Valentino Rossi, AKA “The Doctor” is an Italian Motorcycle Grand Prix (GP) Racer and multi-time MotoGP, 125, 250, and 500 ccc Grand Prix World Champion. Many consider Valentino to be one of the greatest motorcycle road racers of all time.

He has won nine Grand Prix World Championships, including seven in the current premier class MotoGP and one 500 CC World Championship in the previous premier class. Only Rossi has competed in 400 or more Grands Prix in both 500 cc GP and MotoGP. He also owns Sky Racing Team VR46, which competes in Moto2 and previously in Moto3.

They call him the GOAT – The Greatest of All Time, a worthy title that fellow riders use as much as his millions of fans. An all-time hero and absolute legend of MotoGP (and Motorsport as a whole), Valentino Rossi has received honors from racing legends past and present for his abilities on the bike and the color and sheer entertainment he brings to the sport. It doesn’t take much to see why he’s dominated headlines for all these years: The Doctor manages to combine raw racing talent with a knack for adding humor and theatre to his repertoire. In good times and bad, he’s had an incredible bond with his fans, often played out in front of heaving grandstands but also in the paddock where the back of his garage often resembles a siege in progress. 

On the track, Valentino’s capabilities on a bike have defied logic and understanding on many an occasion. Toying with the bike, he’s invented techniques that have baffled and then tortured his opponents who’ve tried to follow his lead, but it’s been the grandstand finishes that have had millions on their feet. Rossi has produced sheer mastery when you thought there was nothing else to give. And he’s done it in style. Away from the 2-wheel circus, Valentino’s made no secret of his passion for 4-wheel racing. Having tested for Ferrari in F1 with massively credible times, he’s taken his abilities to WRC and later become the star of the Monza Rally Show which he’s won on multiple occasions.

Valentino Rossi isn’t just a nine-time Grand Prix world champion. The Italian is considered one of the greatest sportsmen of all time, with his influence spreading far beyond the MotoGP paddock. 14 years with the factory Yamaha MotoGP outfit has brought more than 50 race victories and four titles, cementing his place in history as the manufacturer’s most successful rider.

Most importantly, he had the killer instinct. In spades. A ruthless streak that the cheerful charm couldn’t quite conceal.

I recall asking him once if he ever felt even an ounce of empathy with any beaten rival. He threw back his head and gave his trade-mark cackling laugh. It had clearly never occurred to him. Rather the reverse. He preferred to crush his rivals on and off the track. As he said, at his retirement press conference, “A real racer doesn’t go racing for fun. You are there for the results. To win.” – Suzy Perry