Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi
Rossi at the 2017 Aragon Grand Prix
Nationality	Italian
Born	(1979-02-16) 16 February 1979 Urbino, Italy
Bike number	46 (retired in honour in the MotoGP class)
Website	www.valentinorossi.com
Motorcycle racing career statistics MotoGP World Championship Active years 2000–2021 Manufacturers Honda (2000–2003) Yamaha (2004–2010, 2013–2021) Ducati (2011–2012) Championships 7 (2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009) 2021 championship position 18th (44 pts) Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 372 89 199 55 76 5415 250cc World Championship Active years 1998–1999 Manufacturers Aprilia Championships 1 (1999) 1999 championship position 1st (309 pts) Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 30 14 21 5 11 510 125cc World Championship Active years 1996–1997 Manufacturers Aprilia Championships 1 (1997) 1997 championship position 1st (321 pts) Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 30 12 15 5 9 432
Signature
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup career
Debut season	2022
Current team	Team WRT
Racing licence	FIA Silver
Car number	46
Starts	26
Wins	3
Podiums	6
Poles	2
Fastest laps	0
Finished last season	8th in 2024
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup career
Debut season	2022
Current team	Team WRT
Car number	46
Starts	11
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Poles	0
Fastest laps	0
Finished last season	15th in 2023
FIA World Endurance Championship career
Debut season	2024
Current team	Team WRT
Years active	2024–present
Car number	46
Starts	13
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	3
Poles	1
Fastest laps	0
Best finish	2nd in 2024
Previous series
1998–2018 2002, 2006, 2008 2012 2019–2023 2023 2023 2023	Monza Rally Show World Rally Championship Blancpain Endurance Series Gulf 12 Hours 24H Series Intercontinental GT Challenge Le Mans Cup – GT3
Championship titles
2006–2007, 2012, 2015–2018	Monza Rally Show

This article is part of a series about
Italian motorcycle road racer Career Grand Prix wins Family Graziano Rossi (father) Luca Marini (half-brother) Eponym Valentino Rossi: The Game VR46 Racing Academy VR46 Racing Team

Valentino Rossi (/ˈrɒsi/ ROSS-ee; Italian: [valenˈtiːno ˈrossi]; born 16 February 1979) is an Italian racing driver, former professional motorcycle road racer and nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. Nicknamed "the Doctor", Rossi is widely considered one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time.^[a] He is also the only road racer to have competed in 400 or more Grands Prix.^[4] Of Rossi's nine Grand Prix World Championships, seven were in the premier 500cc/MotoGP class. He holds the record for most premier class victories and podiums, with 89 victories and 199 podiums to his name. He won premier class World Championships with both Honda and Yamaha. He rode with the number 46 for his entire career.

After graduating to the premier class in 2000, Rossi won the final 500cc World Championship (becoming the last satellite rider to win the top-class title until Jorge Martín in 2024) and the Suzuka 8 Hours race with Honda in 2001. He also won MotoGP World Championships with the factory Repsol Honda team in 2002 and 2003 and continued his run of back-to-back championships by winning the 2004 and 2005 titles after leaving Honda to join Yamaha. He lost the 2006 title with a crash in the final round at Valencia. In 2007, he ultimately finished third overall, before regaining the title in 2008 and retaining it in 2009.^[5] After a 2010 season marred by a broken leg and no title defense, he left Yamaha to join the Ducati factory team, replacing Casey Stoner for the 2011 and 2012 seasons, and endured two winless seasons with the Italian marque.^[6][7]

Rossi returned to Yamaha in 2013 and finished fourth in the standings followed by three successive runner-up positions in 2014, 2015 and 2016. His best chance of winning a tenth title came in 2015, where he led the standings for most of the season, finishing five points behind team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, the eventual champion. 2017 was the final season in which he achieved over 200 championship points, and he won his final race victory in the 2017 Dutch TT at the age of 38. After three winless seasons with the Yamaha factory team, he moved to Petronas SRT for 2021, retiring after only one season with the satellite Yamaha team and failing to achieve a podium for the first time in a career spanning 26 seasons in Grands Prix. The dominant force in MotoGP in the 2000s, all of Rossi's seven premier class titles came in this decade, including 77 race wins and 48 pole positions. In the ensuing 12 seasons, he managed 12 race wins and seven pole positions. During this period, Rossi was the 6th most successful rider in terms of total race victories.^[8]

Rossi was inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame as an official Legend by the FIM at the awards ceremony after the conclusion of the 2021 season.^[9] His #46 bike number was retired at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix.^[10] Rossi owns and manages the VR46 Racing Team, which competes in MotoGP as of 2025.^[11] In addition to his team management role, Rossi competes full-time in the FIA World Endurance Championship, driving for Team WRT,^[12] in a BMW M4 GT3, which also bears the now iconic number 46. ^[13]

Rossi was born in Urbino, in the Marche region of Italy.^[14] While he was a child, his family moved to Tavullia. The son of former motorcycle racer Graziano Rossi, he began riding at a very young age.^[15] Rossi began with kart racing rather than minimoto racing due to his mother, Stefania's, concern for her son's safety.^[16]

Rossi first rode a go-kart in 1985. In 1990, Rossi won the regional kart championship.^[17] After this, he took up minimoto and, before the end of 1991, had won numerous regional races.^[15] In 1991, Rossi moved up to the junior national karting championship and finished fifth in the season. That same year, he won a minimoto race and realized that two wheels were more fun than four. Rossi's first motorcycle race took place near Miramere di Rimini that year. No one could come close to Rossi during the race that night.

Rossi continued to race karts and finished fifth at the national kart championships in Parma. Both he and his father thought about transitioning to the Italian 100cc series and the European series, which could have potentially directed him toward Formula One. However, the high costs associated with kart racing led them to choose to focus solely on racing minimotos. In 1992 at the age of 13, Rossi won a regional minimoto championship. This victory marked an early success in his motorcycle racing career, which began with karting before transitioning to minimoto. ^[18]

In 1993, Rossi was given his first opportunity to ride a 125cc motorcycle by former world champion Paolo Pileri, who had become a team manager after retiring from competition.^[19] Later in 1993, with help from his father, Virginio Ferrari, Claudio Castiglioni, and Cagiva factory racing team manager Claudio Lusuardi, Rossi competed in the 125 cc Italian Sport Production Championship on a Cagiva Mito alongside teammate Vittoriano Guareschi.^[20] At his first race meeting with the Cagiva team, he damaged his motorcycle in a first-corner crash no more than a hundred meters from the pit lane.^[21] He crashed again on his second attempt, just six laps into the race. As his father worried about his son's safety, the entire team began to doubt the young rider. He finished ninth in that race weekend.^[21]

Although his performance during his first season in the Italian Sport Production Championship was varied, he achieved a pole position in the season's final race at Misano, where he would ultimately finish on the podium. In his second season, Rossi was provided with a factory Mito by Lusuardi and won the Italian title.

Meanwhile, Rossi's ascending racing career was inversely proportional to his educational aspirations. Rossi wasn't a child who could stand sitting in school for long periods. He hated art history. His teachers often complained because Rossi was often absent during scheduled races. Rossi finally decided to drop out of Liceo Mamiani High School in Pesaro at the age of 16. He firmly chose a path to his future through racing. ^[22]

In 1994, Rossi raced in the Italian 125 CC Championship with a prototype called Sandroni, using a Rotax engine. The bike was built by Guido Mancini, a former rider and mechanic who had worked, in the past, with Loris Capirossi. A documentary about Mancini entitled Il Mago Mancini was released in 2016 by director Jeffrey Zani and covers the relationship between Rossi and the mechanic. In 1995, Rossi switched to Aprilia and won the Italian 125 CC Championship. He was third in the European Championship.

To support his career, Graziano frequently contacted Carlo Pernat, who at the time was Aprilia's sporting director. Pernat was impressed by Rossi's maneuver-rich riding style. "I immediately thought, 'He's either crazy or a champion.' Because he often makes strange maneuvers along the track and the way he corners and moves reminds me of Kevin Schwantz. Vale is very similar to Schwantz—both ride the bike like a bicycle, cruising and having fun," he continued.

Rossi also rode an Aprilia when he took part in the 125cc GP in the 1996 season. In his first year of contract, Rossi was paid 60 million lira. The pay raises questions among other team officials about Pernat's decision to award such a high contract to a rookie. Ivano Beggio and Jan Vitteven, two of the team's top officials, doubt the new recruit will become a champion.

The 1996 championship season saw the debut of Rossi, then 17, in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. He had some success in his first year, scoring consistent points in his races from Malaysia to Italy, retiring in both the French and Dutch rounds. He finished fifth in Germany, but suffered another retirement in the British round.

At the 1996 Austrian Grand Prix, Rossi achieved his first ever podium by finishing in third place after battling with Jorge Martínez.^[23][24] In the following race, the 1996 Czech Republic Grand Prix, he achieved both his first ever pole position and his first ever race victory in the 125cc class. He rode an AGV Aprilia RS125R and won after another tussle with Jorge Martínez.^[25]

Rossi earned points at Imola but was forced to retire in both the Catalan and Rio rounds. He then scored points in the final round in Australia, ultimately finishing his first season in ninth place with 111 points.

In his second year, the 1997 championship season, he moved from the AGV team to the Nastro Azzurro Aprilia Team and went on to dominate the season. He took pole and the race win at the 1997 Malaysian Grand Prix but retired from the next race in Japan. In the next two races, he bounced back by winning the Spanish and Italian rounds. Rossi finished second in Austria, just 0.004 seconds behind winner Noboru Ueda,^[23][24] then scored a flurry of victories from France to Britain, including three pole positions in the Dutch, Imola and German rounds.

After third place in the Czech round, Rossi then gained two more wins in the Catalan and Indonesian races. He finished sixth in Australia. He won the 1997 125cc title, winning 11 of the 15 races with 321 points.^[26] Throughout the season, he often celebrated in unusual ways such as dressing up as Robin Hood, which earned him media attention.^[27]

After winning the 125cc title in 1997, Rossi moved up to the 250cc class the following year. In the 1998 season, the Aprilia RS250 was reaching its pinnacle and had a team of riders in Rossi, Loris Capirossi and Tetsuya Harada. Rossi had to retire from the first two races in Japan and Malaysia. He then scored three consecutive second places in Spain, Italy, and France, but retired once more from the Madrid round.

He took his first 250cc victory at the 1998 Dutch TT, when he was more than 19 seconds ahead of second-placed Jürgen Fuchs.^[28] He had to retire from the British Grand Prix but bounced back by achieving a podium place in Germany, finishing third.

In the Czech Republic, he crashed out of the race, but then enjoyed a series of victories from Imola to Argentina. He finished the season, as the championship runner-up with 201 points, just 23 points behind champion Loris Capirossi.

In the 1999 season, his second year in the 250cc class, Rossi became the sole rider of the official Aprilia Grand Prix Racing team, and dominated the championship. He took pole position in Malaysia but finished fifth in the race. He gained further points in Japan and went on to win the third round in Spain. Rossi had his second pole position of the season in France, but retired from the race. He bounced back with back-to-back wins in Italy and Catalunya. He finished second at the Dutch round, narrowly losing out to Capirossi. He then won the next three races from the British to the Czech Grands Prix.

Rossi finished second in Imola, but was off the podium in eighth place at Valencia.^[29] He finished the season with three more wins: one in Australia, one in South Africa, and one in Rio de Janeiro.^[30][31] After that, he finished third in Argentina despite starting in pole position.^[32] He clinched the title in Rio de Janeiro and finished the season with 309 points, his first 250cc world championship title and his second title overall.^[33]

After achieving the 250cc World Championship in 1999, Rossi was given a seat with Honda in what was then the highest class in World Championship motorcycle racing, the 500cc. Retired five-time 500cc World Champion Mick Doohan, who had also had Jeremy Burgess as chief engineer, worked with Rossi as his personal mentor in his first year with Honda.^[34] It was also the first time Rossi raced against Max Biaggi.

Rossi started off his first year in the 500cc class with retirements in the first two rounds: he crashed out of the South African and Malaysian races.^[35][36] He scored points in the third round in Japan and picked up two third-place finishes in Spain and France.^[37][38] Rossi picked up additional points in Italy and another third-place podium finish in the Catalan round.^[39] He gained more points by finishing sixth in the 2000 Dutch TT.

Rossi's first 500cc victory came after a fierce battle with the Suzuki of Kenny Roberts Jr. and the Aprilia of Jeremy McWilliams. On a track that was affected by ever-changing weather conditions and despite only qualifying in seventh position on Saturday, the Italian chose the right tyers and stormed through the field to battle with Roberts Jr. and McWilliams and win his first race in the 500cc class.^[40][41] After his victory in Donington Park, Rossi went on to score consecutive podium places in the next three races: two second-place finishes in Germany and the Czech Republic and one third-place finish in Portugal.^[42][43][44] He retired from the Valencian Community round after a crash.^[45]

Rossi won the Rio round, but Kenny Roberts Jr. who clinched the 2000 title after finishing in sixth position, which gave him an unassailable lead in the championship.^[46][47][48] After his second 500cc win, Rossi went on to finish second in the Pacific race and third in the Australian races.^[49][50][51] He finished second in his rookie season in the 500cc class with 209 points.

Rossi dominated his second season in the 500cc class, scoring 11 wins and only finishing off the podium three times. He started the year off with a victory in Japan after battling with Max Biaggi. He then achieved back-to-back poles and race wins in the South African and Spanish rounds.^[52][53] He finished the French race in third place but crashed out of the Italian round whilst leading the wet race after taking another pole on Saturday.^[54][55][56]

Rossi won from pole position at the following race in Catalunya, despite making a poor start and dropping to 15th place at the end of the first lap.^[57] He scored a second place after narrowly losing out on the race victory to Biaggi in the Dutch round. He followed this up with another win: this time the British GP.

Rossi finished seventh in Germany but then took back-to-back wins in the Czech Republic (gaining a 29-point advantage over Biaggi) and Portugal.^[58][59] He had a disappointing result in the Valencian Community round where he finished in 11th place, but then scored a string of race wins from the Pacific to the Rio rounds.

Rossi won his first 500cc title with 325 points and third title overall,^[60] 106 points ahead of Biaggi, who had been Rossi's main rival during the season. During the season, Rossi also teamed up with American rider Colin Edwards for the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race aboard a Honda VTR1000SPW, becoming the first Italian rider to win the race. The pair won the race despite Rossi's lack of experience racing superbikes.

The inaugural year for the MotoGP bikes was 2002, and many riders experienced problems getting used to the new bikes. Rossi started the year off strong and won the first race in wet conditions in Japan, beating several local riders who were racing as wildcards.^[62] He also took the pole position in the first five races.

Rossi finished second in South Africa, where his teammate Tohru Ukawa took his first and only victory in the MotoGP class. He then scored victories from the Spanish to the German rounds, including two pole positions in the Dutch and British GPs.^[63][64] His only retirement of the season was from the Czech Republic round. He then had back-to-back wins in Portugal and Rio, two second-place finishes in the Pacific and Malaysia, another victory in Australia and a second-place finish in the final race in the Valencian Community.^[65]

Rossi went on to win eight of the first nine races of the season, eventually claiming 11 victories in total.^[66] He clinched his second title in the Rio de Janeiro race, his first in the inaugural class, and fourth title overall with four races remaining.^[67]

After a strong 2002, Rossi continued to dominate in 2003 despite competition from emerging Spaniard Sete Gibernau. Rossi took pole and won the first round of the season in Japan, but the race was marred by the death of Japanese rider Daijiro Kato, who crashed in the 130R and hit the barrier at high speed in the ensuing Casio Triangle.^[68][69] Rossi finished second in the South African round before winning again in Spain, despite falling back to ninth place on the opening lap.^[70][71]

Rossi scored three pole positions in the next three races and finished second in France after battling with Gibernau, who overtook him on the last lap.^[72][73] He won in Italy and came second again in Catalunya.^[74][75] He took two third-place finishes in the Dutch and British rounds – the latter the result of a ten-second penalty for overtaking under yellow flags, which gifted victory to Max Biaggi in the process – and another second place in Germany, once again battling Gibernau who denied him victory with just 0.060 seconds separating both when they crossed the finish line after a titanic battle between the two.^[76][77][78]

After Germany, Rossi won three more races and scored two more poles: a pole position converted into a victory came in the Czech Republic where he battled with championship rival Gibernau once more, Rossi overtaking him on the final lap to take victory by just 0.042 seconds.^[79] A regular victory came in Portugal and another pole-victory came in the Rio de Janeiro rounds.^[80][81] He finished second in the Pacific GP after a mistake made him run off into the gravel and relegated him to ninth, which made it impossible for him to catch race winner Biaggi in the closing laps.^[82]

Rossi ended his season by scoring three consecutive poles and race wins in the Malaysian, Australian and Valencian Community rounds. The Australian Grand Prix in Phillip Island is considered by many to be one of Rossi's greatest career moments due to the unique circumstances. Despite being given a ten-second penalty for overtaking Marco Melandri under yellow flags due to a crash by Ducati rider Troy Bayliss, front runner Rossi was able to pull away from the rest of the field, finishing more than fifteen seconds ahead winning the race.^[83][84]

Rossi won the 2003 title in Malaysia, his third in the top class and fifth title overall, with two races remaining.^[85] He won the final race in the Valencian Community round with a special livery, this race marking his final win for Honda.^[86]

Rossi parted ways with Honda at the end of the season.^[87] Mid-season rumours pointed towards a possible move to Ducati, which sent the Italian press into a frenzy; the concept of Rossi on the great Italian bike seemed too good to be true. Ducati did indeed try to get Rossi to ride their MotoGP bike, the Desmosedici, but for numerous reasons Rossi passed the offer up. Critics say that compared to the other manufacturers, Ducati had a significant way to go before being competitive even with Rossi at the helm. This proved to be the truth with Ducati's lacklustre performance in the 2004 season, which had actually been worse than their inaugural year in MotoGP in 2003. In his 2005 autobiography, What If I'd Never Tried It?, Rossi offered another reason for choosing Yamaha over Ducati, saying that the mindset at Ducati Corse was similar to the one he was trying to escape from at Honda. Ultimately, Rossi signed a two-year contract with rivals Yamaha reportedly worth in excess of US$12 million; a price no other manufacturer, even Honda, was willing to pay.^[88][34][89]

Rossi made the switch from Honda to Yamaha and signed a two-year contract with the team.^[90][91] Many doubted he would be competitive after this move and expected Biaggi, who joined the Honda Pons team a year earlier, as well as Gibernau to be genuine contenders for the title.

