Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi is an Italian former professional motorcycle racer whose 26-year MotoGP career produced nine World Motorcycle Championships — including seven MotoGP titles (the top class) — making him one of the greatest motorcycle racers in motorcycling history. He was born Valentino Rossi on February 16, 1979, in Urbino, Italy, into an motorsports family — his father Graziano Rossi was a former Grand Prix motorcycle racer in the late 1970s. He started karting at age five and switched to motorcycles in his teens.

His professional career began in the 125cc class in 1996. His World Championship titles include the 1997 125cc, the 1999 250cc, the 2001 500cc, and the 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009 MotoGP titles — making the seven MotoGP titles record-breaking achievements. He won 89 career Grand Prix races and 235 career podium finishes.

His moment was his 2004 Yamaha switch — moving from the dominant Honda factory team to the underdog Yamaha team and immediately winning the 2004 MotoGP title in his first season with the new manufacturer. The switch reshaped MotoGP team dynamics and established Rossi as the dominant figure of the mid-2000s era. His 2008 and 2009 back-to-back MotoGP titles consolidated him as the dominant rider of the 2000s decade.

The 2010 broken-tibia injury at the Italian Grand Prix and the 2011 Ducati factory-team move (which produced two disappointing seasons) shaped his late career. He returned to Yamaha in 2013 and continued racing competitively through 2021 — finally retiring at age 42 at the end of the 2021 MotoGP season. He has been with Italian model Francesca Sofia Novello since 2017, and the couple has two children. He continues to be a continuous figure in European motorsports through his VR46 Racing Team and various motorcycle-related business ventures.

His name Valentino is the Italian elaborated form of Valentine (from the Latin Valentinus, derived from valens meaning "strong"). Valentino has been continuously climbing in American naming since the 2010s.