Rossi becomes the most successful motorcycle rider in history

“Sincerely I don’t think I’ve ever ridden in conditions like these and I was lucky because I was far in front and therefore didn’t have to take any big risks. It’s been a perfect weekend for us despite the weather because we made the pole position, the fastest lap and we won, so I want to congratulate my team once again for a fantastic job, today and all year.

“Also thanks to Bridgestone because my tyres were very good today. I’ve really enjoyed racing here in Indy and I am looking forward to coming back next year. Now we have a big advantage and it would be great to win the championship in Motegi, but it’s not over yet so we will keep our concentration and keep working!

“Finally I want to dedicate this victory to my Grandfather Dario, who sadly died today (Sunday) aged 82.”

Born in Urbino, Italy on 16th February 1979, Rossi was riding bikes from an early age thanks to the influence of his father Graziano, himself a former Grand Prix winner. Following an early start in go-karts, Rossi junior progressed to minimotos and quickly showed a talent for two-wheels, becoming regional champion in 1992. The next few years saw him quickly rise up through ranks of junior road racing, claiming the Italian Sport Production Championship in 1994 and the Italian 125cc Championship in 1995. The latter, twinned with an impressive 3rd place in the 125cc European Championship, was enough to secure him a ride in the World Championship the following year.

Rossi’s World Championship debut came at the Malaysian Grand Prix in 1996 and he finished his first international season in 9th place with one race win. The following year he became the youngest ever rider to win the 125cc World Championship, winning eleven races along the way with Aprilia. The pattern continued when he moved into the 250cc class, taking second place in his first year before becoming World Champion in 1999, once again with Aprilia.

In 2000 he entered a new phase of his career when he joined forces with Honda in the 500cc class. He proved his worth once again by finishing second, before becoming the last ever 500cc World Champion in 2001.

Though he will be credited with winning championships in all three classes, Rossi has effectively won in four classes as the brutal 500cc two strokes were replaced by smoother, more controllable four-stroke 1000cc machines in 2002, and the new 800cc machines are even more akin to 250cc riders, as witnessed by the number of 250 riders (Pedrosa, Stoner, Dovizioso, Elias, De Angelis etc) who became immediately competitive in the switch to the premier class – very few riders were able to make the switch to 500cc two-strokes and become immediately competitive.

Similarly, although we are reluctant to compare riders from different eras, most of Giacomo Agostini’s championships were won on vastly superior machinery to whereas Rossi’s machinery has largely been not that removed from the wother factory-supported riders on the grid, and in recent times, has probably been less than equal to the barnstorming Ducati of Stoner and the array of very fast factory Hondas of recent times.

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