With the traditional first venue of the season in Suzuka having been taken off the calendar due to safety concerns following the fatal accident of Daijiro Kato in 2003, the 2004 season started in Welkom in South Africa. Rossi took pole on Saturday and won the South African race after a hard-fought battle with Max Biaggi, becoming the first ever rider to win consecutive races with different manufacturers, having won the final race of the previous season on his Honda bike.^[92][93][94] Rossi took another pole in Spain, but his fourth-place finish on Sunday saw the end of a 23-race podium streak.^[95] He once again missed out on the podium in France but responded with three consecutive victories in Italy, Catalunya and the Netherlands, a race that he won from pole after a hard-fought battle with Gibernau.^[96][97][98]

In the Rio de Janeiro race, Rossi lost the front of his M1 and slid into the gravel whilst battling with Makoto Tamada, Max Biaggi, Nicky Hayden and Alex Barros, forcing him to retire from the race.^[99] After the Rio round, Rossi found himself off the podium once more in fourth place in the German GP but bounced back by winning the British round from pole.^[100][101] He then went on to finish second in the Czech Republic, first in Portugal and second once again in Japan.^[102][103]

In the inaugural Qatar round, Rossi was penalized and had to start from the back of the grid; he contested the penalty's legitimacy. Gibernau ultimately won the race, whilst Rossi crashed out of the race when he was in sixth position.^{[104][105][106]} Despite this second DNF of the season, Rossi won in the Malaysian, the Australian, and the Valencian Community rounds, battling with the likes of Troy Bayliss, Nicky Hayden, Makoto Tamada and Max Biaggi to take nine victories on the year.^[107]

Rossi finished first with 304 points to Gibernau's 257, with Max Biaggi third with 217 points. He clinched his third MotoGP, fourth top class and sixth overall championship in the penultimate race of the season, beating Gibernau by just 0.097 seconds to do so.^[108]

In 2005, Rossi and the Factory Yamaha team became even more dominant than the year before. Rossi won the first round in Spain in a controversial manner, colliding with the Gresini Honda of Sete Gibernau on the last lap.^[109] He scored a second-place finish in Portugal but then went on to take five consecutive victories from the Chinese to the Dutch rounds, including three pole positions in France, Italy and Assen.^{[110][111][112]}

In the first United States round since 1994, Rossi struggled and finished in third place whilst American rider Nicky Hayden won the race.^{[113][114][115][116]} Rossi bounced back by picking up three more wins, starting from a pole-victory in a rainy Great Britain and two regular victories in Germany, holding off Gibernau on the last lap, and the Czech Republic.^{[117][118][119]}

Rossi crashed out of the Japanese round when he collided with Marco Melandri during an overtaking attempt. This was the only time he failed to podium that season.^[120] After Motegi, Rossi scored a podium in the form of second place in Malaysia and back-to-back wins in Qatar and Australia, beating Nicky Hayden for the victory.^[121][122] He finished the season with a second and third-place finish in the inaugural Turkish and the Valencian Community rounds.^[123][124]

Rossi finished the season in first place with a total of 367 points, 147 points ahead of second-place finisher Marco Melandri and captured his fourth MotoGP, fifth top class and seventh overall championship in Sepang with four races remaining.^[125][126] He won 11 races including wins in three rain-affected races in Shanghai, Le Mans and Donington.

The 2006 season started off with Rossi once again being the favourite to win the title. However, in the first round in Spain, Toni Elías misjudged his braking point into a corner and hit the rear wheel of Rossi, who crashed into the gravel as a result. He rejoined the race but only managed to finish 14th.^[127][128] In the second race in Qatar, he scored his first win of the season, but finished just off the podium in the third round in Turkey.^[129][130]

At the next round in China, Rossi was forced to retire after he moved up from thirteenth to fifth and was battling with Colin Edwards and John Hopkins for third position. A chunk of rubber from his front tyre had been thrown onto his front fender, knocking it off the motorbike.^[131] In France, Rossi was leading comfortably in first place with a gap of over three seconds until his Yamaha had a mechanical problem on lap 21, forcing him to retire again. Rossi would leave Le Mans eighth in the standings with a 43-points deficit to Nicky Hayden.^[132]

After these two disappointing races, Rossi bounced back by scoring two wins: a regular victory in Italy and a pole-victory in Catalunya.^[133][134] In the Dutch round, he only finished eighth after he fractured his hand and ankle in a Thursday crash^[135]

After the disappointing result in Assen, Rossi took second place in Great Britain and another win in Germany, fighting tooth and nail with the three Hondas of Marco Melandri, Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa.^[136] However, he retired once more in the United States round due to mechanical problems in the last few laps; Nicky Hayden won the race. This extended Hayden's lead over Rossi to 51 points and saw Rossi drop to fourth in the championship.^[137][138]

Going into round 12 in the Czech Republic, Rossi picked up a pole and a second place, and then won the next round in Malaysia.^[139] Hayden held the points lead throughout most of the season, but by now Rossi was slowly working his way up the points ladder. A third place in Australia and a further second position in Japan saw the points lead of Hayden reduced from 51 points in Laguna Seca to 12 points in Motegi, with Rossi moving from fourth to second in the championship standings.^[140][141]

Going into the penultimate round of the season in Portugal, Rossi took pole position on Saturday. On Sunday, Hayden was taken out by his teammate Dani Pedrosa on lap 5, causing both riders to retire. On the last lap, Toni Elías who was in third place, overtook both Kenny Roberts Jr. and Rossi to take the lead. Rossi eventually got back in front, but Elías shot past him in the final corner and won the race with a minuscule 0.002 second advantage over Rossi.^[142][143] This led to Rossi taking the points lead by 8 points going into the last round of the year.

In the final race of the season, the Valencian Community round, Rossi needed to finish in second place or higher to win the title. He took the second consecutive pole position on Saturday whilst Hayden could only qualify fifth.^[144] However, Rossi only managed to finish 13th after sliding off, ending the season on 247 points and losing the title to Nicky Hayden by just five points. The race was won by wildcard rider Troy Bayliss, who replaced the injured Sete Gibernau.^[145] After the race, Rossi called his fall "a disaster" but congratulated Nicky on his won title as well.^[146]

After Rossi lost the title in 2006, he was still nontheless one of the favourites to win the championship in 2007. The engine capacity of the bikes was reduced from 990cc to 800cc for this season.^[147] In the season opener in Qatar, Rossi took his first pole position of the year on Saturday but came second to Casey Stoner on the Ducati on Sunday, who had made the switch from the LCR Honda team to the Factory Ducati team.^[148] Rossi then won the second race in Spain to bounce back.^[149] In Turkey, Rossi clinched another pole on Saturday but eventually finished way down in tenth position after running wide on the fast turn eleven when he pushed hard to break away on the opening lap. Rossi fought his way back to second, overtaking Loris Capirossi on lap nine, but lost positions quickly after the Michelin tyres started to fade and he suffered from a mysterious lack of speed, which allowed Toni Elías, Capirossi, John Hopkins, Marco Melandri and Alex Barros to overtake him within three laps. Stoner led every lap, won the race and gained a 10-point lead over Rossi in the process.^[150]

Rossi, once again finding himself on the backfoot in the championship, responded in China by setting another pole position on Saturday and finishing in second place after battling hard with Stoner. The Australian, who made good use of the straight line speed of the Ducati on the long straight, blasted past Rossi every time he got overtaken earlier on the circuit.^[151] In the French round, Chris Vermeulen on the Suzuki won a rain-affected race. Rossi initially started well and even overtook Stoner in the early part of the race to make a break but when the rain intensified, Rossi and his YZR-M1 struggled and were overtaken by Stoner, Randy de Puniet, Sylvain Guintoli and later also Nicky Hayden, Dani Pedrosa and Alex Hofmann. Rossi eventually finished in sixth whilst Stoner crossed the line in third, extending his championship lead by 21 points.^[152]

In Italy, he won his first race of the season and in round seven in Catalunya, Rossi took his fourth and final pole of the season.^{[153][154][155]} After a hard-fought battle with Stoner, Rossi finished second by just 0.069 seconds and lost out again.^{[156][157][158]} In Great Britain, Rossi finished just outside of the podium in fourth but bounced back in the Dutch round in great fashion by winning the race from eleventh on the grid.^[159] He overtook many riders and eventually did the same to Stoner with four laps to go, building up a small gap he never gave away when crossing the line.^[160][161]

After Rossi's great win in Assen, bad luck struck when he crashed on lap five of the German round and was forced to retire. He had made a poor start, dropping him from sixth to ninth on lap one, but was quick to regain two positions before struggling to pass Randy de Puniet for sixth place. When Rossi tried to squeeze his bike next to the Kawasaki of de Puniet, he lost the front of his M1 in low speed through a long right-hander and slid into the gravel.^[162] Rossi then picked up more points by finishing in fourth and seventh place in the United States and Czech Republic, but by then Stoner had built up a 60-point gap over Rossi when they left round 12.^[163]

Rossi retired again in the new San Marino venue whilst Stoner took his eighth win of the season, extending his championship lead from 60 to 85 points.^[164][165] In the next round in Portugal, Rossi would win his final race of the season after a close fight with the Honda of Dani Pedrosa. Rossi worked his way up from fifth to third on the opening lap, overtaking Stoner on lap nine after Pedrosa did the same two laps earlier. He then overtook Pedrosa on lap ten and a fight commenced where Pedrosa re-overtook Rossi on lap 16, only taking the first spot back from the Spaniard with four laps left after he ran wide. Rossi made a similar error and Pedrosa retook the lead just half a lap later. Pedrosa was still narrowly ahead but Rossi was better on the brakes and plunged down the inside of the first corner in turn one. The move failed and he ran wide, but carried enough momentum to try the same move again a few corners later, this time succeeding. Rossi crossed the line 0.175 seconds ahead of Pedrosa to win his fourth race of the season.^[166]

In the Japanese round, Rossi suffered from braking problems on his second bike after all riders were forced to swap bikes due to the drying track, finishing in 13th position. This was enough for Casey Stoner to become 2007 world champion after he finished the race in sixth position and gave him an unassailable lead in the championship.^[167] Rossi went on to take one last podium in Australia, finishing in third place, then picked up points in fifth position in the Malaysian round.^[168] In the last race of the season, the Valencian Community race, Rossi started way back in 17th due to a fracture of three bones in his right hand after he fell during qualifying. He took 16th on lap seven and passed Shinya Nakano for 15th and thus the final point, but was forced to retire on lap 18 after his YZR-M1 suffered a technical problem, this marking his third DNF of the season.^[169] The race was won by Dani Pedrosa, with Casey Stoner about five seconds behind in second place.^[170]

Stoner dominated the season, winning ten races to take his first title, 125 points clear of second place Dani Pedrosa. Rossi on the other hand, finished in third place with 241 points, six less than in 2006. This was Rossi's lowest championship position since his first season in 1996 in the 125cc. Pedrosa's win in the last race in Valencia combined with Rossi's retirement meant that he beat Rossi by a single point.

After two frustrating seasons where Rossi and Yamaha lost the title for two consecutive seasons to Nicky Hayden's Honda and Casey Stoner's Ducati, critics started to doubt if he was capable of ever winning another title.^[171][172] Some said he should retire, whilst others assumed that Casey Stoner would win his second title or that Dani Pedrosa would become a genuine title contender after his strong performances in 2006 and 2007.^[173] This was also the year he switched from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres, which Rossi claimed was needed to "boost his motivation".^[174][175] His new teammate, Jorge Lorenzo, did not opt for the change.

Rossi started the year with a fifth place in Qatar whilst Stoner won the race, prompting some to already suggest that it would be more of the same like last year.^[176] However, Rossi fought back in Spain by finishing second whilst Stoner could only manage eleventh place. Rossi finished third in the Portuguese round with his teammate Jorge Lorenzo winning after a late charge from Pedrosa was not enough to retake the lead.^[177][178]

After the good performances in Spain and Portugal, Rossi scored three consecutive victories: two regular victories in China and France and a pole-victory in the Italian round.^{[179][180][181]} Two more second-place finishes followed, one in Catalunya and one in Great Britain.

Approaching round 9 of the season, the Dutch GP was not a success for Rossi. He came to Assen with an 11-point lead over runner-up Pedrosa but made a slow start from third on the grid, only to lose the back of his M1 machine on the entry of a tight left hand hairpin – his rear wheel sliding around and collecting Randy de Puniet's LCR Honda, taking him out in the process. Rossi remounted the bike and got going again but could only finish eleventh, handing the lead of the championship to Pedrosa by four points.^[182]

After the disappointing result in Assen, Rossi retook the lead of the title hunt in a rain-affected German round after Pedrosa crashed out of the wet track and Rossi came second, the race was won by Stoner.^[183] Rossi then took a multitude of race wins from the United States, where Rossi took the win after a hard battle and a pass down the "Corkscrew" corner over Stoner, who crashed a few laps later but continued and took second place, to Japan, including a pole-victory in a rain-shortened race in Indianapolis.^{[184][185][186][187][188]} His wins in both Laguna Seca and Indianapolis also meant that Rossi had won in every circuit on the calendar in the time and his win in Motegi was his first MotoGP victory in the track, becoming the first Yamaha rider to win in the Honda-owned circuit.

Going into round 15 of the championship, Rossi needed to finish third or higher to win the title in Motegi. He started off poor, dropping from fourth to fifth on the grid but quickly made up ground by overtaking Jorge Lorenzo and Nicky Hayden on lap two before he hunted down his title rivals. When Stoner made the pass on Pedrosa on lap six, Rossi did the same and went after Stoner until he made the race winning move on lap 14 under braking. Rossi then pulled away from the Ducati rider to cross the line in first position and clinch his fifth MotoGP, sixth top class and eighth overall championship in Japan with three races remaining.^[189][190] On the podium, he wore a shirt with the text "Scusate il ritardo" ("Sorry for the delay") in Italian, emphasising his lack of titles in the last two years.^[191]

After Rossi wrapped up the title in Motegi with an unassailable lead of 92 points, he scored three more podiums: a second-place finish behind home hero Stoner in Australia, another win in Malaysia and a third place in the Valencian Community round.^{[192][193][194]}

Rossi finished first in the championship with 373 points, 93 points ahead of second place Casey Stoner.

After the unexpected success and title of Rossi in 2008, many expected him to be a strong contender in 2009. Rossi took two consecutive second places: a regular podium in Qatar and a pole-podium in Japan, the race won by Rossi's teammate Jorge Lorenzo.^[195][196]

Rossi's first victory of the year came in the third round in Spain. Rossi started fourth, but overtook teammate Lorenzo for third on lap two, then made a second pass stick for second position on lap seven. Race leader Pedrosa was ahead with 1.4 seconds ahead of him by then, but Rossi stormed to the rear wheel of the Honda rider with eleven laps to go. He made the victory pass in the Nieto corner to take a lead of 2.7 seconds when crossing the line, taking the championship lead over from Stoner by eleven points in the process.^[197]

The French GP turned out to be a disaster for Rossi. Jorge Lorenzo won the frantic wet/dry race whilst Rossi fell after a premature bike swap to slick tyres and also received a ride through penalty, ending up in sixteenth place and thus failed to score any points. This handed the championship lead to Rossi's teammate Lorenzo who now is ahead of both Rossi and Stoner by just one point.^[198]

Things started to look better when Rossi registered a third position finish in Italy, but lost his sequence of seven consecutive victories in the venue.^{[199][200][201]} After Mugello, Rossi took two more victories: a regular victory in Catalunya, battling with Lorenzo throughout the race and overtaking him on the last corner of the last lap to win the race by just 0.095 seconds and a pole-victory in the Dutch round.^{[202][203][204]} This victory marked his 100th career win, becoming only the second rider in motorcycle grand prix history – after Giacomo Agostini – to reach 100 wins.^[205]

In the United States GP, Rossi finished a close second behind surprise race winner Dani Pedrosa.^[206] He then went on to score three more pole positions: a pole-win in the German round, fighting tooth and nail once more with his teammate Jorge Lorenzo with five laps to go. On the penultimate lap, Rossi retook the lead and held off the Spaniard to claim win by a margin of 0.099 seconds.^[207][208] This win gave Rossi a championship lead of 14 points over Lorenzo and a 28-point lead over Stoner. In the next race in Great Britain, Rossi started from pole but was demoted to third on the first lap. A five-strong lead group of Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso, Rossi, Dani Pedrosa and Toni Elías were battling for the lead when Elías was the first to fall on lap eight after he clipped a wet white line on the track, a similar mistake also led to Lorenzo's fall and retirement. This left Dovizioso and Rossi to battle it out, but as the rain intensified, so did their lead. Both were ahead with 13 seconds separating them and third place Randy de Puniet. However, it was not meant to be as Rossi spun out of the lead when the rear of his M1 span-out through the Fogarty Esses on lap 20, demoting him to eleventh and leaving Dovizioso almost ten seconds clear of de Puniet. Rossi climbed up to fifth on the last lap, overtaking home hero James Toseland in the final turn, but the race victory went to the Honda of Andrea Dovizioso for the first time.^[209] In the Czech Republic round, Rossi took a commanding victory, crossing the line more than 11 seconds ahead of second place Pedrosa.

Rossi's only retirement in 2009 was in Indianapolis when he crashed out of the race after being overtaken by the eventual winner Lorenzo on lap ten. This win meant that Lorenzo had halved Rossi's title advantage to just 25 points with five rounds to go.^[210] In the next race in San Marino, Rossi responded by taking his sixth pole position of the year on Saturday and winning the race in his "home venue" ahead of Lorenzo on Sunday, extending his lead to 30 points.^[211] In Portugal however, it was Lorenzo who had the upper hand, winning the race with Rossi only able to finish fourth, reducing the championship lead from 30 to 18 points.^[212] In the Australian round, Rossi finished a close second to home hero Casey Stoner who won the race. Lorenzo crashed on the opening lap after running into Nicky Hayden's Honda, forcing him to retire. This widened the championship gap from 18 to 38 points with two rounds remaining.^[213]

In the penultimate round in Malaysia, Rossi scored another pole position on Saturday and a podium in the form of third place in the wet track in Sepang on race day, behind Stoner and Pedrosa. This was enough for him to clinch his sixth MotoGP, seventh top class and ninth overall title over Jorge Lorenzo who started in the back of the grid and only managed to finish fourth, behind Rossi. This gave him an unassailable lead of 45 points over Lorenzo.^[214] The final race of the season, the Valencian Community, resulted in a final second place podium of the year for Rossi, behind Pedrosa.^[215]

Rossi finished first in the championship with 306 points, 72 points ahead of second-place Jorge Lorenzo. Six wins was the lowest number of wins Rossi has had in a championship winning season; the previous minima were nine in 1999 in the 250cc class and 2003, 2004 and 2008 in MotoGP. Rossi also failed to win in Mugello for the first time since 2001.

