[Closed] Who the hell is Valentino Rossi?

He was at one point, the most winningest. Not sure if he still is. I also know of Carl foggarty.

Rossi is also known as " the doctor" for his cool, calculated, precise riding style. Imagine the total opposite of Steve "sketch" Peat

Maybe because he sounds a bit like a cheap wine?

Won more than pretty much everyone in the modern era

Good enough?

He's the Kelly Slater of motorcycle racing.

he is the most winningest of riders and he is a personality who really makes an effort for the fans, not only that he is a racer, a real racer who pushes harder and has upset riders in the past with how he has made do or die moves to win a race.
just watching him is exciting as you know you will see a good race.

but in Argentina at the weekend you saw how great a tactician he is and then a ruthless competitor

watc him against lorenzo, marquez, and at Daytona to see how hard he pushes and he has been doing it for 18 years or more.

love the doctor.

OP
Do you like motorbikes ?

I know absolutely nothing about horse racing.
I don't watch it or follow it at all,but I can name a few jockeys.Some people say they are 'legends'

Should I start watching it to see what all the fuss is about ?

And a massively likable character.

And should I start watching Moto GP to see what all the fuss is about?

Yes

/\ /\ /\ Yes!

Not only a phenomenal racer in terms of sheer results, but incredible to watch – unreal racecraft, an ability to win well against the odds from way back down the field, and very, very exciting, even if you aren’t a Moto GP fan. On top of that, he’s a proper personality off the bike too, so much more engaging than a lot of motorsports types.

A fantastic talent, a winner on a broader range of bikes than anyone else still in the top flight, canny, adaptable and 9 times world champion quick, a genuine contender of maybe three or four in the "who was the best ever" category, but more than that, he's charismatic, he doesn't take himself seriously, and he has more fun winning than anyone else ever has. As a result, he's beloved the world over ("every race is a home race for Rossi" copyright Julian Ryder), despite his wealth and fame his best mates are the people he grew up, that's the kind of person he is.

Enjoy him while you can, this is his glorious swansong (mind you, people have been saying that for a few years, and he's still winning!).

OP
Ask Marc Marquez what he thinks about Rossi 😉

The greatest motorcycle racer of all time...possibly...he certainly would have been if he'd made the Ducati work!

I think you should look at Wiki.
Along with winning all those bike World Championships, he is pretty handy on 4 wheels too:
[i]"Rossi tested the Ferrari Formula One car in 2006 on 31 January, 1 February, and 2 February at Valencia. The first test saw Rossi spin out on the damp track into the gravel trap, ending his day. On the second day, he posted the ninth fastest time of fifteen drivers, approximately one second behind Michael Schumacher, who himself was third fastest. Rossi lapped faster than seasoned drivers Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber and David Coulthard and Toyota F1's Jarno Trulli.[50] On the final day of testing, Rossi was just a little more than a half second behind Schumacher's best time.[51] Schumacher hailed Rossi as having immense talent and said he would be perfectly capable of moving to Formula One and being competitive immediately.
In Rossi's youth one of his heroes was WRC Champion Colin McRae. Rally legend McRae taught Rossi the basics of driving a rally car.[52] The two competed against each other at the 2005 Monza Rally Show, with McRae driving a Skoda Fabia WRC and Rossi winning in a Subaru Impreza WRC.
In October 2006 it was announced that Rossi would enter that year's Rally New Zealand, a WRC event which was to run from 17–19 November.[54] He competed in a Subaru Impreza WRC04 finishing 11th out of 39."[/i]

Rossi is a living legend, won on 2 stroke GP bikes won on 4 stroke Moto Gp bikes. Laughs smiles enjoys racing anything.

9 times World Champion crazy feud with Gibernau, showed Casey Stoner how to race.

Huge character and personality, seems like a nice bloke.

Still racing because he loves it, for fun built the Ranch in Italy where he messes around racing flat track bikes.

Was considered quick enough to drive a Ferrari in F1 (I am sceptical about that)

Has won rally events, and evaded a lot of tax.

I unashamedly think he is bloody brilliant

[i]Why are there so many cars and builders vans with '46' stickers on them? [/i]

I've only ever seen one (my girlfriend's). (But she's nuts).

He's also fast in pretty much any vehicle you put him in.

This 🙂

Why are there so many cars and builders vans with '46' stickers on them?

Because most of those ones don't ride a bike.

