Valentino Rossi - 2008 Rider Profile

Overview

Five-time MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi starts his fifth season with Yamaha in an unusual position, following what was undoubtedly one of the hardest seasons of his career. Rossi took four race wins in 2007 and several podiums, but his prodigious talents were limited by technical and tyre problems as well as plain bad luck. The Italian missed out on the runner-up spot in the championship by just one point after his final race was wrecked by injury and third place was his lowest championship finish since his rookie year in 1996. 2008 will see Rossi hungry to win back the title he previously made his own for five years as he sets out on a new chapter in his career, having made the switch to Bridgestone tyres.

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 ?nished his ?rst international season in 9th 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 ?rst 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 ?nishing 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 ?rst 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, ?nally clinching the World Championship title, Yamaha`s ?rst for 12 years, with victory at the penultimate Grand Prix in Phillip Island. A ?nal win at the Valencia Grand Prix also ensured that the Yamaha Factory Team won the team title.

He dominated the 2005 season, winning eleven races in total, taking ?ve pole positions and only ?nishing off the podium once. In doing he became one of only ?ve riders in the history of the sport to win the premier-class title on ?ve 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 premierclass career, having lost the title to Honda’s Nicky Hayden by just ?ve points following a ?nal-race showdown in Valencia. Despite this, Rossi still took ?ve race wins and ?ve pole positions in 2006, more than any other rider, and stood on the podium ten times.
He turns 29 in February 2008 and remains the youngest rider to have won World Championships in all three classes. He continues to have the support of his long-standing Crew Chief, Jeremy Burgess, who moved from Honda to work with him at Yamaha Factory Racing in 2004.

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 an accomplished rally driver, He is based in London between races.

Personal Profile

• 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
• Total Races: GP starts: 197 (137 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
• Victories: 90 (64 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
• Pole Positions: 49 (39 x 500cc/MotoGP, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
• Podiums: 139 (99 x 500cc/MotoGP, 21 x 250cc, 15 x 125cc)
• Wins: 7 (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 4 x MotoGP)
• First Race: 1991
• First Grand Prix: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
• First Pole: 1996

* correct as of 26.05.2008

Career Highlights

2008: MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION
2007: 3rd, MotoGP World Championship
2006: 2nd, MotoGP World Championship
2005: MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION
2004: MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION
2003: MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION
2002: MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION
2001: 500 MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPION
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
1994: 125cc Italian Sports Production Champion
1993: 3rd - 125cc Italian Sports Production Championship
1992: Regional Minimoto Champion
1991: 4th - Italian Junior Go-Kart Championship
1990: Regional Go-Kart Championship - 9 wins
1989: First Go-Kart Race

Valentino Rossi Quote - 28th September 2008, after winning the World Title;

“I think it’s difficult to say, but maybe this is even better than the first championship with Yamaha in 2004. In 2004 I arrived after three championships in a row; the change was very big and no one expected me to win then, not even us to be honest! But this year is great too because I didn’t start as the number one favourite after losing for two years. The taste of this is something special.

“In 2006 I lost because of bad luck; I still won the most races and was the fastest on track for most of the time, but in 2007 Stoner was a lot faster than us and so we got to the end with a big of disadvantage. Winning this championship was very difficult but also very, very important.

“The decision to change to Bridgestone tyres, which I took together with Jeremy, my team and all the Yamaha crew, was very important, as were the changes to the bike because the first 800cc M1 last year was not competitive enough. We spoke a lot during last season and I remember a strange meeting in Valencia last year, me with a broken hand, speaking with Furusawa about 2008. From then we started to work on the improvements for this season. It’s also been important to have the right people in the right place and this year everything has been correct. It’s been step-by-step.

“I think I have made a lot of good decisions this year and we have been competitive from the start. Qatar was the worst race of the season but I knew our potential was good so, although we were a bit worried at that point, we weren’t desperate because we knew if we fixed a few problems we could try to win.

“I grew up a lot in the last two years, because at the end of 2005 I had a great career and I had won all the important targets so far. 125, 250 and then five titles in a row in MotoGP with two different bikes – I felt unbeatable. But in 2006 and 2007 I learnt to lose and this has been very important. I came out much stronger and my level of concentration and effort to win this championship has been higher than ever before.

“This season has had some different periods. At the beginning of the year we had some important results when Bridgestone wasn’t the strongest: Jerez, Portugal and others, and in that period we took a big advantage from Stoner. After Barcelona Casey started to ride like a demon and dominated three races in a row, and then we went to Laguna which was the turning point of the season. Laguna was a real battle and from then on we have flown.

“The show after the race was one of my friends pretending to be a ‘notary’, signing and certificating the eighth championship ‘deed’. It was very exciting to be planning the championship t-shirt and celebration once again with my friends and fan club and the one we came up with is funny I think, it says ‘I’m sorry for the delay!’

“I am very content at Yamaha and this is why I signed for two more years. I had some good offers at other factories, but I already changed bike once and proved everything I wanted to and so there is no need to do that again. Also I am no longer 20 years old and I need a good atmosphere in my team in order to keep me focused and happy, and I have this at Yamaha. The atmosphere in our team, from the Japanese all the way down to the garage is fantastic and this is what makes me want to stay.