On 8 June 2009, Rossi rode a Yamaha around the famous Snaefell Mountain Course in an exhibition lap in the 2009 Isle of Man TT alongside Agostini, in what was called 'The Lap of the Gods'.^[216] This had been delayed by 48 hours due to bad weather. He also performed the garlanding ceremony for the Superbike podium, bestowing the podium of John McGuinness, Steve Plater and Guy Martin.^[216]

With two consecutive titles won, Rossi was once again the favourite to win the championship going into the 2010 season and this seemed even more likely after he topped all but one of the pre-season testing sessions over the winter.^[217]

Rossi started off the first few races well. He won the first race of the season in Qatar after early leader Casey Stoner crashed out, took third place in Spain even though he had an injured shoulder sustained from a motocross accident two weeks earlier – the race being won by his teammate Jorge Lorenzo after a last-lap pass in the Dry Sack corner on Honda's Dani Pedrosa – and a pole-podium in the form of a second place in France where Lorenzo claimed back-to-back wins for the first time in his MotoGP career.^{[218][219][220][221]} The injury Rossi had was not taken seriously initially and was expected to cure in a few weeks, but that did not turn out as expected and the ligament tear in his shoulder failed to heal sufficiently.

In round four in Italy, things took a turn for the worse for Rossi. He highsided his YZR-M1 in one of the fast right-left combinations – the Biondetti corner – during the second free practice in around 120 mph (190 km/h). He suffered a displaced compound fracture of his right tibia. This crushed any hopes of him winning the 2010 title, and after post-surgical care close to his home in the hospital in Cattolica, it was clear that he was out of contention for the next two or three months.^{[222][223][224]} It was the first time that Rossi had missed a race in his Grand Prix career, and allowed his title rivals – Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Stoner – to gain points, podiums and wins while he was absent for the Italian, British, Dutch and Catalan rounds.^[225]

Ahead of the British Grand Prix, Suzi Perry reported in her Daily Telegraph column that Rossi was planning on making a comeback in Brno.^[226] This was confirmed a week later by Rossi himself.^[227] On 7 July, Rossi rode in Misano on a Superbike World Championship-specification Yamaha YZF-R1 provided by the Yamaha World Superbike Team to test his leg's recovery.^[228] He completed 26 laps during two runs, with a best lap time that was around two seconds off the pace of recent World Superbike times in the circuit. In the conclusion of the session, Rossi complained of discomfort, reporting pain in both his leg and his shoulder.^[229][230] On 12 July, Rossi took part in another test in Brno, after which Rossi stated he was happier and a lot more in form.^[231]

After an observation by the Chief Medical Officer on the Thursday before the German GP weekend and missing four rounds, Rossi returned in Germany and remarkably finished just off the podium in fourth position after losing out to Casey Stoner on the final corner, starting fifth.^{[232][233][234]} He returned two rounds earlier than predicted, and only 41 days after his accident.^[235] In round 9 of the season, held in the United States, Rossi took his first podium since his broken leg seven weeks ago in Mugello, overtaking the Honda of Andrea Dovizioso in the process. The race was won by Lorenzo after Pedrosa crashed out of the lead.^[236][237] In the next two rounds, in the Czech Republic and Indianapolis, Rossi scored lackluster results by finishing fifth and fourth.

In his "home race" in San Marino, Rossi scored another third place behind race-winner Pedrosa and second-place Lorenzo. The race was marred by the death of the Japanese Moto2 rider Shoya Tomizawa, who was hit in high speed by Alex de Angelis and Scott Redding after he fell in the fast right-hander of the Misano circuit on lap 12 and succumbed to his injuries later in the hospital.^[238] In the new venue in Aragón, Rossi was again off the pace and finished in sixth position. He bounced back by scoring another third-place podium in Japan, the race being moved from April to October due to the disruption of air travel after the second eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland. Rossi battled with teammate Lorenzo for the bottom step of the podium during the race, which was won by Casey Stoner, but by now had a 69-point lead in the championship over second place Dani Pedrosa.^[239]

In Malaysia, Rossi took a stunning victory by winning the race from eleventh position, battling with the Honda of Dovizioso for the win multiple times. Rossi had qualified sixth, but lost multiple positions in the first set of corners after a poor getaway. He overtook multiple riders, including Lorenzo, to fight for the lead with Dovizioso on a few occasions, but held on to finish ahead of him with just 0.224 seconds.^[240] This was his first win since the accident in June, and his second win of the season. However, Lorenzo won the title, finishing in third place when he needed ninth or higher to win the title.

After his win in Malaysia, Rossi continued to impress by scoring a third place in Australia, a second place in Portugal and a final third place in the Valencian Community rounds.

Rossi finished third in the championship with 233 points, 150 points behind champion Jorge Lorenzo and 12 points behind runner-up Dani Pedrosa. Rossi collected ten podiums throughout the season, including five consecutive podiums in the season's final run.^[241]

On 15 August 2010, after the Brno race, Rossi confirmed he was going to ride for the Ducati factory team, signing a two-year deal starting in 2011 and joining former Honda racing teammate Nicky Hayden.^[6][7] He tested the Ducati Desmosedici for the first time in Valencia on 9 November 2010, making this his first appearance since 1999 on an Italian motorcycle.^[242][243] Rossi underwent surgery on his shoulder which he injured during the 2010 season in order to be ready for pre-season testing in Malaysia.^[244] After initial progress during the first test, the Ducati failed to meet the team's expectations in the second Malaysian test and left Rossi unsatisfied, having finished over 1.8 seconds behind Casey Stoner's pace-setting Honda.^[245][246]

There was much anticipation for the first race of the season; Rossi on an Italian bike turned quite some heads, but he started the season on a disappointing note, only finishing seventh in Qatar.^[247] In the second round in Spain, he had moved up from twelfth on the grid to third when he collided with the Honda of Casey Stoner with 20 laps to go. As Rossi edged past on the inside of Stoner, his bike slipped from under him in the wet conditions, causing both riders to slide off the track. Rossi resumed and eventually finished fifth but Stoner retired from the race.^[248] Rossi later apologised for the incident.^[249] Another fifth place followed in Portugal where he rose from ninth to fourth, battling with the Honda of Andrea Dovizioso who snatched fourth place from him in the line.^[250]

Rossi's best result of the year came in France, where he took his first and only podium of the season. He battled hard with the Yamaha of Jorge Lorenzo and the Honda of Andrea Dovizioso, overtaking both for fifth place, when Dani Pedrosa and Marco Simoncelli in the front collided. Pedrosa crashed and retired from the race while Simoncelli was given a ride-through penalty.^[251]

Rossi then finished the next four races inside the top six; fifth in Catalunya, sixth in Great Britain, fourth in the Dutch round and sixth again in Italy.^[252]

In round nine in Germany, Rossi disappointingly finished in ninth place.^[253] In the next two races in the United States and the Czech Republic, he picked up two sixth places but once again scored a disappointing result when he crossed the line in tenth in Indianapolis after he encountered gearbox problems in the race. On lap nine, Rossi ran last and considered retiring, but climbed his way back up to tenth place in the end.^{[254][255][256]}

Poor results continued in his "home grand prix" in San Marino and Aragón when Rossi only managed to finish seventh and tenth, battling with the Tech 3 Yamaha of Cal Crutchlow before he got the better of Rossi to cross the line 0.180 seconds ahead of him.^[257][258]

Rossi ended the year on a low. In the Japanese round, he crashed out of the race on the first lap after a couple of corners. He collided with Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies and left Rossi with a blow to his finger.^[259] Another retirement followed in Australia when Rossi tried to overtake Álvaro Bautista for fifth on lap 14, lost the front of his Ducati and slid out of the race.^[260]

In Malaysia, Rossi qualified ninth but was involved in a collision with Marco Simoncelli and Colin Edwards on the second lap of the race. Simoncelli fell while running fourth, landing in the path of Edwards and Rossi who both hit his Honda. Simoncelli's helmet also came off in the incident. The blow resulted in the Italian suffering critical injuries from which he later died in hospital.^[261] In the Valencian Community race, Rossi retired in the first corner after Álvaro Bautista fell from his bike and took down Rossi, teammate Hayden and Randy de Puniet in the process.

Rossi finished seventh in the championship with 139 points, 211 points behind champion Casey Stoner.^[262] He also finished a season winless for the first time in his Grand Prix career.^[263]

After a frustrating first season with the Ducati, 2012 was a little better for Rossi. He started poorly in Qatar, starting from twelfth and only mustered tenth in the line.^[264] In Spain and Portugal, he finished in ninth and seventh positions, respectively.^[265]

One of his best results of the year came in the French round. He started from seventh on the grid but moved to fourth on the opening lap and overtook the fading Pedrosa for third on lap three. Rossi then was caught by the Tech 3 Yamaha's of Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso who battled with him over the bottom step of the podium from laps 4 to 18 until Crutchlow lost the front end of his M1 in the first corner. He remounted and continued the race as did Dovizioso, who suffered the same fate with four laps to go. After breaking free of both the Tech 3 riders, Rossi slashed the advantage Stoner had built up during the fighting and reeled him in over the remaining ten laps. On the penultimate lap, Rossi tried to overtake Stoner on the fast left-right combination in the beginning of the track but ran wide and Stoner retook the position. On the final lap, Rossi retried the move, this time successfully, and built a small gap over the remainder of the lap to cross the line in second place: the best finish Rossi has on a Ducati to date.^[266][267]

Over the next couple of races, the Ducati continued to perform poorly, allowing Rossi to score points only. He finished seventh in Catalunya while in Great Britain, Rossi was fastest in the first free-practice session but finished the race in ninth. After a thirteenth-place finish in the Dutch round Rossi finished sixth in Germany, his best dry result of the season so far.^[268] In Italy, he improved upon his German result and finished fifth. His first and only DNF of the season came in the United States GP. Rossi was going to come home in eighth position when he fell in the corkscrew corner whilst trying to brake. He was also unhappy with the bike setup for the race, preventing him from riding quick enough all weekend.^[269] Rossi finished seventh in the Indianapolis and Czech Republic rounds.

Rossi equalled his best Ducati result in Le Mans by finishing second for the second consecutive time this season in San Marino.^[270] His Ducati bike got a new frame and swingarm, which improved the performance of the motorcycle.^[271] Rossi ended his final year with Ducati with lackluster performances. In Aragón he finished eighth, in Japan seventh, in the Malaysian round fifth, in Australia seventh again and in the Valencian Community round tenth.

Rossi finished sixth in the championship with 163 points, 187 points behind champion Jorge Lorenzo.^[272]

On 10 August, it was confirmed that Rossi was going to leave the factory Ducati team in the end of the 2012 season.^[273] Later that day, it was also announced that Rossi were to rejoin the Yamaha factory team until the end of the 2014 season, resuming his partnership with Jorge Lorenzo.^[274] Rossi was reacquainted with the Yamaha when he tested the bike over 13–14 November 2012 in a post-season test in Valencia.^[275] However, rain prevented him from posting an accurate lap time until he tested the 2013 machine later on 5–7 February 2013 in Sepang, where he posted the third-fastest time of 2:00.542 out of 28 riders. He clocked 0.442 seconds off from pace-setter Dani Pedrosa and just 0.113 seconds off teammate Jorge Lorenzo.

He kicked off the season well. In the opening round in Qatar he had a competitive pace all weekend but lost out badly with the new qualifying format, demoting him to seventh place on race day. He quickly fought himself back to fourth on the opening lap, but ran wide when he tried to overtake Ducati replacement rider Andrea Dovizioso, once again dropping him back to seventh place. His podium chances continued to worsen when he got stuck behind Stefan Bradl but once he passed him, he defied the odds by bridging a three-second gap to Cal Crutchlow, Dani Pedrosa and rookie Marc Márquez who were fighting for second place. Rossi passed both Crutchlow and Pedrosa, but Márquez' aggressive riding style and determination led to a battle between the two. Márquez overtook Rossi on the penultimate lap, with Rossi repassing him on the final lap to stay in front and cross the line ahead of the Spanish rookie with 0.211 seconds.^[276] In the next two races in the Americas and Spain, Rossi finished in sixth and fourth position.^[277][278] In the French round, he finished a disappointing twelfth. He started the race from eighth on the grid and moved up to third to grab another podium but lost the position to Cal Crutchlow and then slid out of contention with ten laps to go. Rossi continued to finish in twelfth position, albeit on a damaged bike and hampered by a misting visor.^[279]

In round five, the Italian Grand Prix, Rossi registered his only retirement of the year. He was involved in a first-lap collision with the Gresini Honda of Álvaro Bautista in the left-right chicane which forms turns two and three. Rossi rode around the outside of Bautista, but he failed to notice Rossi and clipped his bike on the approach to the right-hander, making him fall and collecting Rossi in the process.^[280] In Catalunya, Rossi finished just off the podium for the second consecutive time by finishing fourth after starting from seventh on the grid.^[281]

On 29 June 2013 in the Dutch round, Rossi recorded his first MotoGP win since Malaysia in 2010 – a 46-race winless streak. He started from fourth on the grid but overtook the Honda of Dani Pedrosa for the lead on lap six, a lead he held to the line despite a late charge by the other Honda of Márquez, who crossed the line 2.170 seconds behind the Italian.^[282] After his first win of the season in Assen, Rossi continued to score good results by scoring two more podiums in the form of third places in the German^[283] and United States, in which Márquez overtook Rossi in the corkscrew corner in similar fashion to what Rossi did to Casey Stoner in 2008 to win the race.^[284]

From Indianapolis to San Marino, Rossi scored four consecutive fourth places before scoring yet another third-place podium in Aragón after a three-way battle for the spot with Álvaro Bautista, Stefan Bradl and Cal Crutchlow.^[285] Rossi again finished just off the podium in the Malaysian round, finishing fourth but scored a final podium in the form of third place in the Australian round, once more battling Crutchlow and Bautista.^[286] In the last two rounds in Japan and in the Valencian Community, he finished sixth and fourth respectively.

Rossi finished fourth in the championship with 237 points – his best result since 2010 – 97 points behind champion Marc Márquez.^[287] He scored six podiums, including one win in Assen.

In the end of the 2013 season, Rossi announced the conclusion of his long collaboration with crew chief Jeremy Burgess, who was replaced by Silvano Galbusera, the former crew chief of Marco Melandri in the Superbike World Championship.^[288]

Rossi's first year since his return to Yamaha went well, and hopes for 2014 were even higher: more podiums, wins or even the illustrious tenth title all were mentioned by people. He started the season well with a second-place finish in Qatar, storming from tenth on the grid to battle with the Honda of Márquez for the win, only to miss out on the victory on the last lap with 0.259 seconds in the line.^[289] In the next two races, the 2014 Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas and the new venue in Argentina, Rossi only scored points by finishing in eighth and fourth.

A better result was achieved in the fourth round of the championship in Spain, where he chose to use an extra-hard rear tyre that allowed him to move up to second from fourth on the grid and overtake Márquez in the end of the back straight on the first lap. Both swapped places over the remainder of the first and second laps, but Márquez pulled away in the Dry Sack corner and Rossi had to settle for second place.^[290] Another second place came in France after Rossi ran wide halfway through the race, allowing Márquez to win.^[291] On 1 June 2014, Rossi appeared in his 300th Grand Prix race in the Italian round, where he finished in third.^[292] His fourth second place came in the Catalan GP, leading for much of the race but ultimately losing first place to Márquez in a late stage of the race.^[293] Lackluster performances followed in the Dutch and German rounds – fifth and fourth – until a string of third places followed in the Indianapolis, Czech and British races.

In his "home race" in San Marino, Rossi won his first race since the 2013 Dutch TT round. He started third on the grid before moving up and battling with Márquez for the lead. On lap 10, Márquez fell, which allowed Rossi to pull a gap and finish first in the line, ahead of teammate Jorge Lorenzo.^[294] The victory pushed him past 5000 total career points, making him the first, and so far only, rider to achieve this.^[295]

In round 14 in Aragón, Rossi qualified in sixth place and had been making progress up the order when he ran wide onto the grass – damp due to the wet conditions – and crashed heavily. He lost consciousness briefly after the crash (or as Rossi put it: "I had a little nap") and was transferred to a hospital in Alcañiz for a precautionary CT scan.^[296][297]

In Australia Rossi took his second victory of the year. He benefitted from an accident of Marc Márquez who had been leading the race. It was Rossi's sixth win in the circuit after five consecutive wins he took from 2001 to 2005.^[298] In Malaysia, another second-place finish followed when he initially took the lead halfway in the race after passing Lorenzo. Márquez passed both Lorenzo and Rossi, pulling a gap and finishing 2.445 seconds ahead of the Italian.^[299] Rossi took his first pole position since the 2010 French Grand Prix in the Valencian Community race, his 60th pole position in Grand Prix racing.^[300] He finished in second place behind Márquez in the race.^[301]

Rossi secured second place in the championship with 295 points, trailing champion Marc Márquez by 67 points.^[302]

With a season of consistent podium finishes – including two wins in San Marino and Australia – there were once more hopes that Rossi might be able to win his tenth title this year. He started the 2015 season – his 20th in World Championship level – by taking victory in the opening race in Qatar; it was his first win in a season-opening race since the 2010 Qatar race. Rossi held off Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso to cross the line 0.174 seconds ahead and complete his 109th Grand Prix victory while Dovizioso's teammate Andrea Iannone finished third, completing an all-Italian podium – the first since the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix.^{[303][304][305]} In the second race in the Americas, Rossi scored his first third-place podium. He moved up into second place but couldn't match the pace of polesitter and eventual winner Marc Márquez and lost second position to Dovizioso in the late stages of the race.^[306] His second victory of the season came in Argentina where Rossi and polesitter Márquez had a clash after a battle for the lead, causing Márquez to crash out of the penultimate lap and handing Rossi the race victory. This win consolidated his championship lead, becoming the first rider to win a race using an extra-hard Bridgestone rear tyre.^[307]

He recorded his fourth podium finish of the year, eighth successive podium finish – and the 200th of his Grand Prix career – with a third place in Spain, then kept the run going with a second place in France and a third place on home soil in Italy.^{[308][309][310]} In Catalunya, Rossi finished second after a late charge on teammate and race winner Jorge Lorenzo to maintain the championship lead over his teammate by one point.^[311]

Rossi took his first pole position of the season in the Dutch race – his first pole since the 2014 Valencian Community round and 61st pole position in Grand Prix racing – and achieved his third victory of the season after a race-long battle with Márquez where the pair once again collided on the final corner on the last lap.^[312] It was his first win from pole position since the 2009 San Marino Grand Prix and his twelfth successive podium. He also extended his championship lead to ten points over Lorenzo, who finished third.

Rossi further extended his championship lead in Germany with third and continued his podium streak with third-place finishes in Indianapolis and the Czech Republic.^{[313][314][315]} Lorenzo's win in Brno gave him the championship lead over Rossi, by virtue of more wins in that point.

