Valentino Rossi
Following his father Graziano Rossi, Valentino began riding at a
very young age. His racing career began with Go Karts and
then he moved on to Minimoto. He had his first MotoGP race in
1996 for Aprilia in the 125cc category. He finished his 1st
International season in 9th place with one race win. The
following year he became the youngest ever rider to win the 125cc
World Championship. The pattern continued when he moved up to
the 250cc category with Aprilia, taking 2nd place in his first year
before winning the 250cc World Championship in 1999. He won
the 500cc World Championship with Honda in 2001, the MotoGP World
Championship (with Honda) in 2002 and 2003. Rossi made
history by moving to Yamaha in 2004, becoming the first rider in
the history of the sport to win back-to-back premier class races
for different manufacturers. He continued his streak of
back-to-back championships by winning the 2004 and 2005
title. The most dominating rider in the modern era, the
unthinkable happened when Rossi lost his title to Nicky Hayden in
2006. He fell short again in 2007, losing his supremacy to Ducati's
Casey Stoner and finishing the season third in the championship. In
2008 Rossi took Fiat Yamaha and switched to Bridgestone rubber, the
same slicks as Stoner. The result was yet another dominating season
from The Doctor and another MotoGP crown which he retained in
2009. Rossi will be joining the Ducati Team for the MotoGP
2011 season.
One of the most popular member of the paddock 'The Doctor" has a
wide fan base all over the world.