Had a mondeo once with a 46 sticker on it's boot start pulling more and more dangerous moves when I came up behind him on my 600, I'm sure the poor deluded fool thought he was racing a bike, he wasn't he was just getting in the way just being a complete danger.

Why are there so many cars and builders vans with '46' stickers on them

Hi, I might keep my weekend toy/motorbike inside here Mr thief.

[i]Hi, I might keep my weekend toy/motorbike inside here Mr thief[/i]

In a VW Polo?

used tolove watching the throttle/brake meters on the telly when rossi and stoner were head to head. Stoners bike only seemed to have on and off rossi just seemed to be persuading his bike round the track, really subtle and intricate use of the controls. Truly stylish rider. [s]Like me[/s].

I theenk I makkagood race, I go fastfastfast, then I say "fack"!* Utter legend, loving watching him winning again!

*Other slightly racist stereotypes available on request.

Rossi's helmet
[img] [/img]

Supreme competitor who clearly does it for the love (although I'm sure the money comes in handy), could've retired a decade ago and still be regarded as one of the very best. Happy-go-lucky personality combined with an utter ruthlessness when it comes down to the wire. Uncanny ability to rattle people into mistakes by changing riding style to disrupt them (see Laguna video above, or any number of Rossi:Gibernau battles).
On his very best days it appears as if he deliberately makes mistakes to give the fans something to watch (Mugello 06) as he then sets about taking the field apart again.

Plays up to the Italian stereotype no end but it makes him very popular.

Interesting question that.

Came to MotoGP (well 500cc) when there was a bit of a talent vacuum following a bunch of retirements and Doohans injury. Was a much needed breath of fresh air after a very dour Doohan. And he made hay while the sun shone racking up titles pretty easily on a dominant bike and tyre combination and without much competition and making it all look easy and fun.

Was also brilliant for media soundbites after the Doohan days. Though does manage the media very well whilst also giving little away... e.g....

I theenk I makkagood race, I go fastfastfast, then I say "fack"!* Utter legend, loving watching him winning again!

So doesn't really tell you much about what's actually going on as that just gets you branded a whinger by the media. And the public seem to lap it up as he's a "character".

And that was all fine until a new batch of riders started coming through, likes of Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Stoner, and more recently Marquez.

The image slipped a little when Lorenzo (his team mate at the time) started to get the better of him. Wall went up in the garage with Rossi demanding a toys out the pram "him or me" from the team. Lorenzo went on to win the world championship and Rossi really had no choice but to look elsewhere.

Unfortunately for him the only real option was Ducati, with Stoner seemingly the only person who could make it go round corners. Rossi and Burgess (his crew chief) went to Ducati claiming that "the Doctor" would quickly fix whatever was wrong with the Ducati. They couldn't. An acrimonious split ensued with Rossi bitching about the bike at every available opportunity (... but aren't you the Doctor? Isn't sorting out a bike your thing?)

Anyway, now back on a decent bike, and fair play to him, winning again. Nice to see. Maybe he is the GOAT after all. Reckon Stoner and Marquez are just on another level in terms of riding ability, but in terms of results then he definitely has claim.

I theenk I makkagood race, I go fastfastfast, then I say "fack"!* Utter legend, loving watching him winning again!

I thought that was Jar-Jar Binks

He's the only person to have won back to back races (Honda at the end of 2003 and Yamaha at the start of 2004) on different makes of motorcycle and the second only person to have won back to back titles on different makes (again, Honda in 2003 and Yamaha in 2004).

MotoGP was as dull as dishwater in the 800 years but it's slightly better now. It's usually the smaller classes (Moto3 and Moto2) where the action is though, and the UK has a chance of a couple of world champions in those classes this year 😀

Met him at the Laureus awards half a dozen ages ago.

Nice guy and the only man I've ever seen able to pull off black tie with white trainers.... guess it becuase he's a funny looking little fella to start with... 🙂

Mat Oxley's take on it (written before the Argentine GP) -

[url= http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/race/motogp-race/rossi-the-movie/ ]Linky[/url]

I'm not sure I can add anything new, but the Guy is just brilliant - for a Motorbike Racer he's getting on a bit, but you can NEVER discount him, he can perform miracles.

He's been through a bit of a dry patch of late - Ducati are the Ferrari of motorbikes, usually red and always Italian. Sensible, intelligent riders have been persuaded to ride for them - even though for the vast majority of the last however many years they've produced a appalling race bike - it's made mugs of world champions and thrown good riders into career doldrums they've never fully emerged from - Rossi went to Ducati, did better than most on it (Moaner aside of course) but was pushed to the middle of the pack unless it was raining which leveled the field.

