Motorcycle Racing’s Greatest
The 2009 Assen MotoGP victory by Fiat Yamaha Team rider Valentino Rossi had special significance, as he crossed the line Rossi claimed the 100th GP race win of his incredible career and most of his victories, 41 to be exact, were obtained with Yamaha. Rossi’s 100 race wins come from 217 GP race starts, giving the rider a very appropriate 46% win rate for his career.
Rossi’s name has been synonymous with GP racing and victory for 13 years since his first ride in the 1996 Malaysian 125cc Grand Prix. He went on to win the championship the following year and at the age of 17 becoming the youngest rider ever to do so.
As his career continued he conquered the 250cc and 500cc GP titles in 1999 and 2001 and in doing so he became only the second rider in the history of racing to hold all three titles. In 2004, the year that Yamaha introduced the 4-valve uneven firing order concept on the YZR-M1, the Italian star rider made the successful move to Yamaha.
As it turned out pairing his talents to Yamaha’s top level M1 race machine was a match made in heaven. The first race of the season in South Africa saw Rossi take the chequered flag instantly, and then a further impressive eight victories that year to bring Yamaha the coveted title, beating Gibernau and Biaggi for the prize.
In 2005 Rossi claimed the second title in a row with Yamaha in style, dominating the championship to reach an incredible tally of 11 race wins that year. Then in 2006 and 2007 Rossi battled hard to compensate for bad luck striking him, but the championship title escaped him in both years. He and his team came back strongly in 2008 to regain his crown however, winning the title with an impressive 97 point advantage over Stoner.
Rossi has broken many records in motorsports, being the only rider to ever hold all premier MotoGP titles, 500cc, 990cc and 800cc. In winning the 2008 MotoGP World Championship, his sixth title, Rossi also claimed the all-time premier class victory record from fellow Italian legend Giacomo Agostini.
Valentino has continued to amaze racing fans around the world with breathtaking displays of skill and speed, his exploits being the subject of many awed conversations. His incredible duel with Casey Stoner at Laguna Seca in 2008 and his fight to the last corner with team-mate Jorge Lorenzo in Catalunya this year are just two such moments that demonstrate why this iconic Yamaha rider has earned himself a special place in the history of road racing.
Rossi’s 100 GP Victories:
01-Brno ’96 125cc / 02-Malaysia ’97 125cc/ 03- Jerez ’97 125cc / 04-Mugello ’97 125cc / 05-Paul Ricard ’97 125cc / 06-Assen ’97 125cc / 07-Imola ’97 125cc / 08-Nurburgring ’97 125cc / 09-Rio ’97 125cc / 10-Donington ’97 125cc / 11-Catalunya ’97 125cc / 12-Indonesia ’97 125cc / 13-Assen ’98 250cc / 14-Imola ’98 250cc / 15-Catalunya ’98 250cc / 16-Philip Island ’98 250cc / 17-Argentina ’98 250cc / 18-Jerez ’99 250cc / 19-Mugello’99 250cc / 20-Catalunya ’99 250cc / 21-Donington ’99 250cc / 22-Sachsenring ’99 250cc / 23-Brno ’99 250cc / 24-Philip Island ’99 250cc / 25-South Africa ’99 250cc / 26-Rio ’99 250cc / 27-Donington ’00 500cc / 28-Rio ’00 500cc / 29-Japan ’01 500cc / 30-South Africa ’01 500cc / 31-Jerez ’01 500cc / 32-Catalunya ’01 500cc / 33-Donington ’01 500cc / 34-Brno ’01 500cc / 35-Portugal ’01 500cc / 36-Motegi ’01 500cc / 37-Philip Island ’01 500cc / 38-Malaysia ’01 500cc / 39-Rio ’01 500cc / 40-Japan ’02 990cc / 41-Jerez ’02 990cc / 42-Le Mans ’02 990cc / 43-Mugello ’02 990cc /44-Catalunya ’02 990cc / 45-Assen ’02 990cc / 46-Donington ’02 990cc / 47-Sachsenring ’02 990cc / 48-Portugal ’02 990cc / 49-Rio ’02 990cc / 50-Philip Island ’02 990cc / 51-Japan ’03 990cc / 52-Jerez ’03 990cc / 53-Mugello ’03 990cc / 54-Brno ’03 990cc / 55-Portugal ’03 990cc / 56-Rio ’03 990cc / 57-Malaysia ’03 990cc / 58-Philip Island ’03 990cc / 59-Valencia ’03 990cc / 60-South Africa ’04 990cc / 61-Mugello ’04 990cc / 62-Catalunya ’04 990cc / 63-Assen ’04 990cc / 64-Donignton ’04 990cc / 65-Portugal ’04 990cc / 66-Malaysia ’04 990cc / 67-Philip Island ’04 990cc / 68-Valencia ’04 990cc / 69-Jerez ’05 990cc / 70-China ’05 990cc / 71-Le Mans ’05 990cc / 72-Mugello ’05 990cc / 73-Catalunya ’05 990cc / 74-Assen ’05 990cc / 75-Donington ’05 990cc / 76-Sachsenring ’05 990cc / 77-Brno ’05 990cc / 78-Qatar ’05 990cc / 79-Philip Island ’05 990cc / 80-Qatar ’06 990cc / 81-Mugello ’06 990cc / 82-Catalunya ’06 990cc / 83-Sachsenring ’06 990cc / 84-Malaysia ’06 990cc / 85-Jerez ’07 800cc / 86-Mugello’07 800cc / 87-Assen ’07 800cc / 88-Portugal ’07 800cc / 89-China ’08 800cc / 90-Le Mans ’08 800cc / 91-Mugello ’08 800cc / 92-Laguna Seca ’08 800cc / 93-Brno ’08 800cc / 94-Misano ’08 800cc / 95-Indianapolis ’08 800cc / 96-Motegi ’08 800cc / 97-Malaysia ’08 800cc / 98-Jerez ’09 800cc / 99-Catalunya ’09 800cc / 100-Assen ’09 800cc