Rossi regained the championship lead with his fourth victory of the year in Great Britain after Márquez – who had been chasing him for the majority of the race – crashed out in wet conditions on lap 13 while Lorenzo finished fourth.^[316][317] The podium streak of 16 races ended with a fifth-place finish in San Marino, but Rossi extended his championship lead to 23 points after Lorenzo crashed out.^[318] Lorenzo won the Aragón round with Rossi finishing in third to cut the gap to fourteen points with four races remaining. The pair's results were enough for the Yamaha Motor Racing team to clinch their respective title, their first since 2010.^[319]

In Japan, Rossi extended his championship lead to eighteen points with a second-place finish to Dani Pedrosa – his first win of the season – in drying conditions. Lorenzo had started on pole but faded to third with tyre issues.^[320] Lorenzo then cut the lead to eleven points in Australia by finishing second to Rossi's fourth.^[321]

Lorenzo further cut the lead to seven points after a second-place finish in Malaysia; Rossi finished third after a controversial collision with Márquez, in which he accrued three penalty points – enough to enforce a start from the back of the grid for the final race in the Valencian Community.^[322] Rossi accused Márquez of deliberately trying to harm his championship, something Márquez repeatedly denied.^[323][324] Rossi made it up to fourth in the race but with Lorenzo winning it, he took the championship by only five points.^[325]

The controversial rivalries between Rossi and Márquez appeared to end in the 2016 Catalan Grand Prix, when Rossi and Márquez shook hands in the parc ferme. However, during the 2018 Argentine Grand Prix, controversies reared up again following some disputed maneuvers carried out by Marc Márquez before and during the race, where he tried a very risky overtake on Rossi that resulted in a crash for the latter.^[326]

Before the 2016 season even began, Rossi announced that he will continue his career by keeping his contract with the Factory Yamaha team until 2018.^[327] Yamaha announced that Rossi will ride a 2016 YZR-M1 which also includes ECU Michelin tyres new to MotoGP and all riders.^[328] Expecting a difficult start to the season due to the new tyres, Rossi was able to adjust as he stated to the media in Sepang during the tests.^[329]

Rossi began the 2016 season with fourth place in Qatar, albeit just two seconds from victory.^[330] In the next race in Argentina, Rossi returned to the podium with a second place behind Marc Márquez after a collision between Ducati riders Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso on the last lap allowed Rossi and Dani Pedrosa to move up, for which Iannone was penalised. The race was split into two parts similar to the 2013 Australian Grand Prix after concerns over Michelin rear tyres forced riders to make a pitstop to change bikes. Rossi had fought with Márquez for the lead in the first half of the race but fell back to fourth on his second bike before the last lap incident between the Ducatis.^[331] In the third round in the Americas, Rossi suffered his first DNF since the 2014 Aragon Grand Prix, bringing an end to a run of 24 consecutive top-five finishes after crashing in the start of the third lap in turn 2 when he lost the front of his M1 mid-corner.^[332]

In Spain, Rossi took pole position – his first since the Dutch round last year and his 52nd pole position overall – on Saturday, then led the race from start-to-finish with the exception of one corner to win. The race marked the first time in his MotoGP career that Rossi led every lap of a race from pole position.^[333][334] In the French round, Rossi started a lowly seventh on the grid but recovered in the race, overtaking both Márquez and Dovizioso in the process to finish second with the fastest lap of the race, the race being won by Yamaha teammate Lorenzo.^[335] Rossi suffered an engine failure on his home race in Italy when battling Lorenzo for the lead after starting from pole position.^[336] It was Rossi's first technical failure since the 2007 San Marino Grand Prix.

Rossi bounced back in Catalunya by winning from seventh on the first lap after a late-race battle with Márquez. Rossi dedicated the victory to the family of former Moto2 rider Luis Salom, who had been killed following a crash during Friday practice.^[337] The first race held on Sunday in the Dutch race saw disappointment for Rossi as wet conditions saw him fall from a comfortable lead in a restarted race following a red flag in torrential conditions. Assuming the lead in the second race, Rossi set the fastest lap and continued to push before crashing due to what he called a "stupid mistake".^[338] More rain in the German round saw Rossi in contention for victory again. However, a delayed decision to change bikes in the drying conditions, combined with using intermediate tyres instead of slicks like Márquez, saw him come home eighth.^[339]

After the summer break, MotoGP's return to Austria for the first time since 1997 saw the Factory Ducati riders dominate for a 1–2 finish, Rossi coming home a close fourth behind Jorge Lorenzo. Another wet race in the Czech Republic saw Rossi go against the majority of the field in choosing the harder rear wet tyre. Initially it seemed an error as he fell from 6th to 12th but he recovered throughout the race to finish second to Cal Crutchlow.^[340] Great Britain saw Rossi line up second on the grid behind pole-sitter Crutchlow and following an intense battle with Márquez, eventually finishing third behind Crutchlow and first-time race winner Maverick Viñales.^[341] A week later Rossi finished second in his "home race" in San Marino. After leading for the majority of the race he was overhauled by Dani Pedrosa in the closing laps.^[342] Rossi again led for a period in Aragón before eventually finishing third.

The flyaway races began badly for Rossi after he crashed out of second place in Japan, having started from pole. Victory for Márquez saw the Spaniard crowned champion with three races remaining.^[343] Rossi started in fifteenth spot in the Australian race after a rain affected qualifying but recovered to finish second in the race.^[344] Rossi secured second place once more in wet conditions in Malaysia behind Andrea Dovizioso having again led for periods of the race, the result securing second place in the championship for the third consecutive year.^[345] The season concluded in the same fashion as 2015 did, with fourth place in Valencia after a long battle with Iannone.

Rossi finished second in the championship with 249 points, 49 points behind champion Marc Márquez.

Rossi suffered a difficult winter testing period for the 2017 season, often lagging behind new teammate Maverick Viñales after suffering with a new, softer construction Michelin front tyre.^[346]

For the season opener in Qatar however, he appeared to make a breakthrough, moving from tenth on the grid to finish third.^[347] Rossi continued his improvement by taking back-to-back second place podiums in Argentina after a battle with Cal Crutchlow for second place and the Americas to take the lead of the championship after three races by six points.^[348][349]

The European season began disappointingly with a lowly tenth position in the Spanish round whilst Honda rider Dani Pedrosa won the race from pole.^[350] In the next race in France, Rossi crashed out of the race on the last lap while battling with teammate Viñales for the win. Rossi also lost the championship lead after the race.^[351] Following the French round, Rossi suffered a motocross training crash and had mild thoracic and abdominal trauma, but no fractures were detected in any part of the body and no serious traumatic pathologies were found.^[352] This crash initially threatened his participation in Mugello, but ultimately he passed a late fitness test and was deemed fit to race.^[353] In his home race in Italy, Rossi finished just off the podium in fourth, blaming his lack of energy due to his motocross training crash a week earlier which prevented him from scoring said podium.^[354] A week later in Catalunya, both Yamaha riders struggled as they did in Jerez in the hot conditions with Rossi and Viñales only able to finish eighth and tenth.^[355]

Tests of a new chassis after the Catalan race were positive and saw Rossi take his first and only win of the season in the Dutch round after a late-race battle with the Pramac Ducati of Danilo Petrucci, who ran slick tyres on a damp track, the older Italian prevailing by just 0.063 seconds.^[356] The result also made Rossi the oldest race winner in the MotoGP era, surpassing Troy Bayliss.^[357] After his win in Assen, Rossi underperformed in the next three rounds in Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria, finishing in fifth, fourth and seventh positions.

Rossi returned on the podium in Great Britain, leading for much of the race but ultimately having to concede the win to Dovizioso and second to Viñales with three laps to go.^[358] After the race in Silverstone, Rossi suffered another motocross crash in late August where he suffered displaced fractures of the tibia and fibula of his right leg. He suffered these injuries on the same leg that he previously broke in his high-speed crash in Mugello in 2010 and put him out of contention, requiring surgery and missing his "home race" in San Marino.^{[359][360][361]}

After missing out on the race in Misano, Rossi returned in Aragón to finish an impressive fifth after lining up in the front row of the grid on Saturday.^[362] In Japan, he had his second retirement of the season after he crashed in the wet conditions early in the race.^[363] In the Australian GP, Rossi scored his final podium of the season by finishing in second place, fighting hard with Tech 3 Yamaha rider Johann Zarco and finishing ahead of teammate Viñales by just 0.016 seconds.^[364] Rossi finished the season with disappointing results in the Malaysian and Valencian Community rounds, only being able to score seventh and fifth.

Rossi finished fifth in the championship with 208 points – his lowest position since his final season with Ducati in 2012 – 90 points behind champion Marc Márquez.^[365]

Before the start of the season-opening race in Qatar, Rossi announced he had extended his contract in the Factory Yamaha team until 2020, when he will be 41 years old.^[366][367]

During the pre-season tests, Rossi and Viñales once again struggled with their 2018 Yamaha YZR-M1 competitor. Both riders were concerned about corner-entry and corner-exit issues as well as the lack of traction and tyre temperature.^[368]

In the first round in Qatar, Rossi started off well by getting a first podium of the season in the form of third place. He had a good start from eighth on the grid to move up to fourth on the opening lap, overtook the Honda of Dani Pedrosa on the second lap and made his move on the other Honda of Marc Márquez with 17 laps to go. However, he went wide in turn one on lap 11 and allowed Márquez and Andrea Dovizioso past. With five laps to go, Rossi muscled his way past the Tech 3 Yamaha of Johann Zarco but eventually could not get close enough and crossed the line 0.797 seconds behind eventual race winner Dovizioso.^[369] In Argentina, Rossi finished outside of the points in nineteenth place after a collision with the Honda of Márquez, who was storming through the field after starting from the back, when his bike stalled as a result of the crash. Márquez went up the inside of multiple riders, clashing with the Aprilia of Aleix Espargaró first and later with Rossi. When the Spaniard misjudged the braking point, he forced Rossi to go wide, making him clip the grass and fall in the process. Rossi eventually got going again, but failed to score any points afterwards.^[370] After the race, Rossi accused Márquez of "destroying our sport" because he "doesn't have any respect for his rivals" and Márquez received a 30-second penalty for the action.^[371] In the following rounds in the Americas and Spain, Rossi finished off the podium twice in fourth and fifth place, but he bounced back by scoring three consecutive third-place podiums in the French, Italian and Catalan rounds.^{[372][373][374]} In Mugello, he scored his first and only pole position of the season – his first since the 2016 Japanese GP and his 51st MotoGP pole position overall.^[375]

Rossi only finished fifth in the Dutch round but managed to score his first and only second place of the season in Germany, 2.196 seconds behind winner Márquez, claiming he finished so high on a track that usually does not suit the Yamaha's because he "studied everything" from the then-absent Jonas Folger.^[376] After his podium finish in the Sachsenring, Rossi finished off the podium again in the Czech Republic and Austria races in fourth and sixth place.

With the race in Great Britain cancelled due to heavy rain which failed to drain properly on the newly repaved Silverstone surface, Rossi failed to finish on the podium for five consecutive races.^[377] He finished the San Marino race in seventh, the Aragón race in eighth, the Thai and Japanese races in fourth and the Australian race in sixth.

Rossi's best chance in a victory came in the penultimate round of the season in Malaysia. He took the lead going into the first corner from P2 after poleman Zarco made a poor start and built up a gap, but Márquez stormed up through the field and the gap between them was 1.1 seconds with ten laps to go. Rossi pushed hard to keep the gap above 1 second but Márquez dipped below to 0.7 seconds with five laps to go. Many were preparing for a Rossi-Márquez battle when Rossi lost the front of his M1 bike with four laps to go in turn 1. Márquez won the race, with Rossi remounting and finishing nineteenth, outside the points.^[378] In the Valencian Community round, Rossi moved up the order from sixteenth on the grid in the wet conditions, being helped by some of the front runners crashing out in the ever-worsening conditions. When the race was stopped, Rossi was forced to use a used rear tyre, which he claimed "made the difference" as he was "more in trouble with the rear". As the race restarted, Rossi crashed out of second place.^[379]

Rossi finished third in the championship with 198 points, 123 points behind champion Marc Márquez. This was Rossi's first winless season since 2012 when he raced with Ducati and his first ever winless season with the Factory Yamaha team.

During the pre-season tests, both Yamaha riders had mixed feelings of the 2019 YZR-M1. There were signs that showed that some of the problems, such as the lack of traction and degradation of the tyres, were less of an issue this year.^[380] However, in the Sepang tests, Rossi said he was only "half-happy" with the results, claiming, "some things worked well and we improved our performance, other things from which we expected a lot unfortunately didn't bring us what we need."

In the opening round in Qatar, Rossi lined up fourteenth on the grid on Saturday but stormed through the field to finish in fifth in the line, +0.600 seconds behind race winner Andrea Dovizioso.^[381] In the next race in Argentina, he rode a strong race where he battled with the Ducati of Dovizioso, overtaking him on the last lap to finish second, his first podium since the 2018 German round.^[382][383] In the third round in the Americas, Rossi again finished second after Marc Márquez crashed out of the race and Rossi was overtaken by the Suzuki of Álex Rins with four laps to go. Eventually, Rins crossed the line 0.462 seconds ahead of Rossi to win his first ever MotoGP race.^[384] After the good results in Argentina and the U.S., Rossi only managed to finish in sixth and fifth place in Spain and France.

In the next three rounds, Rossi registered three consecutive retirements – for the first time in his career. In Italy, he crashed out after clipping the back of Joan Mir's Suzuki and ran across the gravel in Turn 4. He recovered and tried to regain the lost ground but eventually slid off again in the high-speed Arrabiata 2 corner to register his first DNF since the 2017 Japanese race.^[385] In Catalunya, Rossi – despite qualifying well on Saturday in fifth – was again forced to retire after an error by Jorge Lorenzo on lap 2 led to a freak accident in which Lorenzo, Rossi, teammate Viñales and Andrea Dovizioso were all involved. When Lorenzo tried to dive down the inside of Dovizioso in Turn 10, he lost the bike and collected Dovizioso, which in turn took out Viñales. Rossi was forced to go wide and initially survived a minor hit of Lorenzo's stricken bike, only to hit it again and fall onto the tarmac this time. The bike was damaged as a result and Rossi was unable to continue.^{[386][387][388]} In the Netherlands, Rossi registered his third DNF when he crashed and took out Takaaki Nakagami in Turn 8 on lap 4, the race being won by his teammate Viñales.^[389][390]

After these disastrous results, the next races went better for him. In the German and Czech rounds, Rossi managed to score an eighth and sixth place. He then scored three consecutive fourth places in Austria, which was the scene of the dramatic last-lap battle between Dovizioso and Màrquez, Great Britain and his home race in San Marino.^{[391][392][393]} Two eighth-place finishes followed for the Italian in Aragón and Thailand.

In Japan, Rossi had another retirement. He crashed out of a lowly eleventh place in Turn 1 with four laps to go. This was Rossi's fourth DNF of the season, equalling his 1998 season and the highest number of his MotoGP career.^[394][395] Rossi ended the season only being able to score points: he finished in eighth place in Australia, fourth place in Malaysia – narrowly losing out on the podium but taking the fastest lap of the race – and eighth again in Valencia.

Rossi finished seventh in the championship with 174 points, 246 points behind champion Marc Márquez. This was Rossi's lowest championship position since 2011 when he raced for Ducati and marked his second winless season.

In October 2019, Rossi announced he would be changing his crew chief. Silvano Galbusera, who has been Rossi's crew chief since 2014, will be replaced by David Muñoz for the 2020 season. The reason stated for this change was because of the poor results Rossi obtained during the 2019 season.^{[396][397][398]}

Rossi's future in the factory Yamaha team was uncertain after the rather poor results he had obtained the previous year. His initial plan was to wait for a handful of races in 2020 to see how competitive he still is because he has not won a race since 2017 and because of his lackluster 2019 season. However, because of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent delay of the start of the season, Rossi did not get the five or six races he hoped for.^[399][400] The team had asked him in the beginning of the year to make a decision regarding his future for reasons dictated by the riders' market, but ended the negotiations after his decision and chose Fabio Quartararo to line up beside Viñales for the 2021 season.^[401] This has left Rossi with a vacant seat but Yamaha's Lin Jarvis has already said that the team wants to supply him with a full factory bike and support.^[402][403] In July 2020, Rossi said that he is "99% certain" he will ride for the SIC Racing Team even though no contract has been signed yet, and that he'll make the decision either in August or September 2020.^[404] Rossi has also said he wants to continue racing in 2021, but that both he and SIC team boss Razlan Razali had doubts after the poor weekend in Spain.^[399][401] However, after Rossi's podium in the second race in Andalucia, these doubts were put to rest.^[405]

In the pre-season tests, the 2020 Yamaha YZR-M1 had improved considerably compared to the 2019 counterpart. The new engine had fixed most of the deficit that the riders suffered from in 2018 and 2019 and the handling was improved as well thanks to an updated chassis. Both the Factory as well as the SIC satellite riders were happy with the feeling of this year's bike and Rossi said that the bike has "a very good feeling" but that he personally worries he'll struggle with the tyres after around five to six laps and is disappointed the Yamaha is still losing out to the competitors on the straights.^{[406][407][408]} He also commented that the updated Michelin tyres suit the bike, as well as his riding style, a lot more compared to last year.^[409]

Rossi's first race was supposed to start in Qatar but was cancelled due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. After a three-month delay, the season finally got underway in Spain. In this race, Rossi was in tenth position before retiring with technical problems. The race was won by satellite rider Quartararo for the first time in his MotoGP career.^[410] In the same venue one week later in Andalucia, the Italian took his first podium since Austin. After qualifying in a strong fourth on Saturday, Rossi found himself in a fierce battle for second place with teammate Maverick Viñales after multiple riders either crashed out or had technical issues.^[411] Eventually, after outbraking himself, he lost second to Viñales but came home third to pick up his 199th podium in his motorcycle racing career.^[412][413] In the following two rounds in the Czech Republic and Austria, he came home in fifth place but only managed to come home ninth in the Styrian GP. Following a fourth place in the first race in his home Grand Prix in Misano, Rossi had three consecutive retirements, crashing out in the early stages of the second race in Misano and Le Mans, and while challenging Quartararo for a potential race win in Barcelona.

At the Misano test held in September 2020, Valentino Rossi was seen trying out a Shape Shifter/Ride Height Adjuster, commonly known as a Ride Height Device. Throughout the 2020 season, Yamaha was known to be experimenting with developing a Shape Shifter/seat height adjuster system to lower the rear end by mechanically lowering or possibly compressing the rear suspension. This type of shape shifter is used on straights to mechanically assist the electronic system of the Anti-wheelie Magneti Marelli so that the tire grip can be much more optimal and make the power truly more efficiently distributed to the tires with only something wasted in the form of lifting the front wheel or sliding/spinning ^[414]..

On 15 October 2020, he tested positive for COVID-19, which forced him to miss the Aragon and Teruel GP's.^{[415][416][417]} Six members of the factory Yamaha team were quarantined as one member had already tested positive earlier in October 2020.^[418][419] Having recovered from COVID-19, Rossi raced in the European GP but retired. On 12 November, Rossi tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time. However, further tests confirmed that the previous test was a false positive and he was allowed to participate in the final two races of the season.

