Valentino Rossi is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Nicknamed The Doctor, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time, with some labelling him as the greatest ever. He has nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name, seven of which were in the premier 500cc/MotoGP class. He holds the record for most premier class victories, with 89 to his name. He won premier class World Championships with both Honda and Yamaha. He is also the only road racer to have competed in 400 or more Grands Prix, and rode with the number 46 for his entire career.

Rossi was inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame as an official Legend by the FIM at the awards ceremony after the conclusion of the 2021 season. His #46 bike number was retired at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix. Rossi owns the Racing Team VR46, which competes in both Moto2 and MotoGP as of 2022. He also plans to be involved in and administering his motorcycle racing team VR46. In addition to his team management role, Rossi competes full-time in GT World Challenge Europe, driving for Team WRT.

Career

Early career

Rossi was born in Urbino, in the Marche region of Italy, and when a child the family moved to Tavullia. Son of former motorcycle racer Graziano Rossi, he began riding at a very young age. Rossi's first racing love, however, was karting. Fuelled by his mother, Stefania's, concern for her son's safety, Graziano purchased a kart as a substitute for the bike. However, the Rossi family trait of perpetually wanting to go faster prompted a redesign; Graziano replaced the 60 cc motor with a 100 cc national kart motor for his then 5-year-old son.

Rossi won the regional kart championship in 1990. After this, he took up minimoto and, before the end of 1991, had won numerous regional races.

Rossi continued to race karts and finished fifth at the national kart championships in Parma. Both Valentino and Graziano had started looking at moving into the Italian 100cc series, as well as the corresponding European series, which most likely would have pushed him into the direction of Formula One. However, the high cost of racing karts led to the decision to race minimoto exclusively.[citation needed] Through 1992 and 1993, Valentino continued to learn the ins and outs of minimoto racing.

Junior career
In 1993, Rossi was given his first opportunity to ride a 125cc motorcycle by former world champion Paolo Pileri, who became a team manager after retiring from competition. Later in 1993, with help from his father, Virginio Ferrari, Claudio Castiglioni and Cagiva factory racing team manager Claudio Lusuardi, Rossi competed in the 125 cc Italian Sport Production Championship on a Cagiva Mito alongside teammate Vittoriano Guareschi. At his first race meeting with the Cagiva team, he damaged his motorcycle in a first-corner crash no more than a hundred metres from the pit lane. He finished ninth that race weekend.

 In 1995 he race in the European championships as official racer of Aprilia and finishes a season in third position. In the same year he keeps the crown of the Italian Championship 125cc.

    1996: The debut in the World Championship 125cc on Malaysian GP, he rides Aprilia in the Scuderia AGV team.
    The final position of Championship is 9th with 111 points. 
    1st victory: the Czech Republic.

    1997: Valentino becomes the second youngest World Champion 125cc, races on Aprilia for Nastro Azzurro team.
    The final position of Championship: 1st with 321 points. 
    11 victories: Malaysia, Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands, Imola, Germany, Brazil, Great Britain, Catalunya and Indonesia.

    1998: He moves to 250cc class, rides Aprilia joining Nastro Azzurro team. 
    A final position of Championship: 2nd with 201 points.
    5 victories: Netherlands, Imola, Catalunya, Australia and Argentina.

    1999: Valentino becomes the youngest World champion 250cc, joining Aprilia Grand Prix Racing team. 
    A final position of Championship: 1st with 309 points.
    9 victories: Spain, Italy, Catalunya, Great Britain, Germany, Czech Republic, Australia, Southern Africa and Brazil.

    2000: He moves to the premier-class 500cc (ultimate class in World Championship motorcycle racing), riding Honda for Nastro Azzurro team. 
    The final position of Championship: 2nd with 209 points. 
    2 victories: Great Britain and Brazil.

    2001: He wins the World Championship 500cc, riding Honda and joining Nastro Azzuro team. 
    The final position of Championship: 1st - 275 points after 14 races from 16. 
    9 victories: Japan, Southern Africa, Spain, Catalunya, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Portugal, Motegi and Australia.

    2002: Valentino becomes the twice world champion in MotoGP (500cc), on Honda in Repsol Honda Team. 
    The final position: 1st - 355 points. 
    11 victories: Japan, Spain, France, Italy, Catalunya, Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany, Portugal, Brazil, Australia.

    2003: This year Valentino wins his third championship title in class MotoGP. Joins the Repsol Honda team. 
   The final position: 1st - 357 points. 
    9 victories: Japan, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Portugal, Brazil, Malaysia, Australia, Valencia.

    2004: This season Valentino won his 4th championship title in MotoGP. Joined the Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha team. 
   The final position: 1st - 304 points.
    9 victories: Southern Africa, Italy, Catalunya, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Portugal, Malaysia, Australia, Valencia.

    2005: This year Valentino Rossi won his 5th championship title in MotoGP and 7th title in all the classes. Joined the Gauloises Yamaha Team. 
   Final position: 1st - 367 points.
    11 victories: Spain, China, France, Italy, Catalunya, Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany, Czech Republic, Qatar, Australia.