“I think 2009 will be even more difficult than this year. Now I am the world champion again and I have demonstrated that I am still very fast; I think I rode the best of my career this year apart from the mistake in Assen, but next year is another story, it depends on how the winter is and how Stoner, Pedrosa and also Lorenzo are next year, as well as the other riders because there are many fast people in this championship. I think it will be a great championship and I’m looking forward to it, but first I want to finish this year and try to win the final three races!

“As I said, there are many strong riders but of course I hope that in the future nobody will win like Valentino Rossi! Maybe my brother Luca will be as strong as me…I wanted to take him on my bike on the celebration lap, but they did not allow it. Maybe I will wait for him to be a MotoGP rider before quitting, then I will beat him in the first year, and then I will stop riding!

“When you are 20 or 22 yrs old, you live everything in a different way. It’s different… In 2000, maybe, I could have won on my debut, but I underestimated myself! In 2001 it was the last chance for me to win in 500, so I gave it my best and did that. In 2001 it was the year of the battle with Biaggi, in 2002 it was the year when everybody said that I won because of my bike, then 2003 was the year of Gibernau, it was hard until the end. They were fantastic years but with Yamaha it is different. I enjoy it more.

“During 2003 I started thinking about Yamaha. Of course I was scared about the new challenge, it was a big question mark. This year, when I tested the new bike and the new tyres, I understood that I could win. In 2004, however, when I tested the new bike I understood we had to work a lot. Sincerely, the feeling of winning in Welkom in 2004 was the strongest emotion of my career; more so than in Laguna Seca this year. The 2005 the M1 was very fast and that one and the 2008 one are the best Yamaha bikes ever.

“I think Stoner next year will be back stronger again, so maybe he is the hardest rival I have ever had, more than Gibernau and all the others I fought against in the past. Last year I was sorry that after so many successful years, some people thought Valentino was finished and Casey was the new Valentino. As I said, until I stop riding a bike, my objective will always be to win. I like this life and I always try to do my best in it.”

Statistiscs on Valentino Rossi's career

In becoming only the second rider ever to win the MotoGP World Championship following a two-year gap, Valentino Rossi has cemented his place amongst the legends of motorcycle racing. A return to the form that won him five consecutive premier-class titles between 2001 and 2005 has seen the Italian reinstated at the very pinnacle of the sport, with a host of career milestones reached along the way.

Here is a full list of Rossi’s historic MotoGP achievements in 2008:

• Rossi has joined Giacomo Agostini as one of only two riders to have taken six or more premier-class World Championships.
• Rossi is only the second rider to regain the premier-class title after a two year gap – the other rider to do this was also Agostini.
• This is Rossi’s eighth world title across all classes. Only Agostini with 15, Angel Nieto, with 13, Mike Hailwood and Carlos Ubbiali, with nine each, have won more.
• Rossi is the first rider to win the premier-class title on four different types of motorcycle: 500cc 4-cylinder two-stroke, 990cc 5-cylinder four-stroke, Yamaha 990cc 4-cylinder four-stroke and a Yamaha 800cc 4-cylinder four-stroke.
• It is eleven years since Rossi’s first World Championship success in the 125cc class in 1997. The only rider with a longer period between his first and last titles is Angel Nieto, who won the 50cc crown in 1969 and the 125cc equivalent in 1984.
• With his 69th career MotoGP win at Indianapolis, Rossi broke Giacomo Agostini’s record for the most premier-class victories; a record that has stood since the legendary Italian’s final victory at the West German Grand Prix in 1976.
• With 37 wins, Rossi has had more success with Yamaha than any other factory in his career
• Rossi is also Yamaha’s most successful rider, having scored 13 more premier-class wins for the factory than Kenny Roberts.
• With three races to go he is the only rider to have scored points in every round of the 2008 season.
• Rossi’s sequence of five straight race wins since Laguna Seca is his longest run of wins since 2005, when he also scored five successive victories.

Other facts about Rossi’s career.

In 1997 Rossi became the second youngest ever 125cc World Champion after scoring 321 points and eleven wins.

Two years later, he became the youngest ever 250cc World Champion with nine wins.

In 2001 Rossi joined Phil Read as one of only two riders ever to win the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc titles.

Rossi’s debut victory for Yamaha at the opening race of 2004 in South Africa made him the first rider in history to take back-to-back wins for different manufacturers.

After winning the MotoGP World Championship three times with Honda, Rossi took his fourth premier-class title with Yamaha in 2004 and became the only rider other than Eddie Lawson to win consecutive premier-class titles for different manufacturers.

Valentino Rossi - Career

• Nationality: Italian
• Born: 16th February 1979 in Urbino, Italy
• World Championships: 8 (6 x MotoGP/500cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc)
• GP victories: 96 (70 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
• GP podiums: 148 (112 x MotoGP/500cc, 21 x 250cc, 15 x 125cc)
• GP Pole Positions: 51 (41 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
• First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
• First GP win: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
• GP starts: 207 (146 x MotoGP/50cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)