In September 2020, after six months of speculation, Rossi confirmed that he would be joining Petronas Yamaha SRT for the 2021 season alongside his VR46 Academy protégé Franco Morbidelli.^[420] This is the first time that Rossi raced with a satellite team since 2001 – which was when he clinched his first-ever premier class world title. Despite being a non-factory rider, Rossi still received factory-supported machinery for his season in Petronas Yamaha SRT. In this team he had five different teammates in a season, namely Franco Morbidelli, Garrett Gerloff, Cal Crutchlow, Jake Dixon, and Andrea Dovizioso.

In the first race in Qatar, Rossi made a surprise after successfully setting his best time and starting from 4th position at the age of 42. After appearing quite convincing during the qualifying session, Valentino Rossi actually dropped far during the race and finished in 12th position. Valentino Rossi seemed to have some problems and had to struggle in the middle of the board. Almost the same thing also experienced by Franco Morbidelli, even only finishing in 18th position due to rear shockbreaker problems. Therefore, both Rossi and Morbidelli tried using hard compound rear tires in the second free practice session. However, the results were still not good enough, so they finally used soft tires during the race which turned out to be not enough to help consistency until the end.^[421] In the next race, the Doha Grand Prix, held at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar, Rossi had the worst start of his career at the 2021 Doha GP in 21st place and only finished in 16th place.^[422]

For the 2021 Italian MotoGP at Mugello, Valentino Rossi unveiled a special edition helmet featuring a cow-themed design, with the words "Muu...Gello" incorporated. This helmet, designed by Aldo Drudi, was a continuation of Rossi's tradition of special helmets for his home race. The design included a cow on a green pasture, representing the Mugello or Tuscany landscape.^[423] In the first 5 races, Rossi had never finished in the top 10. He started the race in Italy with high hopes. Rossi was one of the enthusiastic participants in the race at the Mugello Circuit. The Petronas Yamaha rider is the active rider with the most wins, with nine wins across various classes. Rossi's last victory at the Italian MotoGP was in 2008. Although he has not finished first at Mugello for over a decade, that has not dampened the Italian's ambition to deliver his best performance there. On the one hand, Rossi expressed his disappointment ahead of the race in his homeland. The 42-year-old rider expressed sadness at having to race without fans in the stands due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "It's like a UEFA Champions League final without spectators. But that's what's happening everywhere now," Rossi said. ossi had poor results during free practice and qualifying for the 2021 Italian MotoGP. These results mean he will start the race from 19th position. In the end, Rossi managed to finish the 2021 Italian MotoGP race at the Mugello MotoGP circuit with a 10th-place finish. It was his best finish in the first six races of the 2021 season.^[424]

At the Austrian round, Rossi nearly reached the podium in the rain. The Doctor did not change his motorcycle tires when the rain started to wet the track. The race, held at the Red Bull Ring Circuit, presented plenty of drama. The race started in dry conditions, before rain fell towards the end. The wet track conditions forced many riders to return to the pits and change tires. However, some insisted on finishing the race on dry tires. By the end of the race, Rossi was one of the riders who finished without changing tires. The Petronas Yamaha rider finished the race in 8th place, 17 seconds behind Brad Binder, and it turned out to be Rossi's best finish of the season.^[425]

At the San Marino MotoGP race in Misano, Rossi wore a special pink helmet. This special pink Valentino Rossi helmet was dedicated to the baby born from his love affair with his girlfriend Francesca Sofia Novello. As is known, Rossi and Francesca were preparing to welcome the joyful birth of their baby girl named Giulietta Rossi. The Petronas Yamaha SRT racer expressed his joy through a special helmet designed specifically for the baby.^[426]

Rossi raced his final race in Italy on Sunday, October 24, 2021. Rossi continued the tradition of wearing a specially themed helmet when he returned to the Misano Circuit for the 16th round of the Emilia Romagna MotoGP. This helmet served as a farewell to his fans as this season marks his final season following his official retirement announcement. The 2021 MotoGP season will be The Doctor's final stage as he has announced his retirement at the end of this season. Rossi's helmet is dominated by his trademark yellow color. Right at the top, there is a large heart-shaped image in yellow. Meanwhile, the right, left, and back sides are filled with flags bearing the number 46 and photos of Rossi's fans. This helmet marks Rossi's farewell to his fans.^[427]

On November 14, 2021, Valentino Rossi ended his MotoGP racing career at the Valencian Grand Prix in Circuit Ricardo Tormo. Previously, the nine-time world champion announced his retirement from MotoGP racing after 22 seasons in the premier class and a total of 26 seasons across all classes. In the race, titled "The Last Dance - Grazie Vale," Rossi finished 10th. He wore a tracksuit with the words "Grazie Vale" emblazoned on the back.^[428]

At the final race in Valencia, Suzuki MotoGP paid tribute to Rossi. Rossi did not reach the podium in this race. As a legend nearing the end of his career, this did not diminish the respect held for Rossi by many. Suzuki, despite never having ridden with Rossi, did not want to miss out on paying their respects. Banners were unfurled as Rossi headed to the paddock after the race. Suzuki riders and crew then lined both sides of the track. Applause was given, and a banner reading "Grazie per lo spettacolo (Thanks for the show)" was unfurled over Rossi's track.^[429]

On 5 August 2021, during the pre-event press conference of the 2021 Styrian motorcycle Grand Prix weekend, Rossi announced that he would retire from MotoGP after the 2021 season.^[11] His last race was the 2021 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix, and he was congratulated for a successful career by various celebrities and prominent racing figures such as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, as well as former rival Casey Stoner. Rossi's number 46 was retired with a ceremony in the 2022 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix.^[430]

The 2021 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix was full of surprises for Rossi, both before, during, and after the race. The first surprise began a few days earlier, starting on Thursday, November 11th. Dorna, the MotoGP organizer, prepared a special exhibition for Rossi. Not to be outdone, the Ricardo Tormo Circuit also prepared its own special surprise. There were also other special moments for The Doctor, including: ^[431].

• A special exhibition of nine of Valentino Rossi's world champion motorcycles, from Aprilia, Honda, to Yamaha
• The Ricardo Tormo Circuit created a giant mural of Rossi's face on one of its buildings
• Nine VR46 Academy riders in the Moto3, Moto2, and MotoGP classes wore replica Rossi helmets during the race
• Valentino Rossi was satisfied with ending his racing career with a top-10 finish. The same result as at the Misano GP
• Francesco Bagnaia, a friend and VR46 Academy rider, won the Valencia GP. This victory was dedicated to Rossi
• The MotoGP riders paid their respects after the race. Fabio Quartararo carries the yellow flag 46
• The Doctor always receives a warm welcome and respect from the crowd
• Rossi was given a warm welcome in the paddock. Every team in every garage gave their warm welcome and respect
• Ronaldo Nazario, a former Brazilian national team player, came to Valencia especially for Rossi. Ronaldo is indeed one of Rossi's idols
• On the night after his final race, Rossi was named a MotoGP Legend at the FIM Awards ceremony

During his MotoGP career, Rossi had participated in some car racing events like the Gulf 12 Hours in 2019 and 2020, usually driving a Ferrari.^[432] On 13 January 2022, it was announced that Rossi would be racing for Team WRT in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup in 2022, driving an Audi R8 LMS.^[433]

In January 2022, Team WRT announced that Rossi would join its driver line-up in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS for the 2022 season.^[434] Rossi started his professional career on four wheels with the Belgian squad, which is the reigning champion team in the Fanatec GTWCE Powered by AWS (overall, Endurance and Sprint). Rossi competed in both the Endurance and the Sprint Cups, driving an Audi R8 LMS sporting the emblematic #46 in the Pro Cup class. He was paired with Audi factory drivers Nico Müller and Frédéric Vervisch for his first full-time foray in sportscar racing,^[435] the former being an endurance co-driver for the team.

In his first race in Imola, Rossi finished in 17th place overall due to a miscommunication causing him to overshoot his pit box; despite this issue Rossi stated he "enjoyed every moment".^[436] In the next round in Brands Hatch, the first Sprint round of the championship, he finished Race 1 and Race 2 in 13th and 8th places respectively. In the following 6 rounds of the championship, Rossi and his teammates achieved 4 overall top ten finishes, three of them being 5th place finishes.^[437] Rossi would end the season 21st in the standings, ending up 16th in the standings in both the Endurance and Sprint Cups.

Rossi continued with Team WRT for 2023, this time driving a BMW M4 GT3 as opposed to an Audi R8 LMS due to WRT becoming a BMW factory team.^[438] For that year, Rossi was paired with BMW factory drivers Maxime Martin and Augusto Farfus, the latter joining for the endurance rounds. Rossi won his first race in the GT World Challenge in Misano.^[439] Rossi finished 6th in the standings during his second full year in the championship.

Rossi continued with Team WRT for 2024, with Farfus replaced with new BMW factory driver Raffaele Marciello for the endurance rounds. Rossi would claim his second win in the series, repeating his win in Misano the previous year.^[440]

Rossi is also expected to compete in the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Martin and Al Harthy.^[441] At this season in the Endurance Cup, Rossi managed to finish in 9th position in the final standings with 34 points.Meanwhile in the Sprint Cup race, Rossi managed to achieve 2 podiums and 1 win, finished in 8th in the standings and got 27 points.

Rossi continued racing in 2025 with Ahmad Al Harthy and Kelvin van der Linde in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and Raffaele Marciello and Charles Weerts in the Intercontinental GT Challenge with Team WRT, specifically in the LMGT3 class.^[442] They achieved a podium finish in the Bathurst 12 Hour race, securing second place in the Pro category. The podium finish marked a positive start to Rossi's 2025 season and his third attempt at Bathurst. ^[443]

Then in the FIA WEC, 6 Hours of Imola, the BMW #46 driven by Valentino Rossi, Ahmad Al-Harthy, and Kevin van der Linde became runner-up after leading for quite some time.^[444]

Valentino Rossi and Kevin Magnussen are teammates at the Spa 24 Hours. Rossi and Magnussen will share a WRT-entered BMW M4 GT3 EVO with three-time DTM champion René Rast in the third round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup on June 26-29. It be the fourth consecutive appearance at the Spa 24 Hours for Rossi, who recently outlined his desire to return to the Belgian endurance classic this year despite stepping down from GTWCE to focus on his main World Endurance Championship commitments.^[445]

In 2025, Valentino Rossi also compete in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, in the same team as Kevin Magnussen and Rene Rast.^[446]

In the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup race held at the Misano Circuit in July, Rossi and Raffaele Marciello won race 1. Marciello overtook Vincent Abril late in the race to take victory in GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup Race 1 at Misano, giving co-driver Valentino Rossi his third victory in three years at his home circuit. Marciello wrestled the No. 46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO past Abril's No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 at Turn 12 with six minutes remaining, then extended the gap to 1.580 seconds at the finish line.^[447] In the race 2 on Sunday afternoon was no less dramatic, halted on the seventh lap due to a multi-car collision and only restarted after a two-and-a-half-hour delay. Rossi and teammate Marciello could only finish 21st.^[448]

Rossi competed in the 2023 Road to Le Mans with Team WRT, alongside Jérôme Policand,^[449] in preparation for a planned debut in the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans. Rossi and Policand scored a class victory in the second race, having been promoted to the position after the AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE of Kei Cozzolino and Hiroshi Koizumi was penalized for "erratic driving".^[450]

At the first round in Mount Panorama, Australia, Valentino Rossi has completed the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance car race on Sunday, February 5, 2023. He was able to finish at 6th with his teammates, Augusto Farfus and Maxime Martin. They rose two places from their starting position in 8th. During the Bathurst 12 Hour car race in Australia, Rossi reportedly experienced a taillight problem. The taillight of the BMW racing car he was driving was not working. This situation made Team WRT mechanics act quickly to fix it, because it is a safety factor in endurance car racing. However, Rossi and his team failed to get a podium, and had to be satisfied with finishing in P6. Even though this team had competed in the top three when the race had 2.5 hours left.^[451]

Last round was held in Yas Marina, Valentino Rossi managed to take second place in the 2023 Gulf 12 Hours race at Abu Dhabi on December 10, 2023. Rossi and team-mates Dries Vanthoor and Nick Yelloly missed out on victory by 12 seconds to the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Maro Engel, Luca Stolz and Mikael Grenier. However, that final margin did not tell the whole story. Rossi led the race after 7.5 hours, then held his lead for an hour, when he then handed it over to Yelloly. However, a pedal box problem cost the team 15 seconds during a pit stop, and they dropped back to second.

Although the trio kept the fight alive for the win for the remainder of the race, they were unable to catch the Mercedes.^[452]

At his first season in 2023 in this competition, Rossi managed to achieve 1 podium by finishing in 13th place in the final standings and gaining 38 points.^[453]

In the 2024 season, Rossi competed with Raffaele Marciello and Maxime Martin. At the first round in Mount Panorama, Rossi and his two car mates, performed extraordinarily at the 2024 Bathurst 12 Hour. Valentino Rossi even almost tasted the podium with the WRT team at the Mount Panorama Circuit. Driving a BMW M4 GT3, Rossi et al ended the 12-hour race just two seconds behind to reach the podium, in a fairly chaotic race with many incidents. Since the start of the race, car number 46 continued to fight in the front group to maintain its hopes of reaching the podium. There was an incident after eight hours, because Maxime Martin entered the gravel at the top of the mountain track.

There was no significant collision, so the WRT team car could continue the race even though it lost many positions. Until the last five minutes, car number 46 which was driven by Maxime Martin still had the opportunity to reach the remaining podium at Mount Panorama.

There was a tight four-way battle there, because there were four cars that had the same chance to compete for the podium. When taking the Murray corner, Martin slipped and went wide into the grass outside the asphalt so that he lost momentum. However, he was still able to fight, before finally the opportunity to reach the podium really slipped away. It's a shame because the podium would actually be the most beautiful gift for Rossi, who just turned 45 on February 16, 2024. Rossi himself appeared in several stints, and was able to cut some of the time that was lost from other racers. It can even be said that the appearance at Mount Panorama was one of the best performances from the MotoGP legend on four wheels. ^[454]

Rossi finished in 17th position in the final standings with 14 points.

In 2025 season, Rossi competed in this competition with Raffaelle Marciello and Charles Weerts. At the first round in Mount Panorama, he started the season with a brilliant achievement, although a bit blundering. Valentino Rossi managed to take his first podium in the 2025 competition season, at the Bathurst 12 Hour. Together with Raffaele Marciello and Charles Weerts, Valentino Rossi managed to win second place in the race at the Mount Panorama Circuit.

Rossi et al, who drove the BMW M4 GT3 WRT team, appeared very promising from the start in the 12-hour race. Marciello, who was the starter, immediately pushed many positions at the start of the race and then set the racing rhythm and also did fuel management. Another important moment was when the first safety car came out, where the car number 46 managed to take second place. Rossi played a very important role because he appeared very fast, even though he made a fatal mistake. However, Rossi and his two teammates were still fast enough, so the penalty that dropped him to eighth position could be corrected. Racing style with good fuel management tactics made them make one pit stop less than almost all of their rivals. However, if there had been no penalty, it is not impossible that Rossi et al would have beaten the other WRT team cars that became the winners. ^[455]

Rossi competed in the 24H Series race. In 2023, he teamed up with Sean Gelael, Maxime Martin, Max Hesse, and Tom Whale on Team WRT for the 2022–23 Middle East Trophy. The five of them drove the BMW M4 GT3, according to the class they participated in, namely the GT3. The GT3 class is attended by 20 cars which is the most from all classes.^[456] In the first race in Dubai, Rossi and his co-drivers achieved a third-place finish.^[457]

In addition to his GT World Challenge Europe commitments, Rossi was signed to compete in the World Endurance Championship.^[458] He would be paired with Maxime Martin and Ahmad Al Harthy for his initial season in WEC.

In the first round, Rossi successfully completed his debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) car racing event at Lusail International Circuit, Qatar. Rossi drove the BMW M4 LMGT3 car with the Team WRT. Rossi, who retired from MotoGP at the end of the 2021 season, joined the Team WRT for the opening WEC series, in the Qatar 1812 km, which takes place on March 1–2, 2024. Rossi shares car number 46 with teammates Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts. In a race that lasted 12 hours, Rossi and his team managed to finish fourth in the LMGT3 class, and 14th overall. They were just 1 minute 23 seconds behind the LMGT3 class winners.^[459]

Next in the second round, Rossi scored his maiden podium in his second race, at the 2024 6 Hours of Imola. The Doctor had a fierce duel with Sean Gelael. At that time Rossi was winning with a good time. Rossi with WRT #46 was more than 20 seconds ahead of WRT #31, which was Sean Gelael's team. But Sean cut the distance, to 19, 17, 13, 10, 8, and finally 5 seconds. An uphill battle considering the track conditions were also not easy because there were many incidents of cars leaving the track and then bringing gravel into the race track. It rained at the end of the race, but the two cars Team WRT pulled away to finish in the front two positions at Imola.^[460]

After a perfect result at Imola, Rossi had to accept his misfortune in the third race of the FIA WEC series titled 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Rossi's car failed to finish due to a careless mistake by a hypercar in the six-hour race at Team WRT's home track. Rossi had been having a pretty good race from the start, and had the potential for a good result in the LMGT3 class this weekend. In the race, the #46 car driven by Rossi and his two partners started from second position. The #46 car suffered first when its partner, Ahmad Al Harthy, was hit. There were two hypercars battling it out, one of which was driven by Rene Rast who is also a BMW M Team WRT driver. Rast crashed into the #38 JOTA team hypercar driven by Philip Hanson, and there was a car crash that hit Al Harthy. The race was stopped for over an hour to repair the track barrier due to the crash, and car #46 had to be retired.^[461]

Next in Le Mans, Rossi and the #46 car had some bad luck. Battling for the top spot in the opening stages, Al Harthy handed over the BMW WRT to Rossi who managed to maintain the top spot for most of his stint. But when the rain came, Al Harthy, who stayed on track with slippery tires, crashed and damaged the car beyond repair.^[462]

In the race at the Interlagos Circuit, Brazil, Team WRT 46 driven by Valentino Rossi and his two colleagues were able to finish fifth even though they started from 12th place. The WRT 31 Team's main competitor in the hunt for the LMGT3 class title, Manthey PureRxcing 92, won the race and has now widened the points gap in the standings. Meanwhile, the Manthey EMA 91 team experienced problems and finished 12th.^[463]

Next round at America, The #46 BMW M4 LMGT3 car driven by Valentino Rossi, Ahmad Al Harthy and Maxime Martin crashed out 15 minutes before the end of the World Endurance Championship race at Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas. They rose from 15th in the LMGT3 class to fifth alongside Al-Harty in Sunday's Lone Star Le Mans starting stint at COTA. Al-Harty's strong speed was maintained by his teammates, Rossi and Martin in the six-hour race. Running inside the top five as the finish line neared, the car experienced hydraulic problems with 15 minutes remaining and was forced to retire.^[464]

The next race was held in Fuji, Japan. This is Valentino Rossi's latest achievement in four-wheel racing, winning his first World Endurance Championship (WEC) podium at the Fuji Circuit. Rossi and his teammates Maxime Martin and Ahmad Al Harthy placed their #46 BMW M4 in third place in the LMGT3 class. They finished behind Ferrari and Porsche. Rossi drove the final lap for his team and completed two overtakes at the same corner. He rose five positions in two rounds. They started from 12th position on the grid.^[465]

Next is the final race held in Bahrain. Moving into the top 10 later on the hour, as the first round of pit stops began to take place, the Omani rider remained off track at the start and as a result moved further into the top six with less than 55 minutes gone. After his first visit to the pits soon after, Al Harthy emerged in 10th place and was aiming to make progress but was instead back to 12th in the second hour. He then pitted himself against each other again towards the end of the second hour. Rossi got behind the wheel of the No.46 BMW M4 for his first race and when orders were finalized he was 12th. Gaining some ground to re-emerge in the top 10, Rossi pitted about 45 minutes into the third hour and rejoined in 12th time again. Al Harthy returned to the driver's seat for his final stint before the fourth hour ended, finishing 14th and holding that position until his next pit visit. Martin then took over driving duties, entering the race in 15th position. With two and a half hours remaining he moved up to 13th, before Rossi took over for the final race. After that, the last few hours passed in the same manner with Martin doing his best to gain strength but feeling frustrated in the end. Running 13th with less than half an hour remaining, Martin had to make one final pit visit and ultimately took the checked flag at the end of eight hours in 14th place in LMGT3.^[466]

Rossi is confirmed to return to compete in the 2025 LMGT3 car racing championship. He will compete in the LMGT3 class of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) endurance racing with the BMW WRT team. The BMW WRT team has announced that Rossi will continue his career in the WEC and will again be paired with Ahmad Al Harthy, as well as double Nurburgring 24 Hours winner Kelvin van der Linde who has also joined the team. ^[467]

In the first round held in Qatar, Rossi and his two teammates could only finish in 11th position.^[468]

In the second round held in Imola, Rossi and his two colleagues, Ahmad Al Harthy and Kelvin van der Linde, managed to finish on the second podium in the LMGT3 Imola 6 Hours class. Rossi et al had performed very well since the practice session, until they managed to achieve pole position when the car was driven by The Doctor. One major factor in the failure of the VR46 Racing Team boss in the 6 Hours of Imola was his crash into another car.