Disaster struck in 2011, one of his friends and a bit of a protege Marco Simoncelli crashed - which wasn't unusual really, Marco was a simply amazing natural talent on a bike, but wild and reckless, he should have got a lot of wins and podiums, but he'd often end up in the gravel trap trying too hard - anyway it was a freak accident and Marco got spat across the track on his bike and collected Rossi and another friend of theirs Colin Edwards along the way and Marco was killed. I wont bother with details, but it was an horrific thing to watch and I suspect Rossi saw his friend die, it really knocked the wind out of his sails.

He came back to his former team Yamaha in 2013, where one of his biggest rivals was now undisputed Number 1, it seemed to some the swansong of his career - the GOAT (Greatest of all time - they actually call him that, whilst he's still riding) was past it, he was still competitive and still won but he wasn't the undisputed King of MotoGP anymore his team mate was and is super fast and there's a new boy on the grid who seems to be able to defy any law of physics he wants to - until BAM 2015 and the magic is back, he's got the least powerful bike of the big teams - Ducai have given up building crap bikes and made a really fast one and Honda who seem to spend about twice what the rest of the grid does collectively have built some stupid fast bike but Rossi is squeezing every lap, point and win he can and is leading the championship.

IN F1 terms he's got the cool calculating, genius of Alonso married with the raw explosive talent of Hamilton - but unlike any F1 driver - he seems to take it all in his stride and really enjoys his work.

He's pure class that Valentino Rossi.

Further to the picture above, with his own face on top of his helmet, I also offer this -

[img] [/img]

Having already had his own face on top of his helmet, after crashing at Indianapolis, he had this one done for the next race at Misano, to show what a donkey he was for falling off. Don't know of any other top-level sports person so gleefully happy to laugh at themselves.

He's like a successful Guy Martin.

In spectacular (and unusually helpful) fashion this thread has absolutely answered my original question with minimal pee taking and backed it up with a tonne of evidence.

I am a convert. I will make sure I watch the next race. Until then I'll check out all the historic battles on Youtube.

Many thanks.

There you go, that's a good he is. Enjoy! 🙂

There you go, [b]that's a good he is.[/b] Enjoy!

Pondo is even writing how Valentino sounds.

Be sure to check out Rossi v Stoner Laguna Seca 08. I have an unashamed man-crush on Rossi. When he retires from MotoGP the sport will never be the same again

Pondo is even writing how Valentino sounds.

Be sure to check out Rossi v Stoner Laguna Seca 08

What always gets me about that one is that they were [i]30 seconds[/i] ahead of the rest of the field. 30 seconds! That's ridiculous.

Barry Sheen was pretty handy.

Valentino is the reason a lot of people will always find it hard to call Hamilton a legend. No matter how many GP's he wins.

I dunno. If Hamilton manages 9 world championships I'll begrudgingly afford him 'legend' status. For now he's another type of end.

Roughly 300 races, won about 100 been on the podium about 200...

two out of three races he finished no worse than 3rd, one of three races he's won.

Astounding record.

Roughly 300 races, won about 100 been on the podium about 200...

two out of three races he finished no worse than 3rd, one of three races he's won.

Astounding record.

I know you can only race who you're up against, but Gibernau, Biaggi and Barros weren't the stiffest competition. And a lot of wins got racked up in that era. And the works Honda / Michelin combination was head and shoulders above the competition.

Look back a bit and you have Doohan, Schwantz, Rainey, Gardner, Lawson, Roberts... I'm sure Rossi would still have excelled against that competition but I doubt he'd have racked up as many wins.

In an age where sportspeople tow the corporate line, and come across as quite dull, Rossi is there with charm, charisma and passion.

I don't know why people are saying he "was the best", he still is. Watch..... he is going to break Giacomo Agostinis record at a time when it is harder to win.

Marco is showing his weaknesses now.

he is going to break Giacomo Agostinis record at a time when it is harder to win.

And when he's only racing one class per weekend, rather than 2.

In an age where sportspeople tow the corporate line,

Sorry, but there are profits to be made:

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There's only one more famous man in Italy ... the Pope !!!!

Rossi's first win on a 500, back in 2000 at Donington-

Nying nying...ding ding ding... nying...bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarp!

😀

And when he's only racing one class per weekend, rather than 2.

Precisely.

Marco is never going to touch Rossi's record.

Worth watching the Stoner/Rossi vid just for the classic StoanerMoan!

