Valentino Rossi is an Italian motorcycle racer. Recognized as one of the most successful motorcycle riders of all time, the athlete is a nine-time world champion in road racing in various classes, including the premier class), six-time vice-champion and twice was the third in the season.
Alessandro Baricco, in the afterword to the book Such a Story, named Valentino Rossi as one of his teachers. The professional motorcycle racer is recognized as a real ace in the road circuit race. At the world championships, he won 9 times. Almost the entire sports career Rossi performed under the number "46".
Road to fame
The biography of the future famous champion began in 1979. The child was born in the city of Urbino on February 16 in the family of a professional motorcycle racer Graziano of Russia. My father won three times in 1979 and constantly took part in world championships. He left the sport in 1990. His son inherited his love for motorcycles.
Mom was very worried about the boy's safety. Therefore, it was decided to go in for karting, a less dangerous sport. Ten-year-old Valentino took part in his first competition in 1990. He became the winner.
At the same time, Rossi Jr. was mastering the motorcycle. A year later, the boy won several regional tournaments. The minibike quickly bored the kid who dreamed of more powerful cars. In 1993 Rossi received his first motorcycle, the Cagiva Mito. On it, the young racer took part in a new type of competition. The debutant finished ninth. In 1996, Valentino entered the ranks of the 125cc World MotoGP Championships.
Not without accidents, but the result was the award of the Czech Grand Prix. The 1998 season turned out to be the most difficult. Rossi finished second in the 250cc category. However, a year later, Valentino climbed to the highest step of the podium. In 2000, the athlete participated in the 500cc motorcycle races as part of the Honda team. After nine races, the victory was his.
The season perfectly prepared the guy for the subsequent triumph. In 2001, Rossi won the 500cc world championship in 11 races. In 2003, a contract was signed with Yamaha. Contrary to skeptical forecasts about the impossibility of repeating the triumph, Valentino again became the champion in 2004, winning 9 heats.
Accomplishments
Valentino has earned numerous nicknames throughout his career. At first it was called Rossifumi. The reason for such an extravagant name was the worship of the Japanese racer Norifumi Abe. He was the idol of the young man. During the competition in the 250cc class, a new nickname Valentinik appeared. So fans and colleagues hinted at Rossi's involvement in the national comic book superhero Paperinik.
After the MotoGP races and the 500cc class, the Doctor variant emerged. The athlete owes this name to his composure and composure while driving. This style was radically different from the unpredictable and very dangerous demonstrated by him at the very beginning of his career.
The racer himself explained the flattering nickname differently, by obtaining a degree that gives the right to use the prefix of the same name. His father explained to reporters that in Italy the work of doctors and they themselves are treated with great respect. Therefore, such a nickname is flattering and honorable. And the surname Rossi is very common in the medical environment.
An experienced driver rarely gets into an accident. In terms of the number of continuous podiums, he confidently holds his record. From September 8, 2002 to April 18, 2004 for 23 races in a row, he climbed the podium. The entire 2003 season was included in this list of victories.
Traditions and nicknames
The entire career of Russia passed under the number "46". The athlete explained his love for these numbers by the fact that his idol, Norifumi Abe, had exactly the same number. The boy saw his performance for the first time during a wet race. Then the wildcart player overtook many of their rivals. Father Valentino won his first championship victory with the same number. According to the rules, the winners in the new season will perform under numbers 1, 2, 3. But Russia did not want to part with its lucky number.
The young man is also distinguished by interesting traditions. His helmet bears the name of his friends' group "The Tribe of the Chihuahua". A bright yellow color is always present in the design of the suit. His ex-partner Colin Edward is invariably referred to by the name "GOAT", that is, "the greatest of all time", "Greatest Of All Time". True, in the English version, the abbreviation is not so flattering for Rossi.
The champion's outfit always contains the symbols of the Sun and the Moon. Despite the change in design, the motives of celestial bodies did not leave any helmet. Before getting behind the wheel, Rossi stops a couple of meters from the "iron horse" and bows to the car. Coming close to the motorcycle, the rider tilts his head and crouches.
He tidies up the suit just before the start of the competition, always standing on the bike.
Privacy and sports
The athlete does not want to advertise his personal life. He never talks about his novels. It is known that information appeared in the press about the relationship that began between Rossi and model Linda Morselli. However, there is also evidence that they are already in the past.
The Italian champion reached the level of Angel Nieto in terms of the number of victories won in 2008. As a result, the opponent drove him on a motorcycle through the honorable circle. In August of the same year, Valentino's achievements caught up with Giacomo Agostini. Both had 68 of them. Later Rossi added another one, setting a new record. By 2009, there were 100 achievements.
Rossi is the only motorcycle racer to have won competitions with various manufacturers. Seven times he took the top step of the podium at the Italian Grand Prix. Only Valentino managed to score 5000 points during his career and win the race, starting eleventh.