Approximately at 3 hours and 45 minutes into the race, Rossi, who was driving a BMW M4 GT3 Evo number 46, crashed into the Ferrari AF Corse number 21 driven by Simon Mann. The nine-time world champion in motorcycle racing crashed, when the two were competing for the position of leader of the race. At that time the, Rossi tried to enter from the inside at the Rivazza 2 corner, but instead hit Mann and then threw him to the track barrier wall. Rossi was immediately given a drive through penalty for his actions, so his position in front had to be given to another car. However, Kelvin van der Linde's appearance in the final stint of car number 46, had opened up a glimmer of hope. Kelvin was able to catch up with the Porsche 911 GT3-R driven by Richard Lietz to the finish line, although in the end he had to be satisfied with finishing on the second podium with a very narrow defeat.^[469]

The next series was titled 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, which took place at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. In this race, Rossi continued to race with his two colleagues Ahmad Al Harthy and Kevin van der Linde. However, during the free practice session, Ahmad Al Harthy, who was driving car #46, had an incident. The moment occurred right at the iconic Eau Rouge corner. At that time, Al Harthy was about to enter the Eau Rouge corner, but suddenly from behind there was a Ferrari hypercar that was driving very fast from the inside. The incident caused car #46 to have to go out into the run off area and had to jump when it found a mound there. However, they were still able to continue the next session and start from 9th position.^[470] During the race, Rossi and his two colleagues only managed to finish in 9th position.

At the race titled 24 Hours of Le Mans held on June 14-15, 2025, Valentino Rossi experienced bad luck. Valentino Rossi's team, WRT 46, failed to finish after the car driven by Kelvin van der Linde went wide and got stuck in the gravel. Kelvin attempted to return the car to the track, but he failed and requested the assistance of a crane. Kelvin then headed to the pitlane and lost a lap. The WRT Team briefly returned to the race, but was forced to return to the pits after a few laps. Shortly after, the WRT team announced that they were unable to continue the race due to a technical problem with the car.^[471]

Next, Rossi participated in the 6 Hours of São Paulo race. In this race, Rossi and his two teammates finished in 10th place and earned one point.

The 8 Hours of Bahrain on November 2 marked the end of BMW M Motorsport's debut season in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). On the Sunday after the race, the FIA WEC Rookie Test is scheduled, where Valentino Rossi (ITA), Dan Harper (GBR), and Max Hesse (GER) will piloted the BMW M Hybrid V8. The three of them have prepared for their Rookie Test in the BMW M Motorsport simulator in Munich (GER). Hesse was involved in development work during the season. He and Harper had also previously completed aerodynamic tests. For Rossi, this will be his first appearance in the cockpit of an LMDh car.

The seven-time MotoGP champion posted a 1m50.577s aboard the #20 WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 LMDh late in the afternoon session of the test on Sunday, the day after the WEC championship finale in Bahrain. That compared with Arthur Leclerc's 1m50.460s at the wheel of the #50 AF Corse Ferrari 499P Le Mans Hypercar also set in the final hour of the afternoon period.^[472]

In 2024, Valentino Rossi debuts with Team WRT at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The #46 WRT car actually performed very impressively in the first third of the race, especially when the wheel was held by Valentino Rossi. Rossi and the #46 car, which actually only started 12th in the LMGT3 class, were able to impress and then lead the race in the LMGT3 class for quite a while. This unwanted incident by Valentino Rossi, Ahmad Al Harthy and Maxime Martin then occurred at midnight local time. After completing his first stint, Rossi handed over the wheel of his BMW M4 LMGT3 car to Ahmad Al Harthy. Unexpectedly in a lead of more than a minute, Al Harthy lost control of his car and then twisted in the area after Dunlop Chicane and Tertre Rouge S. The car that was being held by Al Harthy also hit the track dividing wall and then suffered severe damage. The crash forced Rossi, Al Harthy and Martin out of the race and The Doctor's debut ended in disappointment.^[473]

In 2025, Valentino Rossi's #46 WRT BMW team had a challenging 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, despite a strong start. The team led the LMGT3 class at one point, with Rossi himself at the wheel, but an electrical issue forced them to retire before the halfway point of the race. Valentino Rossi spent a long time in the car and pitted from the lead during the sixth hour to hand over the reins to teammate Kelvin van der Linde, who kept the No.46 car at the front of its class. They were ahead of the No.92 Manthey Porsche driven by Ryan Hardwick, while the No.78 Akkodis ASP Lexus was third. The No.88 Proton Competition Mustang crashed in the fourth hour when it lost a wheel at Tetre Rouge so far, marking the only official cancellation of the event. Meanwhile, the No.95 United Autosports McLaren, the No.10 Aston Martin Racing Spirit of Le Mans and the No.63 Mercedes Iron Lynx all suffered problems that ended their races.^[474]

In 2025, Valentino Rossi and Kevin Magnussen will compete in the 2025 24 Hours of Spa at 27-29 June 2025 together with Rene Rast. The 24 Hours of Spa is one of the three most prestigious 24-hour endurance races in Europe held consecutively throughout June, along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. After failing to win at Le Mans with the BMW WRT #46, Valentino Rossi is now back on the track at Spa with Kelvin van der Linde and Ahmad Al Harthy. However, for Spa, the team composition has changed. Rossi will drive the BMW M4 GT3 No.46 with Kevin Magnussen and former Spa champion, Rene Rast. Magnussen, who left Formula One and joined BMW's Hypercar program last season, called the opportunity to compete at Spa with a great icon like Rossi a great honor.^[475]

During the race, which was held from June 26 to 29, 2025, Rossi's #46 WRT, Rene Rast, and Kevin Magnussen managed to finish in 11th place, one lap behind the #63 Lamborghini Grasser driven by Mirko Bortolotti, Jordan Pepper, and Luca Engstler. Unlike his performance at the Le Mans 24 Hours earlier this month, Rossi had a largely trouble-free race, with no major technical issues or penalties to hurt his chances. However, the #46 BMW was never really in the hunt for the top spot, mirroring the difficulties of the other four M4 GT3s on track. In main qualifying, Rossi, Rast and Magnussen only achieved Superpole by less than a tenth of a second with the 20th fastest time in the session. Rossi then got behind the wheel in the final shootout, recording the 18th fastest time to put the car on the ninth row of the grid. The trio pushed hard towards the top 15 at the start of the race and did not face any problems throughout the night. By dawn, however, it was clear that the No. 46 BMW was not fast enough to make further inroads. An untimely full yellow in the morning further delayed the crew. In the end, 11th place was the best Rossi, Rast and Magnussen could achieve, as they lost the top 10 to the No. 46 Winward Mercedes of Lucas Auer, Matteo Cairoli and Maro Engel. For Rossi, it was his second best finish at the Spa 24 Hours in four attempts, having previously finished sixth in 2023 alongside Augusto Farfus and Maxime Martin. But after BMW's victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours with Rowe Racing the previous week, Rossi was naturally disappointed with the result at Spa-Francorchamps. The No. 98 Rowe Racing BMW car was vying for the final spot on the podium before a 30-second penalty for track limits in the final hour dropped Raffaele Marciello, Jesse Krohn and Augusto Farfus to fifth among the top five M4 GT3 cars. The No. 32 and No. 31 WRT cars finished seventh and eighth overall, both a lap behind leaders like the No. 46 BMW. Team WRT principal Vincent Vosse stated that the Balance of Performance governing the GT3 class did not favor BMW during the race.^[476]

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, especially during his 250cc career, Rossi's main rival was fellow Italian Loris Capirossi. They often fought hard between each other during the races – with 1999 Assen, 2003 Catalunya and 2006 Mugello^[477][478] as examples – they always maintained a level of fairness on and off the track.

Their rivalry died down when Capirossi stopped consistently battling for podiums and eventually retired from MotoGP racing completely in 2011.

At the early stages of his 500cc career, Max Biaggi was considered Rossi's main rival. Rossi often found himself battling on the track with Capirossi and Biaggi, dubbing them "the three musketeers" by the Italian press. While the rivalry with Capirossi never escalated and the two always were on good terms with each other, the rivalry with Biaggi had been growing since the mid-1990s, even though both did not race against each other until the 2000 season when Rossi first joined the 500cc class.

Before the first race of the 2001 season even started, Rossi and Biaggi had already had a heated argument when Biaggi encountered Rossi at a restaurant in Suzuka and told him to "wash your mouth out before saying my name". At the first round of the season in Japan, one of the most famous episodes in their rivalry took place when Biaggi seemed to have tried to push Rossi into the dirt at high speed and a few laps later Rossi overtook Biaggi and showed, on live television, his middle finger to him.^[479] Their rivalry reached its peak two months later at the 2001 Catalan round when at the end of the 500cc race, Rossi and Biaggi came to blows (involving members of their entourage and circuit employees) in the moments before the podium ceremony. Neither rider admitted that they got into a fist fight, but Biaggi appeared in the post-race press conference with red marks and scratches on his face, which he said "must have been caused by a mosquito bite". Rossi claimed that the incident happened because Biaggi bumped into his manager as both riders prepared to go up to the podium with third-place finisher Loris Capirossi.^[480]

Two weeks later at the next Grand Prix in Assen, Honda organized a press conference to put the events of Barcelona behind them. Rossi and Biaggi talked about the event and shook hands in front of the media, which ended the feud.^[481] After that, although they have had run-ins on track over the next couple of seasons, the media frenzy surrounding them and any incidents off-track calmed down, mainly due to Rossi's consecutive World Championships and Biaggi's struggle to find support and a consistent rhythm with his races, even after switching to the Honda Pons and later the Factory Honda team.

Some would also consider the 2004 South African round another key point in the rivalry due to the switch Rossi made from the Factory Honda to the Factory Yamaha team, with many believing that Biaggi would have the upper hand for the season due to the advantage the Honda had over its competitors at the time. During the race, Rossi and Biaggi fought hard but eventually, Rossi crossed the line 0.210 seconds ahead of Biaggi, dealing a critical psychological blow to Biaggi, with Rossi calling the race "one of the best of his career".^[482][483]

In his autobiography What If I'd Never Tried It?, Rossi makes a number of claims about the reasons for his rivalry with Biaggi, and some of the incidents which led to its escalation. The rivalry was also featured in the 2003 documentary film, Faster.

Rossi's closest rival in the 2003 and 2004 seasons was Sete Gibernau, riding for the Gresini Team Movistar Honda on a satellite RC211V in 2004 and then on an all but in name factory RC211V, which Gibernau helped to develop, in 2005. Initially they were quite friendly in the paddock and off – Gibernau partied on occasions with Rossi at the Italian's Ibiza villa – but a souring in their relationship began in the 2004 season and culminated in the "Qatar Incident" that same season when Rossi's team was penalized for "cleaning" his grid position to aid in traction, along with Honda Pons' Max Biaggi, and both riders were subsequently forced to start from the back of the grid.^{[484][485][486]} A number of teams, including Gibernau's Team Gresini and the official Repsol Honda factory team, appealed successfully to race direction for Rossi to be sanctioned. Rossi and his chief engineer, Jeremy Burgess, insisted that they were doing nothing more than what many others had done before when faced with a dirty track and Rossi accused Gibernau of being behind the move to appeal for a sanction, something the Spaniard categorically denied.^[487] Rossi accused Gibernau in 2015 that he was "playing a dirty game".^[488]

Since then the two have not spoken and Rossi seemed to use the incident to apply psychological pressure on Gibernau. Rumours of Rossi having sworn that after the Qatar race, which Gibernau won while Rossi crashed out after rising to 6th position, he would do everything to make sure that Gibernau never stood on the highest step of the podium again. However, Rossi has denied these claims.^[489]

The rivalry between Rossi and Gibernau climaxed at the 2005 round in Jerez. Rossi started from pole position but Gibernau overtook him on the first lap. On the final lap, Gibernau was in the lead, but Rossi tried to overtake him at the final corner – named the Curva Ducados at the time – with both colliding mid-corner. Gibernau ran wide and would finish second whilst Rossi would win the race.^[490] After the incident, Gibernau was furious and refused to comment on the last lap. The Spanish crowd booed Rossi as the Italian national anthem was playing to celebrate his victory.^[491] Rossi commented on the incident, stating that his move had been "hard" but also, "motorbike races sometimes are like this."^[492]

Tensions ended when Gibernau retired from Grand Prix racing after an unsuccessful, injury-blighted 2006 season with Ducati and he never won another race after Qatar, prompting some in the Spanish and Italian motorcycle racing media to explain this fact by way of reference to the "Qatar Curse".^[493]

Casey Stoner emerged as a rival for Rossi when he moved from the LCR team in 2006 to the official Factory Ducati team in 2007. Over the course of the season, Rossi and Stoner frequently battled for wins – particularly in Catalunya and China – but the young Australian had the better of Rossi in many of the races thanks to his outstanding talent despite the problems with the Ducati, resulting in his claiming of the 2007 MotoGP World Championship title.

Stoner's and Rossi's rivalry came to a dramatic climax at the 2008 United States GP. After numerous position changes, Rossi overtook Stoner at the Corkscrew. The move caused Rossi to run into the dirt and broken pavement on the inside of the right turn, and his rejoining the track came close to causing a collision between the two riders. A few laps later, Stoner went into the gravel on the slow entry into turn 11 whilst outbraking himself, almost crashing into Rossi in the process.^[494] Stoner picked up his bike to finish second, while Rossi took the win. When Rossi wanted to shake Stoner's hand in the parc fermé, he angrily refused. At the press conference, Stoner claimed that some of Rossi's moves were considered "aggressive" but Rossi called it "just racing".^[495] After this, Casey Stoner made the comment "I have lost respect for one of the greatest riders in history."^[496] For the comment, Stoner apologised to Rossi at the next race.^[497]

The rivalry cooled down when Rossi won back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009 whilst Stoner struggled with the Ducati for multiple seasons, suffered from a mystery illness and various crashes – despite still battling hard with Rossi on some occasions.

After Rossi moved to the Factory Ducati team and Stoner to the Factory Honda team in 2011, tensions would once again rise at the 2011 Spanish round when Rossi collided with Stoner, causing him to crash out of the race while Rossi got going again and finished fifth. After the race, Rossi went to Stoner to apologise for the incident, who smiled and accepted Rossi's handshake. However, Stoner told Rossi "your ambition outweighs your talent" during the brief exchange, in which he also asked about Rossi's shoulder.^{[498][499][500]} Stoner later apologised for this comment.^[501] After this, tensions between both riders would ease once more when Stoner won his 2011 World Championship title whilst Rossi struggled on an underperforming Ducati for the rest of the season.

However, tensions would rise once more at the 2012 French race where Rossi and Stoner once again came to blows when they battled hard in the wet conditions, with Rossi passing and repassing Stoner on the first corners of the Le Mans track before he permanently overtook him on the last lap to cross the line in second place.^[502][503] When Rossi caught Stoner, he thought of his mistake in Jerez last year and was more cautious because of it.^[504]

Rossi and Stoner's rivalry ended permanently when Stoner retired in 2012 and Rossi returned to the Factory Yamaha team in 2013.^[505][506]

In 2008, Jorge Lorenzo joined Rossi in the Factory Yamaha team which started a new rivalry. Initially, relationships were friendly; Rossi won the 2008 title while Lorenzo suffered two serious crashes at Shanghai and Laguna Seca which prevented any serious rivalries from ever starting to begin with, Rossi concentrated more on his rivalry with Casey Stoner at the time.

In 2009, Rossi and Lorenzo resumed hostilities with Rossi emerging as champion again. Over the course of the season, Rossi defeated Lorenzo in several tight battles – such as Assen, Sachsenring, Valencia and, most memorably, Lorenzo's home race in Catalunya. Both were battling hard on the Catalan circuit, with Lorenzo taking the lead on the final lap. Rossi tried to overtake him in the usual spots but failed, with many assuming Lorenzo was going to win the race. However, Rossi managed to pass him going into the final corner, where many assumed overtaking was impossible, to take an unlikely victory.

In 2010, Lorenzo finally emerged victorious in the championship battle after Rossi first injured his shoulder at a motocross accident two weeks before the 2010 Spanish race and then suffered a displaced compound fracture of his right tibia during a free practice fall at the 2010 Italian round, which caused him to miss four races. The most dramatic race of the season came at Motegi when Rossi fought hard with Lorenzo on the final laps of the race for third place, colliding with each other on more than one occasion. Rossi would win the battle, crossing the line in third.^[507]

After Rossi moved to the Factory Ducati team in 2011, Lorenzo stayed with the Factory Yamaha team and the rivalry cooled down when Rossi underperformed on the Ducati for two seasons while Lorenzo fought for the championship in both years, losing out to Stoner in 2011 but winning his second MotoGP title in 2012.