The bit by Mrblobby about 'having it all his own way' in the early days is unfair.
He got the top Honda ride on merit by winning the 125cc and 250cc championships on route to the big class. He still had to beat Biaggi (arguably the finest 250 racer of them all) and had to deal with Kenny Roberts jr who was a World Champion on the big bikes himself. He took on Barros, Capirossi and Checa who were all GP winners and stamped his authority on the class.

Then a new generation of riders appeared, Melandri, Hayden, Elias, Hopkins, Vermeulen and Pedrosa. While the new breed won races they couldn't consistently beat Rossi, of the above riders Hayden took the 2006 title only.

Stoner was a better threat and showed Rossi the fast way round in 2007 to win a title but Rossi's strength is an ability to learn and adapt, the following year it was business as usual and Rossi took the 2008 and 2009 titles....it took a move to Honda before Stoner could win another title, the Ducati got worse year on year as did Stoners results.
Interestingly both he and Rossi criticised the slow pace of development at Ducati with engineers preferring to pore over data rather than listen to rider feedback.
In Rossi's first year with Ducati he couldn't get comfortable on the bike and asked for new foot pegs, this is something Honda and Yamaha would get measured and machined in a week if that.....Rossi waited half a season, no wonder he left.

On top of the GP stuff he rode a WSBK spec Honda to victory in the Suzuka endurance race with Colin Edwards and in these very late stages of his career he is still racing and winning. What is remarkable is that he started winning in the top class in 2000.....and is still doing it now, that is unheard of and kind of dismisses the idea that he has been flukey with his career....a 15 year fluke?!...,nope, the bloke is the real deal.

A living legend still active in his sport and not just making up the numbers, it'll be a sad day when he goes.

That looks like great stuff. What channel is Moto GP on?

BT Sport or the rerun on ITV4 the following Monday

Who the hell is Valentino Rossi?

He's a lanky, bumbling, happy Italian chap with an innocent charm and a good sense of humour. He also happens to be rather good at racing motorcycles (And cars too)
People like him because he's not a sponsors dummy and because he knows how much he means to his fans (Of which I'm one)
He can make the best other motorcycle riders in the world look a bit crap, then be complimentary to them afterwards, he's never involved in any scandal, he's humble, but most of all (To me) it's obvious he races because he enjoys it.

Fudger that is possibly the best Stonermoan of all. "Some of the overtakes weren't fair" ha, classic. He wasn't overtaking you when you binned it on the slowest corner of the track! He must have felt like such a tool.

He is the GOAT (greatest of all time).

TBH to me a great is someone who has a talent window, dips in performance but somehow keeps that utter belief then enjoys success again.

I can think of that German bloke, Lewis (possibly if he gets 3rd. Ffs in his dark years journey Button beat him) and...

I have the no. 46 tattooed on myself, haha!....I love bikes and he epitomises the attitude about bike and bikers I love.

Euwww you want to sex him

We followed Rossi all through the Eurosport years and enjoyed pretty much every race the bloke rode in.

Strangely he became part of our lives on a Sunday throughout those Summers.. (along with all the others) I'm rather glad to have at least in part been part of his legacy just by the fortune of being able to watch him ride a bike.

The mans a Dude.

Best Rossi battle ever:

"I stay in Moto GP so Sete will never win again" Or words to that effect, and he never did either.

Who the hell is Valentino Rossi?

someone in 2015, who is afraid of his own sexuality

Funny how people have spent the last fifty years trying to not make it (who he aims his todger at) a big deal, yet it still gets dredged up.

Rossi is a hero .. end of

Words like hero, legend and superstar are often very overused, but in his case very apt.

..and on top of all that, everyone who posts on an STW thread about him agrees. How AWESOME is that? Really does put winning a couple of moped races into perspective, doesn't it?

He is God himself!

someone in 2015, who is afraid of his own sexuality

He's scared of banging women?

An Italian friend of mine met him in a club in Venice years ago out on the pull or at least with a woman, definitely not gay, not that it actually matters.

Reckon Stoner and Marquez are just on another level in terms of riding ability, but in terms of results then he definitely has claim.

The saying goes "Form is temporary, Class lasts forever"...

Stoner is/was a real talent, on the right bike, in the right conditions, nobody could touch him. But dear god didn't we hear about it when those conditions weren't perfect! If Rossi doesn't win, he gets off the bike and when asked why he didn't win says "simple, I wasn't quick enough" which is why people respect him, whereas Stoner is worse than the Boy who cried Wolf!

