Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi ( born February 16, 1979 in Urbino ) is an Italian motorcycle racer and, with nine world titles the most successful drivers in history.

One of his trademarks is the number 46, which already his father, Graziano Rossi wore. Rossi wears numerous nicknames, including " Vale ", " The Doctor ", " Valentinik ", " The GOAT " (Greatest of all times ) and " Rossifumi ".

In addition to his sporting achievements, Valentino Rossi is also his nickname and his histrionic acting on the racetrack. So he calls himself " The Doctor " and shows the audience at the track and on TV like motorcycle tricks, disguises or special helmet and motorcycle designs. He became one of Italy's most popular athletes and a world-renowned media star through his sporting achievements and his extroverted behavior.

  • 2.1 counts per championship season
  • 2.2 Wins (chronological)
  • 2.3 final rankings
  • 3.1 Nicknames
  • 3.2 Privacy
  • 4.1 Literature
  • 4.2 External links
  • 4.3 Notes and references

Motorcycle Racing

Sporting career

Valentino Rossi's mother, Stefania wished that he is football player, but his father took him to the karting. In 1990, he won the regional kart championship with nine wins. Because he was too big and too heavy for his old go-kart and a larger was not to finance, Graziano decided that he should switch to Minimoto / Mini bike. In 1991, he won his first minibike race. A year later he became the Regional Minimoto Champion. From the age of 14 years (1993 ) Rossi drove road racing machines and was on a 125 cc Cagiva third in the Italian Sport Production Championship. In 1995 he was Italian motorcycle road champion in the 125cc category with Aprilia.

In the 1996 season, Rossi rode an Aprilia 125 cc GP bike in the 125cc World Championship and got there in Brno his first pole position and his first victory. In 1997 he won the World Motorcycle Championship on an Aprilia in the 125cc class, where he was victorious in 11 of 15 races. In 1998 he entered the 250cc class, where he won on Aprilia RSW 250 nine of 14 races and the championship title in 1999.

In 2000 he continued his career with Honda in the 500cc class continues, recorded in the UK his first victory in the premier class and was junior in the World Cup second behind Kenny Roberts. 2001 Rossi won the last World Cup of the 500cc two-stroke engine with several wins and so was by Phil Read 's second rider in the history of motorcycle racing who has won titles in three classes.

In the years 2002 and 2003, Rossi was again champion, this time in the newly created MotoGP class on the four-stroke Honda RC211V. In 2004, he sought a two-year contract with Yamaha for a new challenge and successfully defended his title again. Rossi made ​​with the help of his chief engineer Jeremy Burgess in four months (January to April because Honda did not release him from the expiring on 31 December 2003 contract ) from an underpowered bike a highly competitive racing vehicle. His move to Yamaha, he published " We won in the wet, we won in the dry. We do not have the motivation anymore. " ( " We won in the wet, we have won in the dry. We are no longer motivated. "). Early defended Rossi and the MotoGP title during the 2005 season successfully.

As part of the Grand Prix of Germany at Sachsenring in 2005 he extended his contract with Yamaha for another year until the end of 2006. The new contract is said to have earned him 20 million euros per season. He is the date bestverdienende motorcycle athletes in the history and bestverdienende at this time athletes of Italy.

The 2006 season was mixed for Rossi. After a fall due to a collision with Toni Elías in the opening race and several failures due to technical problems on the bike, such as in Shanghai and Le Mans, he fell in the points classification significantly behind the constant -scoring Nicky Hayden. A comeback from mid-season and a failure Hayden after a collision with his team -mate Dani Pedrosa in the penultimate race Rossi brought back the championship lead after the residue had amounted up to 51 points on the championship leader temporarily. A self-inflicted crash in the final race and a resulting 13th place but cost Rossi the sixth title in a row.

In 2007, Rossi had a constant traveling Casey Stoner on a Ducati, which was superior to the field in the top speed, bend. In the last race of the season Rossi also lost the second world space by a failure by one point to the winner of the race, Dani Pedrosa.

2008 Rossi was ahead of the eighth title of his career and his sixth win in the premier class at the Grand Prix of Japan, at three races, with his eighth win of the season.

Rossi has in his career to date a total of 105 Grand Prix victories (as of the end of season 2012) retracted and is therefore in second place behind Giacomo Agostini list of the best and most Ángel Nieto. With the victory at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis in 2008, his 69th victory in the highest displacement class, it also improved the corresponding premier class record of Agostini.

On June 5, 2010 Valentino Rossi crashed in the second free practice session for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello difficult. He suffered a double open tibia fracture. He underwent successful surgery on the same day in a hospital in Florence, a break of at least six weeks was predicted. And actually after only six weeks in which he had to sit for three races, he showed at the Sachsenring a strong comeback with a fourth place. On August 15, In 2010, Rossi the many speculations about his sporting future one end and signed a two-year contract starting in 2011 at the Ducati MotoGP Team.

At the Malaysian Grand Prix 2011 Rossi was innocent victim in the tragic accident in which Marco Simoncelli was killed.

At the end of the 2012 season Rossi left the Ducati team after two unsuccessful years and moved back to the Yamaha factory team to the side of Jorge Lorenzo and could directly go out in second place in the first race in Qatar.

Motor Sports activities in addition to the World Motorcycle Championship

Since reaching the world title in all engine sizes the future of Valentino Rossi is always the subject of speculation. From 2004, he was repeatedly as a possible driver in Formula 1 team Ferrari in conversation. At that time he completed several tests and came up with the Ferrari test track up to 1.5 seconds at the time of Michael Schumacher zoom.

Also rumors of a move to the World Rally Championship made ​​after a successful insert ( 3rd place at the Monza Rally ) the round. Both rumors so far have not been realized. On 25 May 2006 it was announced that there was indeed an offer from Ferrari, Rossi, however, has rejected this. On 4 June 2006, he announced that he has extended his contract with Yamaha until the end of 2007. On 9 November 2006 Rossi tested at the Hockenheimring a DTM Mercedes and hinted a possible future together with the Stuttgart manufacturer in Formula 1 at.

On November 22, 2009 Rossi played the 6-hour race at Vallelunga his first long-distance race, finishing with Uccio Salucci and Andrea Ceccato in the GT3 class with a Ferrari 430 GT3 in third place.

Statistics in the Motorcycle World Championship

Numbers per championship season

(As GP of Qatar, March 23, 2014)

Victories (chronological)

(As of end of season 2013)

Final placements

( As of June 29, 2013)

* Nk = not classified: not finished the first round or later excreted in the race

In addition to the race track

Nicknames

Nicknamed "The Doctor " he adds probably for several reasons:

  • In Italy you get the nickname " Il Dottore " when something is particularly good.
  • He himself once said that one must proceed in the MotoGP class with surgical precision.
  • Furthermore, due to the addition of " Dottore " in preference to the Italians, preceded especially revered personalities a title awarded out of respect, even if they do not hold this.

Rossi is now a " real" doctor at the start. The University his hometown of Urbino has earned him the title of a Dr. hc. awarded for communication.

Private life

2007, the Italian authorities, against Rossi is being investigated on suspicion of tax evasion. One thing that is around 112 million euros untaxed income. Rossi had his residence officially moved to London, according to the authorities but continued to live mainly in his hometown of Tavullia. In February 2008, the case against the payment of 35 million euros has been set.

His half brother Luca Marino, who is also a racing driver.

References

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