2017 was the final season he achieved over 200 points in the championship and he took his final race victory at the 2017 Dutch TT at the age of 38. His best chance of winning a tenth title came in 2015, where he led the standings for most of the season, finishing five points behind teammate Jorge Lorenzo, the eventual champion. Rossi returned to Yamaha in 2013 and finished fourth in the standings followed by three successive runner-up positions in 2014, 20. After a 2010 season marred by a broken leg and no title defence, he left Yamaha to join Ducati, replacing Casey Stoner for the 20 seasons, and endured two losing seasons with the Italian marque.

In 2007 he ultimately finished third overall, before regaining the title in 2008 and retaining it in 2009. He lost the 2006 title with a crash in the final round at Valencia. He also won MotoGP World Championships with the factory Honda Team in 20 and continued his run of back-to-back championships by winning the 20 titles after leaving Honda to join 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.Īfter graduating to the premier class in 2000, Rossi won the final 500cc World Championship (becoming the last satellite rider to win the top-class title to date) and the 8 Hours of Suzuka with Honda in 2001.

He won premier class World Championships with both Honda and Yamaha. He holds the record of most premier class victories, with 89 victories to his name.

He has nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name, seven of which were in the premier 500cc/MotoGP class. 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. Valentino Rossi ( / ˈ r ɒ s i/ Italian: born 16 February 1979) is an Italian former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion.

Semi professional motorcycle racer