After Rossi returned to Yamaha in 2013, the rivalry resumed, and came to a boiling point in 2015. Rossi was on course to win his tenth overall title but was narrowly ahead of his teammate Lorenzo, who had closed the gap after the summer break. Going into the penultimate round in Malaysia, Rossi and Márquez had a falling out, causing Márquez to fall and Rossi to resume, finishing third.^[508] This decision led to the race direction imposing three penalty points to Rossi and demoting him to the back of the grid at the final round in Valencia.^[509] This was crucial for Rossi's title chances because Lorenzo started on pole and won the race while he crossed the line in fourth place, handing the title to Lorenzo by just five points. Rossi accused both Márquez and Lorenzo, calling this title "a Spanish stitch-up" and "having Marc Márquez as the bodyguard of Lorenzo is embarrassing."^[510]

After this, the relationship between Rossi and Lorenzo became sour, though would ease once more when Lorenzo moved to the Factory Ducati team in 2017 whilst Rossi stayed with the team.^[511][512] In the subsequent seasons the rivalry cooled down as Andrea Dovizioso emerged as the main challenger to Marc Márquez starting with 2017. Rossi only won 1 race since then and Lorenzo 3 all coming in 2018 with Ducati after initially struggling with his new team.^[513] The rivalry ended when Lorenzo retired from the sport at the end of the 2019 season.

In the latter years of his MotoGP career, Rossi has been involved in an often heated rivalry with Spanish rider Marc Márquez. Márquez moved up to the MotoGP category in 2013 and initially the two had a good relationship, with Márquez stating that Rossi had been his childhood idol and that it was a pleasure to battle with him.^[514] Their respect for each other took a turn during the 2015 season, starting with a late race collision whilst battling for the lead at the third round in Argentina. Márquez started from pole and created a gap at the opening stages of the race, but Rossi closed him down and a battle commenced. At turn 5, Márquez made contact with Rossi, which resulted in Márquez's bike hitting Rossi's rear tyre, causing him to fall. Márquez could not rejoin, and as a result, Rossi took his second win of the season.^[515] Both riders shrugged it off as a racing incident.^[516] A similar incident occurred at Assen several months later; Márquez lunged up the inside of Rossi at the final chicane on the final lap, Rossi picked the bike up and rode through the gravel, rejoined the track and won the race. Post-race Márquez seemed fairly unbothered by the incident, although his team did appeal the result.^[517]

Their relationship broke down completely after the penultimate round in Malaysia. Having had a poor season and being out of championship contention, Márquez won at Phillip Island whilst points leader Rossi was only fourth. A week later during the pre-event press conference in Malaysia, Rossi accused Marc of deliberately battling aggressively with him in Australia to cost him time and give an advantage to Rossi's teammate and championship rival Jorge Lorenzo.^[518] Tempers reached boiling point in the race, where Márquez ran wide early on, allowing Lorenzo through for second and then had a heated battle with Rossi which lasted for several laps. Coming into turn 14, Rossi ran Márquez to the outside of the corner and they collided at the edge of the track, knocking Márquez out of the race whilst Rossi carried on to finish third.^[519] Post-race, Rossi was penalised by three championship points and by starting from the back of the grid for the championship decider in Valencia.^[520] In that race, Rossi rode from the back to fourth, but Lorenzo took victory with Márquez second to claim the title by 5 points. Márquez was accused by fans to have deliberately defended Lorenzo for the whole race against his own teammate Dani Pedrosa^[521] and Rossi called this championship a "Spanish stitch-up".^[510]

Their relationship remained frosty for the beginning of 2016, but the feud came to an end when they shook hands after battling each other in Barcelona to remember Luis Salom, who died after crashing at high speed on the Catalan circuit. However, tempers would again flare two years later, once more in Argentina. Márquez was given a ride-through penalty after he stalled on the grid and retook his original starting position. Whilst riding back through the field in the late stages, he caught Rossi who was running in fifth place. He attempted to overtake into the final corner, but hit a damp patch and collided with Rossi, pushing him off the track and causing him to fall. Márquez crossed the line in fifth but was penalised a further 30 seconds for the incident. After the race, Marquez walked to Rossi's garage to apologise, but Rossi refused to receive him. Instead, one of Rossi's team asked Marquez to leave.^[522] Later, Rossi stated that Márquez "destroyed our sport" with his aggressive riding.^[523] He also said, "Marquez needs to get away from me and not look me in the face anymore".^[524]

After Argentina, the relationship between the two remained quite poor. At the 2018 San Marino race, Rossi refused to shake Márquez's hand and claimed, "We don't need to shake the hand. We don't have any problem." However, one year later at the 2019 Argentine GP, Rossi and Márquez once more shook each other's hands just before the podium ceremony, indicating that tensions between the riders have eased once more.^[525]

Compared to other rivals such as Max Biaggi, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Márquez, Maverick Viñales is a relatively new rival for Rossi. Since he moved to the MotoGP class in 2015, Viñales has had few interactions with Rossi, especially during his first two seasons with the Suzuki Factory team.

However, when he moved from the Factory Suzuki to the Factory Yamaha team in 2017, the rivalry immediately accelerated in the first two races of the season in Qatar and Argentina, where Viñales won both races while Rossi finished third and second. In Argentina, Rossi took part in his 350th career race.^[526][527] The biggest moment of their rivalry came at Le Mans in 2017 when Rossi and Viñales fought hard for the lead, touching each other several times. On the final lap, Rossi crashed out of the race and Viñales went on to win the race. After the race, Rossi said he felt "cheated" by Viñales because he cut the chicane and lost less time while Rossi tried to gain a gap, despite being penalized for a similar incident two races earlier in America. Another big moment came at the Australian GP with Rossi battling Viñales for second place for most of the race, including the final lap.^[528]

After the Phillip Island battle, the rivalry seemed to die down for most of the 2018 season, but heated up once again in Thailand 2018. The two riders were battling for third place when Rossi tried to go up the inside of Viñales at the final corner on the last lap, which failed and almost took out his teammate.^[529]

After Thailand, there were no further clashes or rivalries in 2019.

Since his early racing days Rossi has had numerous nicknames. In the beginning of his career he was known as "Rossifumi" because he was a big fan of Japanese riders, most notably Norifumi Abe, who made a spectacular debut in the 500cc class as a wildcard rider in Japan.^[530] Rossi saw the race when he was only 14 years old and became a fan of him, which led to him also wanting to become a grand prix motorcycle racing rider in the future. As such, the nickname is a tribute to him.^{[531][532][533]}

Another nickname Rossi had earlier on in his career, albeit not as known or popular, was "Valentinik".^[530] This name appeared around the days when he raced in the 250cc championship. The nickname comes from the comic of Donald Duck, in Italian called Paperino. In the comics, he transforms into an alter ego called Super Donald which in Italian translates to Paperinik. This version of Donald Duck sports a mask and a cape and looks just like a super hero, but unlike actual super heroes does not have any luck and wreaks destruction everywhere he goes. However, he also is a funny and likeable character. The nickname is a reference to this Italian superhero, which can also be translated to "Super Valentino".^[534][535]

Since Rossi started to dominate in the 500cc, later known as MotoGP, "The Doctor" has become the nickname of choice for Rossi. Although not common in English-speaking countries, the nickname is given to those as a sign of respect. Two theories prevail as to why Rossi uses this name. One is that Rossi adopted the nickname upon having earned a degree, which in Italy entitles one to use the title "Doctor". Another, as spoken by Graziano Rossi himself, "The Doctor because, I don't think there is a particular reason, but it's beautiful, and is important, The Doctor. And in Italy, The Doctor is a name you give to someone for respect, it's very important, The Doctor... important."^[536] Rossi often jokes, however, that the name arrived because in Italy, Rossi is a common surname for doctors.^[537]

He has always raced with the number 46 in his motorcycle grand prix career, the number his father had raced with in the first of his three grand prix career wins in 1979, in Yugoslavia, on a 250c Morbidelli. Typically, a World Championship winner is awarded the No. 1 sticker for the next season. However, in a homage to Britain's Barry Sheene, who was the first rider of the modern era to keep the same number (#7), Rossi has stayed with the now-famous No. 46 throughout his career, though as the world champion he has worn the No. 1 on the shoulder of his racing leathers.^[538][539]

The text on his helmet's visors refers to the name of his group of friends: "The Tribe of the Chihuahua", in Italian "Tribu Dei Chihuahua". This is also a reference to a tribe of natives found in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.^[540] The letters WLF on his leathers stand for "Viva La Figa", Italian for "Long Live Pussy".^[541] He has so far escaped any sanctions or ultimatums that he remove the letters because the "W" in "WLF" represents the two "V"s in "ViVa". Equally obvious is his success at escaping any disciplinary action from the FIM or Dorna Sports for having the letters so brazenly on the front neck area of his leathers. He traditionally also incorporates his favorite color (fluorescent yellow) into his leather designs. This has also earned him the nickname "Highlighter Pen".

Fellow motorcycle racer and former teammate Colin Edwards, as well as many well known riders, commentators and journalists have often referred to him as 'the GOAT' (Greatest of all Time).^[542]

Despite retiring as a MotoGP rider, he frequently participates in private tests with other MotoGP riders, in addition to his own academy riders. In 2022, Rossi and several Yamaha riders participated in a private test conducted by the manufacturer at the Misano Circuit in Italy. ^[543] In August 2024, he participated in a private MotoGP test at the Misano Circuit riding a Yamaha YZF-R1. He was accompanied by several of his academy students, as well as other test riders and regular riders. ^[544]

Apart from MotoGP, the motorcycle racing event that Valentino Rossi has participated is the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC). However, he did not fully participate in the championship, but has participated in one of its series which is also a prestigious motorcycle race and the most physically and mentally demanding, the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan. He took part in the event in 2000, teaming up with Colin Edwards at the Castrol Honda Team and riding a Honda RC51. Unfortunately, they failed to finish. In 2001, Rossi with Colin Edwards and Manabu Kamada teamed up for revenge, for Team Cabin Honda, and eventually won the title. They completed 217 laps on a Honda RC51, finishing ahead of Tadayuki Okada and Alex Barros by a narrow margin. This victory marked Rossi's only win at the Suzuka 8 Hours. He also became the first Italian rider in history to win the race.^[545][546] Rossi and Edwards managed to finish in 14th place in the final standings of the FIM Endurance World Championship. ^[547]

Rossi tested the Ferrari Formula One car in 2006 from 31 January to 2 February at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in 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.^[548] On the final day of testing, Rossi was just a little more than a half second behind Schumacher's best time.^[549] Schumacher hailed Rossi as having immense talent and said he would be perfectly capable of moving to Formula One and being competitive immediately.

In May 2006, Rossi announced that he would be staying in MotoGP until he felt his work on the motorbike was "finished". Ferrari driver Schumacher said that he felt "saddened" by Rossi's decision but supported it. Rossi subsequently signed a new contract with Yamaha for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, then for 2009 and 2010.

In 2008, Rossi tested a Ferrari F2008 at Mugello Circuit on 20 and 21 November 2008, as a gift from Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali to celebrate his eighth world title. On the first day Rossi completed over 20 laps, and set a best time of 1:22.5, only 1.5 seconds off Kimi Räikkönen's best time set at Ferrari's previous Mugello test.^[550] The second day was interrupted by rain, but Rossi still managed to set a best time of 1:24.04.^[551]

In January 2010, Rossi has said that once he retires from motorcycle racing, he hopes to move into rallying. "There are not many changes in a man's body between 22 and 34 so I still have some time left. I would consider shifting to cars, probably rallying, after that before I finally decide to take it easy ... I know F1 would've been easier but by the time I finish MotoGP, I will be too old for F1."^[552] Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari's Formula One Team principal, however, reasserted his wish to have a third Ferrari on the F1 grid driven by Rossi, whilst confirming that Rossi would test an older Ferrari F1 car on 21 and 22 January 2010.^[553] At the aforementioned test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Rossi once again drove a Ferrari F2008 on GP2 tyres, setting a best laptime within 0.1 seconds of Kimi Räikkönen's 2008 pole time.^[554]

In December 2019, Rossi got the chance to swap rides with then six-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, as part of a sponsor event. He completed several laps in a 2017 Mercedes AMG F1 W08 EQ Power+, while Hamilton rode a Yamaha YZR-M1, identical to the one Rossi rode in the 2019 MotoGP season. Press were locked out of the event, so laptimes were not made public.^[555][556]

In 2018, Valentino Rossi claimed the Monza Rally Show title for the seventh time, driving a Ford Fiesta WRC car. The Italian passed the record of five time winners Rinaldo Capello, Sebastien Loeb and Robert Kubica. With his latest victory, Rossi was the fastest driver four consecutive times. He has collected titles from 2006, 2007, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 while participating in this rally since 1998.^[557]

Beyond his interest in F1, Rossi's strong passion is for rallying. 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.^[558] 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.^[559] His first official foray into rallying came in 2002 at WRC Rally Great Britain in a Peugeot 206 WRC, in which he crashed out on the second stage (first non-superspecial stage). Rossi had competed in the Monza Rally Show several times in a Toyota Corolla WRC.

In October 2006 it was announced that Rossi would enter that year's Rally New Zealand, a World Rally Championship (WRC) event, which was to run from 17 to 19 November.^[560] He competed in a Subaru Impreza WRC04 finishing 11th out of 39. In 2006 Rossi also won the Monza Rally Show driving a Ford Focus RS WRC 04. He beat the 2005 winner Rinaldo Capello by 24 seconds, winning five of the seven stages on his way. He also managed to outpace former WRC champion Didier Auriol by seven seconds in the head-to-head Master Show final. Rossi also announced at the 2006 Monza Rally Show, that he would be entering the 2007 Rally of Great Britain, however, he later opted out. At the 2007 Monza Rally, Rossi again took first place.

Rossi had been linked with a move to both Formula One and the World Rally Championship in 2007, having tested for Ferrari and competed in a number of rally events.^[561]

But Rossi decided to remain in MotoGP; "I have a contract with Yamaha until 2008", said Rossi. "When that finishes then we will see. What I am sure about is that I will ride until I'm 31 or 32 at most. I will look for new stimuli in the next few seasons, but for now I am fully motivated."^[562] Rossi signed a new two-year contract confirming he will be at Yamaha until 2010.^[563] He originally planned to use the Impreza WRC2008 during his participation in the Rally GB in December 2008,^[564] but decided to drive a Ford Focus RS WRC 07 instead.^[565] He finished the rally in 12th place, 13 minutes and 20.4 seconds behind eventual winner Sébastien Loeb.^[566]

In March 2010, the Italian minister Franco Frattini government awarded Rossi the first Winning Italy Award for the image he portrays of his country on an international level.^[567]

In 2012, Rossi participated in the Blancpain Endurance Series Pro-Am Cup with the Kessel Racing Team, driving a Ferrari 458 Italia GT3. In that season he had only two races, the first series in Monza and the fifth series in the Nürburgring.^[568]

Valentino Rossi had the opportunity to try out a NASCAR Nationwide Series car with the guidance of legendary racer Kyle Busch at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina, USA, April 22, 2013. After competing in the MotoGP Austin series at the Circuit of the Americas, Texas, Rossi immediately left for Charlotte, North Carolina to attend the NASCAR race. Not only did he come, the racer who won seven MotoGP world championship titles also showed off his abilities. He drove a car in a promotional session for one of his personal sponsors. In the race, Rossi was able to drive his car at speeds of up to 185 mph using a Toyota Camry.^[569]

Later in the same week after Rossi got the chance to swap rides with six-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in a 2017 Mercedes AMG F1 W08 EQ Power+, Rossi competed in the 2019 Gulf 12 Hours at Yas Marina Circuit, behind the wheel of a Ferrari 488 GT3 owned by Kessel Racing. His co-drivers were his half-brother and Moto2 rider, Luca Marini, and Alessio Salucci. Rossi set the team's fastest laptime in qualifying, securing seventh place overall on the grid. Despite a shaky start with some lost positions, the team were in the lead of the Pro-Am class at the halfway point. A few technical issues in the Pro-class left the VR46 car in a battle for the final overall podium place with Spirit Race Team's Audi R8 LMS. Rossi got into the car for the final stint and drove the car to an overall third place and a win in the Pro-Am class, despite picking up a five-second time penalty.^[570]

In January 2021, he and his co-drivers Luca Marini and Alessio Salucci, driving a 488 GT3, competed in the 2020 Gulf 12 Hours at the Bahrain International Circuit and won the third podium.^[571]

In December 2023, Rossi finished second on the podium at the Gulf 12 Hours at Abu Dhabi, the season finale of the 2023 Intercontinental GT Challenge driving the BMW M4 GT3 with Team WRT. In the end, Rossi and teammates Dries Vanthoor and Nick Yelloly missed out on victory by 12 seconds to the Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Maro Engel, Luca Stolz and Mikael Grenier. Rossi led the race after 7.5 hours, then maintained his lead for an hour, when he then handed it over to Yelloly.^[572]

Not only does he love the world of road racing and all-terrain car racing, Rossi is also known to love the motocross arena. In flat track racing, Rossi has won several times the 'La 100 km dei Campioni' racing event which he holds at Motor Ranch every year and is attended by members of the VR46 Riders Academy and professional motorcycle racers from other events. In this race, Rossi has won five times, namely in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024.^[573]

Valentino Rossi has raced at the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race at Mount Panorama in Australia for 2023^[574] and 2024^[575] achieving results of 6th and 5th.

