Ali, Jordan, Messi, and Ronaldo. All these people have one thing in common; being bigger than their trades. The aura, the charm, the indubitably high level of performance at their respective ventures, and the ability to win a multitude of people to crafts they never knew they could love. Something like what MJ was to pop, what Pac was to rap, this is what Valentino Rossi is to motorcycle racing. Born 16 February 1979, Rossi is a legendary Italian motorcycle racer and a multiple MotoGP World Champion.
Nicknamed “The Doctor,” Rossi’s illustrious racing career has spanned about 30 years, with mind-boggling achievements that have ranked him extremely high among motorcycle racing greats. A career that long would definitely have some low moments, but the high points were too glorious for anyone to care. Generally, motorsport has an unpredictable future, hence, someone greater might emerge soonest. But until then, we'll revel in the moment, while checking out some interesting facts about the Italian motorcycling god, Valentino Rossi.
10 Started Competing At 3
Early exposure to competitive sports often helps cultivate a resilient character in children, which can then be nurtured till adulthood. This could have informed Graziano’s (Rossi’s dad) decision to make his son competitive even as a toddler. Rossi was thrown into competitive racing as early as 3.
While his dad competed in go-kart racing, Rossi was placed on a bike. Hence, he considers himself as one of the first riders of the new generation because of his early start.
9 Nickname’s Origin
Valentino Rossi’s nickname is “The Doctor,” and there are several postulations to the origin of the nickname. One of them is the probability of an honorary doctorate degree given to the legendary racer, which entitles him to be called a Doctor. However, that’s a bit far from the actual reason, since he adopted the name as far back as 2001.
Actually, in Italy, “The Doctor” is a name you call someone you respect. Also, a lot of Italian doctors have Rossi as their surname, hence, Rossi adopted it as a nickname.
8 Lucky Number 46
In motorcycle racing, number 46 isn’t just an identification number anymore, it’s now a symbol of unrivaled success. Adopted by Rossi all through his entire career, the number 46 has brought the Italian motorcycle racing legend an unprecedented level of success.
But why the number 46? So, Rossi was born in 1979, the same year his father Graziano had his most successful season as a motorcycle racer in the 250cc Grand Prix using number 46. Hence, The Doctor adopted the number.
7 Suffered Broken Legs
Motorcycle racing could be extremely dangerous for unskilled riders. Even skilled riders often do have mishaps as well, which could lead to a variety of injuries that sometimes affects the bones. One of such injuries is a leg break, and Rossi has had some, though he is lucky to have had a career that’s largely free of major incidents.
Notably, in 2010 during practice, Rossi crashed his bike and suffered a fractured leg. The MotoGP legend also suffered a double leg break in an enduro training accident in 2017.
6 Owns A Racing Team
Valentino Rossi obviously has been planning for retirement for quite some time now. In 2014, the Italian racing legend launched the VR46 brand. Through it, Rossi built the Sky Racing Team VR46 which has featured in the Moto3 and Moto 2 category, and it’s also set to feature in the MotoGP beginning 2022.
Furthermore, the VR46 as a brand has a merchandise and apparel company, and it also features a racing school called the VR46 Academy.
5 Only Rider To Win In Four Classes
Motorcycle road racing was organized into a world championship event in 1949. In the races, motorcycles are divided into several classes based on engine displacement, from as low as 50 cubic cm (cc) to about 1000cc, or more.
Notably, the early start has had Rossi compete in a wide variety of classes, and he’s won the World Championship in different classes of 125cc, 250cc, 500cc, and MotoGP. This makes him the only rider in the history of the competition to have won the World Championship in four different classes.
4 Loves Soccer
Rossi is an ardent soccer fan. While not much is known about his personal life, Rossi doesn’t hide his love for Football Club Internazionale Milano. Simply known as Inter, the Italian football club was formed in 1908, winning its first championship in 1910. The team also featured Argentine football legend Diego Maradona and Brazilian Ronaldo, among others.
Notably, Inter congratulated Rossi via their website after he won the 2008 and 2009 titles. Also, in celebration of his win, Rossi wore a replica Maradona shirt to the podium at the 2015 Argentine Grand Prix.
3 Net Worth
Even though Rossi makes huge money from racing, he also makes quite a lot more outside the sports. At about $10 million a year, Rossi is among the highest paid in the sport. Also, the Italian motorcycle racing legend has several endorsements with premium brands, earning multiple millions of dollars.
Aside from the dizzying amount that comes from sponsorship deals, Rossi has also monetized the VR46 brand through the sales of merchandise, among other ventures. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Rossi is worth a whopping $200 million.
2 Announced Retirement
Rossi has had an unbelievable motorcycle racing career. He has now done about 30 years of active racing, with the last 26 of those in the premier World Championship classes. Having won the Italian 125cc Championship with Aprilia in 1995, and also coming third in the European Championship, Rossi switched to the premier World Championship with Aprilia in 1996, competing at the top level ever since.
However, in an announcement made on 5 August 2021, Rossi said he’ll retire from MotoGP after the 2021 season.
1 He’s The GOAT
Motorcycle racing has some of the most iconic names in the world of motorsport, hence, deciding who the greatest is without bias could be hard. But some would argue that bias is also a factor when shared by many, as an athlete must have done a lot of things right to earn such.
Sentiments aside, Rossi’s achievements speak volume, even in ear-rupturing decibels; 115 career victories, 235 podiums, and 9 world titles. His extremely likable demeanor also won millions over to the sport. And these are the reasons we consider him as the greatest of all time!