    2006: The season of 2006 was very difficult and in many respects unsuccessful for Valentino Rossi. There were many beautiful victories, but also happened both: falls and technical problems, and that’s why Rossi could finish the championship only on 2nd place. Joined Camel Yamaha Team.
    A final position: 2nd - 247 points. 
    5 victories: Qatar, Italy, Catalunya, Germany, Malaysia.

    2007: He takes the third place in the championship with 241 points in the draw. 
    4 victories: Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal.

    2008: Rossi wins his 6th title in the ultimate class and 8 in all the classes, finishes the championship with 373 points in draw. 
    9 victories: China, France, Italy, USA, Czech Republic, San Marino, Indianapolis, Japan, Malaysia.

    2009: Rossi wins his 7th title in the ultimate class and 9 in all the classes, finishes the championship with 306 points in draw.
    6 vistories: Spain, Catalunya, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, San Marino.

    2010: He takes the third place in the championship with 233 points in the draw. 
    2 victories: Qatar and Malaysia.

    2011: He takes the seventh place in the championship with 139 points in the draw. 
    0 victories.

    2012: Takes the sixth place with 163 points. Without a victories.

    2013: He takes the 4 place in the championship with 237 points in the draw.  1 victory: Netherlands.

    2014: He takes the second place in the championship with 295 points in the draw. 2 victories: San Marino and Phillip Island.

    2015: Rossi takes the second place in the championship with 325 points. 4 victories: Qatar, Argentina, Netherlands, Great Britain.

    2016: Valentino Rossi takes the second place in the championship with 249 points in the draw. 2 victories: Spain and Catalunya.

Racing academy

Rossi founded a racing school with the name VR46 Racing Academy. This academy is a place for training and growth of young Italian drivers which was founded in 2014 in Tavullia, Italy. The VR46 provides the experience and knowledge that Valentino Rossi has gained over the years of his career. VR46 Riders Academy has an experienced team. Alessio Salucci managed relations with the team, Alberto Tebaldi was responsible for logistics and external relations, Luca Brivio for the operational management of the drivers, Carlo Casabianca for physical preparation, Claudio Sanchioni for contractual aspects, and Barbara Mazzoni for secretarial and administrative services.

Team ownership

Rossi is the owner of the junior-class team Sky Racing Team by VR46, which debuted in the Moto3 category of Grand Prix motorcycle racing in 2014 with riders Romano Fenati and Francesco Bagnaia with his former Cagiva teammate Vittoriano Guareschi as team manager. In 2015, Andrea Migno replaced Francesco Bagnaia and Guareschi was replaced by Alessio 'Uccio' Salucci and Carlo Alberto Tebaldi. The team also races in Moto2. In 2020, it was announced that Rossi's brand VR46 would back one machine from the Esponsorama Avintia team in the 2021 MotoGP season, to be ridden by his half-brother, Luca Marini.

VR46 Riders Academy began to reap the "investment" results through several academy drivers, including Franco Morbidelli who became the 2017 world champion and then finished as the 2020 MotoGP runner-up. This achievement was then repeated by Francesco Bagnaia who became the 2018 Moto2 world champion and then finished second in the 2021 MotoGP final standings. Until finally , Bagnaia ended the long wait for VR46 Academy by becoming the 2022 MotoGP world champion.

In addition, there are several other names who have managed to compete at the top of the standings, such as Luca Marini who was runner-up in Moto2 2020, Marco Bezzecchi who managed to get third in the final Moto2 2021 standings, and several other riders in academy.

In the 2020 season, the Sky Racing VR46 won the Moto2 teams championship by taking first place in the final standings after leading the standings with 380 points.

Collaboration team

In addition to having their own team, Rossi also collaborates with several teams to attract young racers with several programs, including the following:

Team Bardahl VR46 Riders Academy

The team competes in the CIV Italian Championships Series in collaboration with Bardahl as the main sponsor. In the 2021 season the team got a wildcard to race in two Moto3 series, at Mugello and Misano. This team races using KTM bikes.

Yamaha VR46 MasterCamp Team

He also has a program for nurturing young riders called VR46 MasterCamp. The team collaborated with Yamaha under the name Yamaha VR46 MasterCamp and competed in the CEV Moto2 Championships for several years before. Starting 2022 season, this team will debuted in Moto2.

Avintia VR46 Riders Academy

Starting from the 2022 season, the VR46 Racing Team will also return to Moto3 and work closely with Esponsorama Racing. Then the Avintia Racing team changed its name to Avintia VR46 Riders Academy, the result of a collaboration between Avintia Racing and VR46 Riders Academy, which is likely to place several VR46 racers in the team.

RMU Moto VR46 Academy

This team is the result of a collaboration between VR46 Riders Academy and RMU Moto from Italy. Compete in CIV PreMoto3 with young riders educated in VR46 Riders Academy.

Helmets and protective gear

Various helmets used by Rossi

Rossi has gone through numerous helmet designs throughout his career, most featuring the Sun & Moon motif, signifying (according to Rossi) the two sides of his personality. His helmets are manufactured by AGV. Aldo Drudi was associated with Rossi's helmet graphics in 2010. Nearly every year, Rossi works with Aldo Drudi to design a unique helmet to use while racing at the Italian and San Marino Grand Prix.

