Valentino Rossi Tribute

The Doctor has officially left the building. Valentino Rossi brought his legendary career to an end on Sunday, November 14^th, 2021, with a 10^th place finish at the final MotoGP race of the season. After a 26-season run of Grand Prix racing, Rossi will continue to be recognized as one of the greatest MotoGP riders of all time.

The Highlights

Rossi’s career truly began when he entered the premier class with Honda in the year 2000. He had a rough start but finished second that season.

The next year Rossi’s success really took off. He won 11 races that season and earned the championship, becoming the last satellite rider to win the premier class.

The MotoGP era began the next season in 2002, where Rossi, yet again, thrived winning another 11 races and earning his second title in a row.

The Doctor continued to take his third premiere class title in a row but decided that Honda was no longer a good fit for his career. He then went aboard the Yamaha team, a partnership that would go down to be one of the longest lasting in the sport. With Yamaha, Rossi became the first rider to win consecutive races with different manufacturers.

The next two seasons Rossi carried the title victory with Yamaha. However, in 2006, his title streak was lost when Rossi fell 5 points short of the title to Nick Hayden after a fall in the final round of Valencia.

In 2007, Rossi finished the season in third place, his lowest championship placement since the start of his career. Following the two frustrating seasons, Rossi made an unexpected come back in 2008 with a huge lead of 93 points for the first-place title. The year after, his rivalry with teammate, Jorge Lorenzo, came head-to-head, but Rossi came out on top and took another title.

The next twist of Rossi’s career happened when he moved to Ducati in 2011 with the hopes of producing an Italian dream team duo. Unfortunately, his two years with Ducati did not prevail so in 2013 Rossi rejoined the Yamaha team.

In the 2014 season, rookie, Marc Marquez, took the spotlight and won the title. However, Rossi still held his own and finished second, making a comeback from the few seasons prior.

The following year was ultimately the last season that Rossi would be a front running contender as Marquez zoomed ahead wiping out the competition.

Although, Rossi did not take the first-place title for the rest of his career, he continued to persevere and keep up with fellow competitors.

In 2021, Rossi joined Petronas Yamaha SRT for what would be his final season. On August 5^th of this year, he announced his retirement from MotoGP after the season. In his final race, finishing 10^th place, Rossi took one last lap of honor where fans paid tribute through a standing ovation and fireworks.

What has truly made the veteran so unique is his one-of-a-kind charisma and the connection he has made with fans on and off the track. Rossi played a huge role in making motorcycle racing more recognized across the globe. As such an impactful member of the sport, we are truly sad to see Rossi go, but he will forever be an icon in MotoGP. Grazie Vale!