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Valentino RossiValentino Rossi (born 16 February, 1979, Urbino, Italy) is a multiple motorcycle MotoGP world champion. Following his father, Graziano Rossi, Rossi started racing in Grand Prix's in 1996 for Aprilia in the 125cc category and won his first world championship the following year. From there he moved up to the 250cc category, again with Aprilia, and he won the championship in 1999. Rossi then moved to the 500cc class, to win in 2001 on a two-stroke Honda NSR. He repeated the success in the new MotoGP class in 2002 and 2003 riding a four-stroke Honda RC211V. For 2004, Rossi moved to Yamaha, for whom he then proceeded to win the MotoGP title in his first year with them. At the conclusion of the 2004 riding season, he is the first rider ever to win back to back races for different manufacturers (Honda RC211V, Yamaha YZR-M1), and he is only the second rider to win consecutive world titles for different manufacturers (Eddie Lawson won the 1988 and 1989 500cc titles, on Yamaha and Honda respectively). Rossi lives in London. Rossi's current self-choosen nickname is The Doctor, previously he used Valentinik and Rossifumi. He is famous for using the Number 46 only, the racing number of his father, his outgoing behaviour and his intense rivalry with fellow MotoGP rider, Max Biaggi. And, although using his Number 46, Rossi wears the #1 Reserved for the reigning world champion on the shoulder of his racing outfit. Career - 1996 - 9th, 125 cc class, Aprilia.
- 1997 - World champion, 125 cc class, Aprilia.
- 1998 - 2nd, 250 cc class, Aprilia.
- 1999 - World champion, 250 cc class, Aprilia.
- 2000 - 2nd, 500 cc class, Honda NSR.
- 2001 - World champion, 500 cc class, Honda NSR.
- 2002 - World champion, MotoGP class, Honda RC211V.
- 2003 - World champion, MotoGP class, Honda RC211V.
- 2004 - World champion, MotoGP class, Yamaha YZR-M1.
- 2005 - MotoGP class, Yamaha YZR-M1
At the end of the 2004 season, Valentino Rossi holds 68 Grand Prix victories which make him the most winning rider of the Grand Prix Series, surpassing Legend of legends rider Giacomo Agostini by one second place. Rossi: 68 first, 21 second and 12 third places Agostini: 68 first, 20 second and none third places. Valentino Rossi also holds the record number of consecutive podiums : starting September 8th 2002 and finishing on April 18th 2004, he stood on the podium at the end of every one of the 23 races held, including the whole of 2003 season. External links Rossi, Valentino
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