Marquez is an incredible talent too. But nobody is putting money on him having a long career! Lorenzo used to be a bit "win it or bin it", but he matured a bit to his credit. Marquez you worry for, cos he doesn't seem like he has the mental ability to tone it down a bit when required.

A living legend still active in his sport and not just making up the numbers, it'll be a sad day when he goes.

More so than any other man in any form of motorsport ever, Rossi is pretty much universally loved. Beyond his sheer natural talent, he works harder than everyone else behind the scenes, he's humble, he's uber cool, he's incredible to watch (he makes everyone else look like they're just pointing and squirting as he makes his bike dance into and out of corners), and more than anything, you know that if you met him he'd be stoked to just talk bikes and racing with you...

Put it this way, you could have a brew and a chat about bikes and racing with Guy Martin and it would be ace. Valentino Rossi would be the one leading the charge to the nightclub, getting the beers in, and then insisting you stole a traffic cone on the way home!

An Italian friend of mine met him in a club in Venice years ago out on the pull or at least with a woman, definitely not gay, not that it actually matters.

That's the thing about Rossi that makes him WAY cooler than any other racers, past or present. The likes of Barry Sheene or James Hunt were so caught up being cool, they liked to ram it down the public's throats. Rossi is the coolest cos better than anyone, he's always managed to keep his private life away from the media (more than likely helped in no small part by his hugely loyal fan club, and his closest friends), and he doesn't go out of his way to show off how cool he is (and nobody likes a showoff!).

Lorenzo once had form. All riders have their peaks and troughs, I don't honestly believe the hype around Marc.

I wish we could have seen Marco Simoncelli mature, I think he would have been great. 😥

I wish we could have seen Marco Simoncelli mature, I think he would have been great.

Indeed. I'm man enough to admit there was a tear shed that day 🙁

It's great to see Rossi back to winning ways again, a legend of the sport no doubt.

I wish we could have seen Marco Simoncelli mature, I think he would have been great.

Immensely sad loss to the sport, he was destined for great things, but also his death messed with Rossi's head for so long!

Lorenzo once had form. All riders have their peaks and troughs, I don't honestly believe the hype around Marc.

Lorenzo has lost the "do or die" attitude, which has significantly increased his chances of having a lengthy career, though he has of course lost the edge he had.

Marquez is probably the best raw talent we've seen in a long time. But... For how long? The candle that burns twice as brightly burns for half as long and all that!

Which is where we come back to Rossi... Others may have more raw talent, but nobody else out there wants to win as badly as he does (even now, and he's been doing it a long time!), and time and again he's beaten "more talented" opponents by working harder than them, out smarting them, pushing himself and his bike right to the very edge and holding them there until his opponents make a mistake. He isn't the GOAT because he's the most talented guy to ever ride a bike, he's the GOAT because he wants to win more than anyone else ever has!

He is the GOAT!!!
Followed him for the last 10 years now and there is no one who can entertain on track like he does. Doesn't matter where he starts from he always saves it for Sunday. The cameras follow him no matter where he is and you slowly watch him make his way through the field. awesome, incredible to watch and the sport will miss him when he retires.

Agree the loss of 58 had me bawling, a fantastic man who was always smiling.

Marquez is a worry. I think he is the real deal and not a flash in the pan, but he has been using up the lucky points. In Moto2 he was devastating and brutal to his competitors.

Stoner was just a technician crazy fast but hated the racing when it got to rubbing paint. The whiniest moaniest dummy spitting Australian 😆 Once said to Rossi Your ambition outweighs your ability what a cockwomble 😆

he's incredible to watch (he makes everyone else look like they're just pointing and squirting as he makes his bike dance into and out of corners)

Not watched much bike racing then?

He brought the fun back into racing. At times in his career he's had it relatively easy (and used to sandbag to give the crowd a [i]show[/i]), but to his credit he switched to an inferior bike to give himself a challenge - and still won. Only Stoner and Marquez have/had him beat on sheer speed over the years, but no-one races like Vale. Motivated beyond belief and imo the best bike racer there's ever been. More Steve McQueen than Barry Sheen.

he likes of Barry Sheene or James Hunt were so caught up being cool, they liked to ram it down the public's throats.

Oh - and Oxley's latest scribblings are up. 🙂

[url= http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/race/motogp-race/the-best-tight-fight-ever/ ]Linky. [/url]

Do you have three words for Marc Marquez?

https://vine.co/v/MIiUxqJVA2I