2004 Valentino Rossi Rider
Profile
Five-times world champion Valentino Rossi
will contest the 2004 MotoGP world championship
in the Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team, alongside
Carlos Checa. The Italian rider has been the
dominating force of the new MotoGP four-stroke
era and now takes up a new challenge with
Yamaha.
The son of former racer Graziano Rossi, Valentino
contested his first bike race at the age if
12 when he switched from karts to minimoto.
He quickly progressed through the Italian
domestic scene, collecting a 125cc Italian
sports production title along the way, before
being crowned 125cc Italian champion in 1995
and taking third in the 125cc European championship
in the same year.
His debut on the world stage came at the
Malaysian Grand Prix in 1996 and he finished
his first international season in ninth place
with one race win. The following year he became
the youngest ever rider to win 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, also finding time
to claim a Suzuka Eight-Hour win along the
way with Colin Edwards. Rossi has held onto
his crown, taking the MotoGP world title in
2002 and 2003. The flamboyant Tavullian has
now made the switch to Yamaha for the 2004
season. He will be 25 in February and remains
the youngest rider to have won world titles
in all three classes. Riding in Gauloises
colours, he will continue to have the support
of his long-standing crew chief, Jeremy Burgess,
who will work with him in the Gauloises Fortuna
Yamaha Team.
One of the most popular members of the paddock,
'The Doctor' has a wide fan base all over
the world. A keen football fan and a promising
rally driver, he is now based in London between
races.
- Date of birth - 16.02.1979
- Place of birth - Urbino, Italy
- Nationality - Italian
- Residence - London, UK
- Height - 182 cm
- Weight - 59 kg
- Marital status - Single
- Hobbies - Soccer, radio-controlled toys
- Bike - YZR-M1
- Grand Prix contested in total - 124
- First Grand Prix - 1996
- First race - 1991
- Victories in total - 59
- First victory - 1996
- Podiums - 90
- First podium - 1996
- Pole positions - 30
- First pole - 1996
- World championship wins in total - 5
- 2004 - Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha Team,
MotoGP World Championship
- 2003 - MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION
- 2002 - MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION
- 2001 - 500 MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION, Winner
Suzuka Eight Hours
- 2000 - 2nd, 500 MotoGP World Championship
- 1999 - 250 GP WORLD CHAMPION
- 1998 - 2nd, 250 MotoGP World Championship
- 1997 - 125 GP WORLD CHAMPION
- 1996 - 9th, 125 MotoGP World Championship
- 1995 - 125cc Italian Champion, 3rd - 125
cc European Championship
- 1994 - 125cc Italian Sports Production
Champion
* correct as of 21.01.2004
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