Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi is an Italian pilot, multiple world champion in Grand Prix motor bike.

Biography

Born on February 16th, 1979 with Tavullia (Urbino), Valentino follows his/her father Graziano Rossi, of which it takes again number 46, and starts to run in competition in 1996 for Aprilia in the category 125 cm ³, of which he becomes world champion the following year.

It joined then the category 250 cm ³, still with Aprilia, where it finishes second with world in 1998, then triumph in 1999.

Valentino passes in the category 500 cm ³, where it finishes second in 2000. It is during this year that Valentino discovers its current head mechanic, celebrates it Jeremy Burgess. Then, it gains in 2001 with a Honda NSR two times. It carries it in the new class MotoGP, just created, in 2002 and 2003 by overlapping a Honda four times RC211V, a motor bike which is still regarded as the " référence" in term of machine in the category.

In 2004, it joined the stable Yamaha and keeps its title after its eighth one season victory marked by its increasingly intense competition with max Biaggi. In 2005, it less flies over the championship while not gaining than 11 victories and gains it.

The public appreciates its prize list now similar to that of icons such as Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostini, like its apparent contempt of the danger and the sketches which it presents with his buddies of childhood of Tavullia, small village located close to Pesaro.

Valentino Rossi is the racing driver more endowed with its generation and one the most endowed of with the history with the motor bike speed. It seems to appreciate more than all the brawl in race, especially against its large Italian rival max Biaggi or against Sete Gibernau, as in Jerez with the Grand Prix of Spain 2005 when it was essential on the price of a muscular and daring going beyond.

Valentino Rossi, in addition to being a pilot of exception and a man very estimated by the public, is so close to its engineering team that it followed it, extremely rare fact, when it left Honda to join Yamaha.

Although 7 times world champion, it always preferred to carry number 46, its number fetish. Famous number 1, intended for the world champion, will appear however on his motor bike with 2 recoveries: in 1999 in 250 cm ³ when it controlled the motor bike of the world champion in title, and 2002 on the careenage of its Honda (this year, it had superimposed number 1 and number 46). Its number 1 will nevertheless find its place… on the right shoulder of sound " Leather " , visible of the others pilot but only when " the docteur" is in front!

During its career of pilot, it will have affublé several nicknames, of which Rossifumi in homage to the Japanese pilot Norifumi Abe which it admires, then Valentinik , in reference to the hero of band-drawn '' Paperinik ''. Its most known nickname will remain The Doctor .

It has one moment be question which it becomes pilot of Formule 1, it carried out besides several tests in Formule 1 at Ferrari in 2004 and 2005. It also tested with the Car rally:

abandonment at the time of the rally of Great Britain in 2002
1^er with the rally of Monza in 2006
11^ème of the rally of New Zealand in 2006

The championship 2006 mark a turning in its career, Valentino does not crush any more competition like the former seasons. The Italian champion is put in difficulty initially by Loris Capirossi then by American Nicky Hayden. At the time of the last GP with Valence, Rossi falls with the 5^ème turn and the title goes to Nicky Hayden for five points, enclosing thus thus a 7 years reign. In 2007, the ex-champion is dominated during all the season by Casey Stoner which octroit 10 Grands Prix (on 18) when Valentino must be satisfied with only 4 victories. It finishes the season 2007 at 126 points of the new world champion and only finished 3^ème of the championship, a point behind Dani Pedrosa. It is its worse classification in championship of the world since 1996. Worse, it is dominated by the two greater hopes of the category.

In addition to the difficulties encountered at the sporting level, Rossi is caught up with by the Italian tax department which claims to him approximately 60 million euros to the pretext which its London domiciliation would be fictitious.

In 2008, Valentino Rossi will have as a fellow-member Jorge Lorenzo, the first will be equipped for the first time of tires Bridgestone whereas Lorenzo is in Michelin.
In order to prevent any risk of industrial espionage, the two fellow-members will thus make separate box.

Championships

Results in championships of the world since its beginnings in 1996:

1996 - Beginning into world 125 cm ³ with the GP de Malaisie - 9^ème with the championship and first victory in Grand Prix (Reference mark. Czech) (Aprilia) - 1 victory (111 points)
1997 - World champion 125 cm ³ (Aprilia) - 11 victories (321 points)
1998 - 2nd - Championship of the world 250 cm ³ (Aprilia) - 5 victories (201 points)
1999 - World champion 250 cm ³ (Aprilia) - 9 victories (309 points)
2000 - 2nd - Championship of the world 500 cm ³ (Honda) - 2 victories (209 points)
2001 - World champion 500 cm ³ (Honda ) - 11 victories (325 points)
2002 - World champion MotoGP (Honda) - 11 victories (355 points)
2003 - World champion MotoGP (Honda) - 9 victories (357 points)
2004 - World champion MotoGP (Yamaha) - 9 victories (279 points)
2005 - World champion MotoGP (Yamaha) - 11 victories (367 points)
2006 - 2nd - Championship of the World MotoGP (Yamaha) - 5 victories (247 points)
2007 - 3rd - Championship of World MotoGP (Yamaha) - 4 victories (241 points)

Prize list

Many victories: 88 (49 in MotoGP/13 in 500 cm ³/14 in 250 cm ³/12 in 125 cm ³)
Nombre of poles position: 49 (34 in MotoGP/5 in 500 cm ³/5 in 250 cm ³/5 in 125 cm ³)
Many podiums: 134 (75 in MotoGP/23 in 500 cm ³/21 in 250 cm ³/15 in 125 cm ³)
Endurance: victory at the 8 Hours of Suzuka in 2001 with Hake Edwards (replacing pilot: Shinichi Itoh)

Records

Valentino Rossi was one of the youngest world champions in the queen category (after Freddy Spencer, Casey Stoner, Mike Hailwood and John Surtees).
It was youngest with being crowned in three different categories (the only others were Phil Read (125, 250 and 500 cm ³) and Mike Hailwood (250, 350 and 500 cm ³).
It is even the only one to have had a title in four different categories, if one regards 500 cm ³ and the MotoGP as two categories.
He is the third pilot of the history having succeeded in taking down at least five titles in the category queen (500 cm ³ or MotoGP). Michael Doohan also gained five of them, Giacomo Agostini eight.
It is the first to gain at least nine Grands Prix per season during five consecutive years.
Seven times world champion (behind Giacomo Agostini, Angel Nieto, Carlo Ubbialdi, Mike Hailwood, with equality with Rolf Biland, John Surtees and Phil Read).
gained victories in four categories different (like Read, Hailwood and Redmann)
88 victories in Grand Prix, behind Giacomo Agostini (122) and Nieto (90)
62 victories of queen category, behind Giacomo Agostini (68).

Helmets

Since its beginnings in 1996, Valentino Rossi raised many helmets which testify to its extravagance.

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