Valentino Rossi The Greatest of All Time

Wow!

Valentino Rossi always amazes me. He is an inspiration for all of the other riders at Moto GP, and I am in awe of his riding skills.

His enthusiasm, determination and total commitment show in his riding.

Where others tend to shy away he looks as if it is no mean feat. There are a few that have a similar talent but not as specifically focused as Rossi.

His method of riding is like no other. He focuses with complete and utter determination and always manages to get his fans standing to their feet.

Also known as "The Doctor" 'The Goat" or "VR46" or even 'The Legend" anyone that watches MotoGP are aware that this rider has earned his followers.

Respect has been gained from not only the riders at the MotoGP but also the fans. I'm presuming they respect his talent!

I take my hat off to you Valentino Rossi, and I like many others find that I have become addicted to watching MotoGP and feel a loss when it finishes at the end of each season. Those months in between seem to last forever!

Here's hoping that you will succeed in the Championship to win podium first again this year and for the rest of your riding career.

Focusing on the job in hand and being positive is what has got you on the podium at Jerez.

And to give your award away to a child suffering with Cancer only proves to me what kind of person you are. Truly amazing.

Go Rossi!

I really cannot imagine MotoGP without Valentino Rossi.

The more I think about it the more I feel that he actually pulls the fans in.

Perhaps next year when Lorenzo moves to Ducati the sport will take on yet again a different feel.

Racing against eachother could become a new challenge for all of the riders not only Rossi. We shall see, but me for one am looking forward to the movements that are going to be taking place next year in Moto GP.

• Valentino is the son of Graziano Rossi, who was also a motorcycle racer once. As a child, Valentino was given a kart instead of a bike, because his mother was worried about her son’s safety.
• When Valentino was five, his kart’s 60cc motor was replaced with a 100cc motor for more speed and in 1990 Valentino won the local kart championship.
• By the end of 1991, Valentino had become an expert in minibike riding and had also won many awards.
• Valentino participated in the national kart championships held at Parma and came fifth in the race. In 1993, his father took the help of his former racing friends, one of whom was Claudio Lusuardi, who operated the Cagiva Sport Production team, to provide his son with a Cagiva Mito 125cc motorcycle.
• Valentino crashed his first bike, despite which he was allowed to take part in the Italian Sport Production Championship, where he performed reasonably in the beginning, but later won the title in 1994.

• After winning the championship, Valentino was trained to ride 125cc racing motor bikes and in 1995, he won the Italian 125cc Championship. Valentino also raced in the 125cc European Championship where he claimed the third position.
• His next move was big and ambitious i.e. he participated in the World Championship in 1996 in the Malaysian Grand Prix, where he finished 9th.
• However, Valentino won the 1997 125cc World Championship held in Aprilia, to become the youngest rider ever to claim the championship.
• In 1998, he took up 250cc racing and came second in the World Championship which was won by Loris Capirossi.
• Valentino won the 250cc World Championship held in 1999 in Aprilia, where he had won his first world championship title.
• In 2000, Valentino signed up with Honda to race in the 500cc class and was mentored by Michael Doohan, a former 500 cc World Champion. He raced that year and finished second to Kenny Roberts, Jr.
• The 500 cc World Championship conducted its final race in 2001 and Rossi who had come second the previous year, finished first and claimed the championship.
• In 2004, Valentino signed up with Yamaha and raced in the opening season of the Grand Prix in South Africa. He won the championship to become the first ever rider to win premier class championships in a sequence, representing two different manufacturers. This is when the legend as we know him started to become one of a kind with a natural talent to ride.
• Out of the 16 races held that season Valentino won nine, securing the World Championship title for himself.
• The year 2005 was extremely good because Valentino won eleven races in total to become the World Champion that year too.
• In 2006, however, Valention finished second to Nicky Hayden, from Honda, by five points. It was only the second time in his premier class racing career that he came second.
• The year 2007, was a little rough for him as he could only win four races owing to several technical problems. He was also injured in one of the races and finished third in the World Championship that year, his lowest achievement since his first championship win. Not a good time for Valentino but this year has proved that it is possible to come back.
• In 2008, he regained his repute by winning the MotoGP title by winning nine races. As I said in the earlier bullett point it was obviously a very tough year last year, but 'The Doctor" as we all know him bounced back!
• The following year was also very fruitful, but in 2010, he suffered another injury in which he broke his leg while practicing at Mugello. He finished third in the championship and missed four races that season.
• In 2011, he left long time sponsor Yamaha to sign a two-year contract with Ducati. (A decision that I feel his fans were not happy with).
• However, in the mid of 2012, he announced that he would go back to Yamaha at the end of the season. Yamaha and Valentino's team work well together. The proof that they communicate and work as a team has shown in this race at Jerez.

• In 2005, Grand Prix motorcycle racing season, he won his 7th World Championship and fifth consecutive MotoGP Championship. That year he earned a place among the only five riders in the history of motorcycle racing to win premier-class title five times.
• As of 2013 he has won an grand total of 106 races, 80 of which are 500cc/MotoGP championships.

• He is a fan of the Italian football club Internazionale, who congratulated him in October 2009, on his ninth World Championship win, through their website.

Well, Le Mans, France is coming up and where do I think Rossi will be in the running?

Rossi is capable of gaining 1st place again at Le Mans, however, the other racers, especially Marquez and Lorenzo are going to be on top form. So, that said Rossi will have to make sure that his bike is ready to perfection for him to ride at his best. 'Focus is a big word in my vocabulary, and, if Rossi is focusing on his race and has the determination that he so readily shows at every race, I would love to say that he will win.

Go Rossi!

• Valentino Rossi has always ridden under the number 46 which also happens to be the number that his father rode with in his racing days.

Go Rossi! Your fans are with you!