again rule the roost.

One of the most popular members of the paddock, ‘The Doctor` has a wide fan base all over the world and is arguably the recognisable face of MotoGP in the same way Schumacher was for F1, Jordan for Basketball and Beckham for football. A keen football fan and an accomplished rally driver he returned to live in Italy during 2008 after several years in the UK.