Since commencing his Grand Prix career, Rossi has worn leathers from Dainese. In 1996 and 1997, Alpinestars was a sponsor on his bike, but did not supply Rossi with leathers. Alpinestars just supplied racing boots for Rossi. After Rossi joined the Yamaha Factory Team, the team wore shirts from Alpinestars, while Rossi maintained his association with Dainese. In 2011 and 2012, Rossi was a member of the Ducati factory team, where the team wore shirts from Puma, while Rossi still maintained his association with Dainese. In 2016, Rossi has a new jacket from Dainese. His jacket has a different graphic compared with Alpinestars Movistar Yamaha jacket.

In March 2022 Rossi has announced a multi-year partnership with Racing Force Group, which would see Rossi use OMP race suit and Bell helmets in his car racing career.

Pre-ride rituals

Rossi is superstitious and renowned for his pre-ride rituals. On a race day, he will always watch the beginning of the Moto3 race to see how long the starting lights remain lit before going out at the start of the race. Prior to riding (whether racing, qualifying, or practice), he will start his personal ritual by stopping about two metres from his bike, bending over and reaching for his boots. Then, when arriving at his bike, he will crouch down and hold the right-side foot-peg, with his head bowed. In an interview, Rossi said "It's just a moment to focus and 'talk' to my bike, like moving from one place to the next". He adjusts the fit of his leathers by standing straight up on the foot-pegs, whilst riding down the pit-lane before the start of race or practice. He also revealed in an interview with MotoGP.com that he always puts one particular boot on before the other, as well as one particular glove on before the other, and that he always gets on the bike the same way. He also gets off the bike in the same way, swinging his right leg over the front of the bike.

Personal life

After leaving the family home in Tavullia, he moved to Milan, before taking up residency in London, England during his period with Honda. During this time he acquired a villa in Ibiza which he still owns, and following the tax case returned to his main residence to live close to his family in Italy. Rossi is a practising Catholic.

In 2002 he received threats from an Italian-Spanish anarchist movement, which in those days sent parcel bombs to people it considered targets in either of the two countries. The anarchists considered Rossi "guilty" because at the time he rode for Honda's MotoGP factory team, it had been sponsored by the oil company Repsol since 1994, (for which he filmed a commercial in Spain.) with their logo displayed on both the motorcycle and on his race suits.

On 31 May 2005 he received an honorary degree in Communications and Advertising for Organizations. In March 2010, the Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini delivered to Rossi the first Winning Italy Award for his contribution to the promotion of Italy's image in the world.

Rossi has a maternal half-brother, Luca Marini, 2020 Moto2 season runner-up who was racing for the Sky Racing Team by VR46. In 2021, Marini moved to the MotoGP class joining the Esponsorama Racing team using the Sky VR46 livery on his bike, before moving over to Rossi's VR46 Racing Team for the 2022 season.

On 4 March 2022, he had a daughter, Giulietta Rossi, with his partner, Francesca Sofia Novello.

Business

Besides having a racing team, Rossi also has other businesses such as merchandise, apparel, and many other things with the VR46 brand. In Tavullia he also has a place of business with the name Tavullia 46. Tavullia 46 owns various entities such as pizza restaurants and ice cream shops.

Reported earnings

According to Sports Illustrated, Rossi is one of the highest-earning sports personalities in the world, having earned an estimated $34 million in 2007. In 2009 Forbes ranked Rossi as number nine among the world's highest-paid athletes having earned an estimated $35 million in the past year.

Tax avoidance case

In 2007, the Italian tax authorities declared Rossi was being investigated for suspected tax evasion. Having previously unsuccessfully investigated Rossi for tax evasion in 2002, the authorities announced they were investigating Rossi for undeclared revenues of 112 million euros ($160 million) between 2000 and 2004. The officials said, against the European Taxes Agreements among European countries, Rossi's London residency has enabled him to take advantage of favourable tax conditions, such as only declaring earnings made in Britain and avoiding taxes on his lucrative merchandising and sponsorship contracts, commenting that Rossi had residency in London but his "centre of interests" wasn't there, as shown by a thorough investigation. It noted that in 2002, Rossi's Italian tax form declared earnings of 500 euros, while sponsorship contracts were all reported to be made out to foreign companies, but with his affairs controlled mainly from Italy. In February 2008, Rossi announced that he had reached a settlement with the Italian tax authorities: he paid 35 million euros to close the tax case. He also plea-bargained a suspended sentence of six months' imprisonment for non-declaration of income.

Videogame

In November 2015, Milestone srl announced the development of Valentino Rossi: The Game, to be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with Rossi officially endorsing the game. It was then released on 16 June 2016, and it is also the official video game of the 2016 MotoGP season.

Other hobbies

Rossi keeps his personal life private, though he makes no secret of his fondness for Italian football club Inter Milan. After he won world titles in 2008 and 2009, Inter congratulated him via their website. At the 2015 Argentine Grand Prix, Rossi wore a replica Diego Maradona football shirt on the podium in tribute to Maradona after Rossi won the race. Maradona congratulated him via his Facebook.