The MotoGP world—including the media—will almost certainly never say no to another year of Rossi star power, but he will also remain competitive, which is an increasingly astonishing performance considering his age. The fact is that while many older riders have been unable to continue at a high level, especially in the later years, Rossi has managed to do so, and indeed remains one of the sport's most popular stars.
Rossi was born on January 4th, 1963 in Matera, Italy. He started riding motorcycles at the age of eight, when his father gave him a Honda 50. Within a few months, however, he lost interest in racing because of the heat required to ride such a small machine. So he stopped for a while, but then started again at the age of 11. This time he chose to race quads, because they were more fun and required less skill to ride than bikes with two wheels.
He became famous after winning the Italian 125cc championship in 1984 at the age of 14 years and three months. The following year he moved up to 250cc machines and won the title again. In 1986 he moved up to the premier class and immediately took over from former teammate Jorge Lorenzo as the best rider in the world, winning every season from 1987 to 1990.
Valentino Rossi, 41, confirmed Thursday that he would retire from the MotoGP Series at the end of the 2021 season. The news came during the series' five-week summer vacation as it prepares for the Styrian Grand Prix in Austria.
Valentino Rossi (/'rasi/; Italian: [valen'ti: no 'rossi]; born 16 February 1979) is a multi-time MotoGP World Champion from Italy. Rossi departed Yamaha for Ducati for the 2011 season after a season hampered by a fractured leg and no championship defense.
He'll be a celebrity, but his winning days are behind him. Race victories are now beyond Rossi, but he's still better than the majority of his dreadful 2020 season made him appear. But it's fantastic that he's been able to switch to a proven race-winning team while remaining on a factory-spec M1.
In terms of raw ability, no one can touch him. He is the greatest motorcycle racer in history and there is no one capable of beating him at present or in the future. His record will never be broken.
But talent alone isn't enough. You need self-belief too. And after three years away from racing, that seemed in doubt. Then came 2019. With its new rules package, which favors acceleration over top speed, it offers the perfect platform for Rossi to regain his place at the very top of world motorcycling. He has no choice anymore - except maybe to retire gracefully after one more shot at glory...
The fact is, Valentino Rossi is still the best motorcycle racer in the world. He has always had the talent, but until recently, he hasn't had the motivation or the bike to prove it. Now he does, and given how long it took him to get here, we may well be seeing some late blooming into superstardom. Or not...
Valentino Rossi, the ultimate international motorcycle racing icon, is one of the most skilled and successful racers of all time. He began racing at an early age and earned his first global racing title at the age of 18. He has won more than 500 races around the world and holds records for most premier class victories (96) and seasons ranked highest in the standings (7).
Rossi was born on January 4th, 1979 in San Pietro al Natisone, Italy. His father, Vincenzo "Vin" Rossi, was a motorbike racer and mechanic who died when Valentino was just eight years old. Young Valentino therefore grew up with his mother, Livia, a nurse who also works as a team manager for MV Agusta. He has two older sisters.
It is believed that Valentino first learned to ride a bike from his father when he was only four years old. He would sit behind his father while he raced motorcycles at local tracks. This early experience helped develop Valentino's balance skills needed for motorcycle racing.
At the age of six, Valentino started attending classes at the local racing school where he learned how to ride a bike without feet to help him concentrate on his riding technique. Within three years, he was able to compete in local races alone without his father's help.
Rossi made his grand prix motorcycle racing debut in the 1996 championship season. From his first race in Malaysia until Italy, he had some success, gaining regular points and finishing barely off the podium, but he retired in both the French and Dutch races. In 1997 he returned to form better than ever before by winning four races and taking second place in the world championship behind Mick Doohan. He stayed at the top of his game for most of 1998 too, winning three races and finishing as runner-up to Honda's Michael Schumacher. However, in 1999 he lost some momentum after failing to score any victories.
Rossi has always been one of the best riders in the world, but in the early years he was also lucky enough to have some great bikes that were able to suit his style of riding. Since then he has tended to win or be very close to winning every race he has started, which has made him one of the most popular riders in the sport. Although he has never won the world championship, he is still going strong in his mid-30s, so there is no reason why he should stop now.
Valentino Rossi was born on January 4th, 1974 in San Remo, Italy. His father, Orazio, was a professional cyclist who rode for the Gilera team, while his mother, Lucia, was a swimmer.
Rossi was winless for many years after winning the Dutch TT in 2017, yet he still finished third in the 2018 championship. Rossi had a deal with Factory Yamaha through the end of the 2020 season, when he will be 41 years old.
He has one victory at the Netherlands TT and is second on two other occasions (2001 and 2002). His age was never an issue while he was with Ducati, where he won six times between 2004 and 2010. But since joining Yamaha, he has only been able to finish inside the top five once.
Rossi said after his win in 2017 that he wants to continue racing until he is 40 years old. He has one more year on his contract with Yamaha, but it's possible he could retire before then if he doesn't win again this season.
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