In the 2025 Bathurst Australian series, BMW-WRT made a great and historic achievement in the Bathurst 12 Hours, with many firsts. Valentino Rossi, who rejoiced with his runner-up finish with Raffaele Marciello and Charles Weerts, became addicted. Valentino Rossi's 2025 season began with a great podium finish at the Bathurst 12 Hours, where the BMW of Team WRT dominated with a super result, taking the top two. The first event of the Intercontinental GT Challenge was not without excitement and tension, and the M4 GT3 of the Belgian team (its last adventure before switching to the EVO version) immediately put themselves in the fight for the top spot, taking advantage of the Safety Car that made them compete quickly without losing much time after almost an hour. From there, it was not a real journey because there were six more neutralizations, but overall the shape of the Bavarian car was very good. This allowed brothers Kelvin van der Linde and Sheldon van der Linde, together with Augusto Farfus, to take victory in the #32 car, just ahead of the #46 driven by Rossi, Raffaele Marciello and Charles Weerts. At one point, 'Il Dottore' even took the lead, when during a stop, the #32 failed to restart, giving its white twin the chance to restart early. From the fourth hour onwards, the BMWs also had to move forward to save fuel for the grand finale, but the biggest problem was Valentino himself, who in the subsequent Safety Car phase made the mistake of overtaking the #24 McLaren GT4 of Method Motorsport, receiving the inevitable Drive Through that dropped him and his teammates from P2 to eighth. However, the excellent strategy adopted by the team led by Vincent Vosse and two further neutralizations allowed Marciello to get back on track with his rivals at the end of the race; some of them stopped to refuel, while 'Lello' showed his famous lion character and overtook the #75 Mercedes of Jules Gounon to take over the honors. The celebrations at the finish line for the BMW-WRT one-two were a real blast and Rossi screamed with joy as he and his team-mates climbed to the second podium.^[576]

Rossi is also known to have another activities, drifting. In 2020, he was recorded performing a drifting stunt. He often practices drifting in a Corvette ZR1 700hp on his father Graziano Rossi's owned racetrack. ^[577]

Rossi frequently practices karting. In fact, karting was the beginning of his racing career, and he still does it frequently today, both for training and just for fun. The narrow, twisty karting tracks help Rossi hone his feel and reflexes, which are invaluable in motorcycle racing. Karting racing is also a good physical exercise to maintain stamina. ^[578]

Rossi frequently races MiniGP with his students from the VR46 Riders Academy. He held a competition with his students using MiniGP-spec motorcycles in August 2021 at the Pomposa Circuit in Ferrara. They all raced the Ohvale MiniGP. The Doctor finished third on the podium. ^[579]

Following Ferrari's Formula 1 testing in the winter of 2006, the DTM test was another opportunity to prove his skills on four wheels. Valentino, a big Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters fan, hoped to be offered this test opportunity. Valentino Rossi took part in his first DTM test at Hockenheimring. Rossi quickly adapted to the Mercedes-Benz DTM race car and impressed by posting consistently fast lap times behind the wheel of Mika Häkkinen's 2006-spec AMG-Mercedes C-Class.^[580]

In 2009, Rossi made a guest appearance at the 2009 Isle of Man TT. At that time he only participated in a parade around the Snaefell Mountain Course Circuit riding the YZF-R1. Then, he was offered again as a guest at the 2016 Isle of Man TT but was unable to.^[581]

Ducati held a prestigious event titled World Ducati Week (WDW) 2012 at the Misano Circuit, Republic of San Marino. The event featured a number of Ducati riders from various motorcycle racing championships. Riding Ducati Diavel motorcycles, Valentino Rossi, Nicky Hayden, Troy Bayliss, Carlos Checa, Jakub Smrz, Sylvain Guintoli, Niccolò Canepa and Lorenzo Zanetti participated in a drag race competition for fun. The race, which was held along the straight track of the Misano Circuit, finally left Rossi and Bayliss in the final stage.^[582] Three-time World Superbike champion, Bayliss finally won the race by defeating nine-time world champion, Rossi. Meanwhile, in the third place match, the 2006 MotoGP world champion, Hayden had to face the 2011 World Superbike champion, Checa. In that stage, Hayden managed to win. WDW 2012 took place from June 21-24, and this year's attendance broke the previous WDW record. An estimated 65,000 people attended the gathering of Ducati riders and fans. ^[583][584]

In 2015 after winning the MotoGP race held at the TT Circuit Assen, Valentino Rossi made a special guest appearance at the prestigious Goodwood Festival of Speed. The festival is themed around nostalgia and pride in fostering interest in motorsport, where Yamaha Motor Co, Ltd is also celebrating its 60th anniversary. Rossi appeared in public wearing a special yellow livery to commemorate Yamaha Motor's 60th anniversary with Kenny Roberts, Giacomo Agostini and Phil Read. He then rode the YZR-M1 up the hill for 1.16 miles.^[585] Besides riding the Yamaha YZR-M1, Rossi also drives a Mazda 787B that won Le Mans in 1991, a rally car Group B Lancia Rally 037, and a endurance race car Group C Porsche 962.^{[586][587][588]}

Rossi took part in the 2024 WorldSBK pre-season test held in Portimao, Portugal in January 2024. Located at the Autodromo Internacional Algarve, which has a 4,592-meter track, Valentino Rossi recorded a time of 1:44.703 seconds on the Yamaha YZF-R1. In addition, he took part in the test with several other MotoGP riders and riders from the VR46 Racing Academy. Valentino Rossi's time record was obtained during the 49th round of a total of 50 laps performed, 4.790 seconds adrift of WorldSBK debutant Nicolò Bulega as the official rider of Aruba.it-Ducati Racing.^[589]

In June 2024, Valentino Rossi shared the track with a lineup of Monster Energy riders at the Silverstone Circuit, England. The energy drink company that sponsors many riders and racing teams gathers all its athletes in one event and not only riders from MotoGP, but also from other championships. Rossi was seen accompanied by MotoGP riders who were also educated by the VR46 Riders Academy, such as Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Francesco Bagnaia, and Franco Morbidelli. In addition, there were also Monster Energy riders from World Superbike (WorldSBK), such as Jonathan Rea and Andrea Locatelli from Yamaha, as well as Álvaro Bautista and Nicolò Bulega from Ducati, and World Supersports rider Adrián Huertas. Including riders from the Isle of Man TT, namely Michael Dunlop, John McGuinness, to Peter Hickman, some other MotoGP riders such as Fabio Quartararo, Álex Rins, Cal Crutchlow, and other riders as Darryn Binder and John Hopkins. Footage uploaded to social media shows Rossi leading the riders on the Silverstone track. Rossi rides a Yamaha YZF-R1 motorcycle.^[590]

In July 2024, Valentino Rossi had the opportunity to ride Eddie Lawson bike Yamaha YZR500 1987 at Jerez in a Yamaha Racing Heritage Club event. Rossi was joined by Yamaha's World Superbike line-up, including six-time WorldSBK Champion Jonathan Rea and other riders Niccolò Canepa, Luca Cadalora, Andrea Locatelli, and Dominique Aegerter.^[591]

Rossi has a passion for soccer and has been involved in it several times. In 2016, Rossi and the VR46 Academy had the opportunity to play a match at the Dome Spire Academy on Thursday, March 17, 2016. Rossi and his teammates faced the squad of Xavi Hernández, a former F.C. Barcelona star. The Spanish footballer was in Qatar, as Xavi was playing for Al-Sadd after leaving Barcelona in the summer of 2015. Against Xavi's team, Rossi included several of his protégés, such as Nicolò Bulega and Niccolò Antonelli. ^[592]

Rossi is a huge ski enthusiast. In 2016, Rossi spent his vacation skiing at an altitude of 1,522 meters above sea level. Madonna di Campiglio is a ski resort in northeastern Italy and a popular tourist destination. The village is located in Val Rendena. For several years, he has also frequently visited the Dolomites to ski. He does this to maintain his fitness. ^[593]

Since childhood he has had a hobby of riding bicycles, including BMX.^[594] Valentino Rossi, despite his fame as a motorcycle racer, also enjoys cycling as a hobby and even has his own bicycle collection. He has a collaboration with Cicli Adriatica, a local Pesaro company, for a bicycle range called the VR46 bike collection, which includes models for children. Additionally, Rossi is involved with eMTBs, partnering with MT Distribution to develop the VR 46 eMTB, featuring a Bosch Performance Line CX motor. ^[595]

At the 2005 Spanish GP, Valentino Rossi performed a maneuver that sent his rival Sete Gibernau off the track in a corner and on the final lap. That same GP also marked the birth of Valentino Rossi's signature leg-waving move, which became known as the 'leg wave' or 'leg dangle'. Initially considered strange, the move gradually became accepted as normal. Since then, the 'Doctor Dangle' has become a standard maneuver performed by MotoGP riders when entering corners, even in other races. It is so common, even the riders themselves cannot technically explain the benefits of this unique move. There is also talk that it improves balance by shifting the center of gravity of the rider and the bike as they approach or enter a corner. Others say the leg wave is like an air brake. Others say otherwise.

On TNT Sports MotoGP Breakdown ahead of the 2025 Silverstone GP, riders Cal Crutchlow, Neil Hodgson, and James Toseland discussed the leg dangle (opening the leg toward the corner as the rider enters a corner) pioneered by Valentino Rossi. Cal Crutchlow was the first to express his opinion on this on-track stunt. "I have a whole theory about it. I truly believe it's like the panic you see when you're a kid on a motorbike, and you just won't stop," Cal said.

"The first thing you do is put your foot out and do something like that. And now I think today's bikers are at the limit. The first thing they do is put their foot out."

"They brake, they put their foot out, thinking this isn't going to end well. You don't have time to think I'm going to move my right foot five inches forward because it's going to do this; that's not how it works."

After Cal expressed his opinion, it was James Toseland's turn to share his theory based on what he once asked Toprak Razgatlıoğlu about the leg dangle.

"I have a different theory because I've never done it, I'm an old school guy, but I spoke to Toprak about it, and he's one of the taller riders, and Valentino is also one of the taller riders because he has longer legs. It's a little more uncomfortable to have his longer legs on the footpegs, and he said that having his legs apart makes it much more comfortable when braking."

"He (Toprak) also said it takes a lot of pressure off his arms when braking. He said that as soon as he extends his legs like that, the force of the wind pushes his body back, taking the load off his arms when braking."

Valentino Rossi, the originator of the move, could not explain it precisely, only saying that it "feels comfortable." Many riders, even top riders, imitate the move, and Valentino Rossi does not mind, and even welcomes everyone to take advantage of it. Until now, almost all racers in all classes still follow Valentino Rossi's movements.^{[596][597][598]}

Valentino Rossi owns a ranch known as the VR46 Motor Ranch. Located in Tavullia, Italy, the ranch serves as a training ground for VR46 Racing Academy riders and serves as Valentino Rossi's home base. It is located in the small town of Tavullia, Italy, which is Valentino Rossi's hometown. The ranch is used for flat track training, primarily for VR46 Academy riders, but is also open to other riders, including Rossi's MotoGP rivals. It features a variety of tracks with varying layouts, including the famous "La Biscia" (the snake in Italian). The ranch offers a fun and relaxed atmosphere, a contrast to the pressures of MotoGP racing. The ranch is very well-known and a major draw for MotoGP fans, some even calling it the "heavenly circuit." Besides training, the ranch also hosts various events, such as the 100km dei Campioni, hosted by Rossi.^[599]

Rossi founded a racing school with the name VR46 Racing Academy. This academy is a place for training and growth of young Italian drivers which was founded in 2014 in Tavullia, Italy. The VR46 provides the experience and knowledge that Valentino Rossi has gained over the years of his career. VR46 Riders Academy has an experienced team. Alessio Salucci managed relations with the team, Alberto Tebaldi was responsible for logistics and external relations, Luca Brivio for the operational management of the drivers, Carlo Casabianca for physical preparation, Claudio Sanchioni for contractual aspects, and Barbara Mazzoni for secretarial and administrative services.^[600]

The nine-time world champion (125cc 1997, 250cc 1999, 500cc 2001, and MotoGP 2002-2005, 2008, 2009), who decided to retire at the end of the 2021 season, feels that the dominance of Italian riders in MotoGP is starting to wane. In fact, it's the turn of Spanish riders who are starting to show their mettle. The Doctor last won the premier class MotoGP world championship in 2009. He also became the last Italian rider to successfully win in the highest category of the Motorcycle Racing World Championship. This is because, from 2010 until now, riders from Spain have successfully won for 10 seasons. Starting from Jorge Lorenzo (2010, 2012, 2015), Marc Márquez (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) and even Joan Mir (2020), whose career is still in its infancy. Then for the Italian rider, they have to be satisfied competing for points in the middle of the table. At most, they have been strong candidates for the championship several times, but ultimately had to accept the fate of being defeated by Spanish riders. Worried about this, Rossi decided to build a racing academy called the VR46 Academy. He founded this racing school in 2013. When founding VR46, Rossi felt that young Italian riders could still compete with their Spanish rivals, if there was a place to guide them properly. In fact, to support the development of the riders to be more rapid, Rossi provided the VR46 Ranch, so they could continue to train. Just one year later, VR46 finally tried its first race in the 2014 Moto3 season. The results were quite satisfactory. VR46 was able to compete at the front of the pack, with Romano Fenati finishing the season in fifth place in the rider standings, and taking four wins. Having performed quite competitively for several years in Moto3, VR46 took on a new challenge by competing in Moto2 in 2017. In this category, VR46 was even more impressive. Francesco Bagnaia, brought over from Moto3, successfully won the championship in his second year racing in Moto2. Then, Sky Racing Team VR46 finally won the team championship in the 2020 Moto2 season, when strengthened by Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi.^[601]

Driver	Years	Current Series	Titles as VR46 Riders member
Franco Morbidelli	2014–	MotoGP	Moto2 (2017)
Francesco Bagnaia	2014–	MotoGP	Moto2 (2018)
Luca Marini	2014–	MotoGP	none
Andrea Migno	2014–	Trainer	none
Marco Bezzecchi	2015–	MotoGP	none
Celestino Vietti	2015–	Moto2	none
Matteo Gabarini	2024–	ETC	none
Source:[602]

Driver	Years	Current Series	Titles as VR46 Riders member
Romano Fenati	2014–2016	none	none
Lorenzo Dalla Porta	2016	Superstock	none
Stefano Manzi	2016–2022	Supersport	none
Niccolò Antonelli	2016–2022	Supersport	none
Nicolò Bulega	2016–2020	Superbike	none
Lorenzo Baldassarri	2016–2020	MotoE	none
Dennis Foggia	2017–2019	Moto3	none
Elia Bartolini	2018–2021	Supersport 300	none
Matteo Bertelle	2020–2022	Moto3	none
Alberto Surra	2021–2022	European Moto2	none

In 2024, Pertamina Lubricants partnered with the VR46 Academy. They are committed to supporting the younger generation, including supporting young Indonesian racers through a training program with the VR46 Riders Academy, held on January 28, 2025. The training took place at the Mandalika International Street Circuit and lasted for three days. Top riders from the VR46 Academy, including Andrea Migno and Francesco Bagnaia, shared their expertise with the selected Indonesian racers. This training is not only aimed at Indonesian racers, but also mechanics and automotive vocational school students. Through this program, participants will receive intensive training covering both physical and psychological aspects. This includes fitness, nutrition, and even public speaking techniques, which are crucial in the world of professional racing. Some of the top young racers from Indonesia who participated in this activity included Galang Hendra Pratama, Felix Putra Mulya, and Arai Agaska. ^[603]

The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp is a young rider development program organized by Yamaha in collaboration with Valentino Rossi's VR46 Riders Academy. The program aims to identify and develop talented young riders with big dreams in motorcycle racing and provide them with the opportunity to advance to the next level of competition.^[604] The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team is a project that began in 2016 to help young racing talent:

• Training camps

The project started with a five-day training program in Tavullia, Italy, held every couple of years.

• VR46 Junior Team

In 2017, the project expanded to include the VR46 Junior Team, which gave Master Camp recruits and Yamaha bLU cRU riders a chance to gain racing experience in Europe. CEV Moto3 Junior team The team moved up from the Moto3 class to the Moto2 class in 2019.

• Moto2 World Championship

In 2022, the team entered the Moto2 World Championship with rookie riders Manuel González and Keminth Kubo. The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Team and its partners, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and VR46, will end their collaboration at the end of the 2024 Moto2 World Championship. The team's 2024 riders are Ayumu Sasaki and Jeremy Alcoba.^[605]

Some riders who have participated in past editions include Apiwat Wongthananon, Galang Hendra Pratama, Keminth Kubo, Tomas Casas, Unai Orradre, Bahattin Sofuoglu, Humberto Maier, Fenton Harrison Seabright, Iker Garcia, and McKinley Kyle Paz. Additionally, Alessandro di Persio, Christopher Clark, Mario Salles Neto, Arai Agaska, Natalia Rivera, Thanakit Pratumtong, Leonardo Marques, Rintaro Takemoto, Valentino Knezovic, and Hinata Okada have been selected for the 2025 Master Camp.^[606]

The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp programme was created in 2016 as part of these efforts and has been held seven times to date. The 37 mostly teenage participants so far—including one female racer—compete in various championships primarily with the YZF-R25 and YZF-R3 and hail from 14 countries in all: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine and the United States.^[607]

The inaugural Yamaha VR46 Master Camp featured five participants mentored by mentors including Rossi, the VR46 Riders Academy, and Flat Track Champion Marco Belli.

The second edition of this talent development program will be held from September 2016. The new Yamaha VR46 Master Camp rider lineup consists of two Thai riders (Apiwat Wongthananon and Peerapong Loiboonpeng), two Indonesian riders (Galang Hendra Pratama and Imanuel Putra Pratna), one Japanese rider (Soichiro Minamimoto), and one Malaysian rider (Kasma Daniel Bin Kasmayudin). The second edition of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp will again be hosted by Rossi's VR46 Riders Academy in his hometown of Tavullia, Italy. There, the Master Camp riders will receive dirt track riding training at the Motor Ranch, track riding at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, and other activities such as go-kart racing and fitness training at the fitness center, all with the aim of helping them further advance as riders.^[608]

In May 2017, following the highly successful inaugural two editions of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp last year, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and the VR46 Riders Academy will kick off their third five-day program today. They are inviting six young Yamaha talents from Asia, Oceania, and North America to experience the training of a lifetime. The Master Camp students will not only train alongside VR46 Academy riders, but they will also get exclusive behind-the-scenes opportunities at VR46 headquarters and learn from nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi and many other experts in the racing industry. Peerapong Boonlert (18) from Thailand, Anggi Setiawan (18) from Indonesia, Shota Ite (15) from Japan, Muhammad Akid bin Aziz (18) from Malaysia, Brandon Demmery (19) from Australia, and Tomas Casas (17) from Canada each traveled halfway around the world to Cattolica, Italy, where the Master Camp is located (you can watch a video of yesterday's orientation day HERE). Today, May 10, they will begin their Master Camp adventure, with the goal of gaining as much knowledge and skills as possible during the five-day training period.^[609]

In June 2017, Yamaha announced the selection of new riders for the fourth Yamaha VR46 Master Camp today at a special press conference, ahead of the Pirelli Riviera WorldSBK round in Rimini. The press conference was attended by Yamaha Motor Europe N.V. Marketing Division Manager, Paolo Pavesio, and VR46 Riders Academy Director, Alessio 'Uccio' Salucci. The six selected young talents, who have been representing Yamaha Motor Europe as part of the bLU cRU project, got their first look at the VR46 Motor Ranch yesterday as they prepared for a week of intensive training in and around Tavullia, alongside the VR46 Riders Academy. The new Yamaha VR46 Master Camp riders include Robert Schotman (18) from the Netherlands, Enzo De La Vega (17) from France, Kimi Patova (15) from Finland, Mykyta Kalinin (18) from Ukraine, Alfonso Coppola (19) from Italy, and Renzo Ferreira (15) from Brazil.^[610]

Fifth Edition Yamaha VR46 Master Camp Students Finish Programme On August 2018. The new participants were chosen from amongst young Yamaha riders from regions in Asia, North America and South America, based on their age, talent, and championship standings among other factors. The new Yamaha VR46 Master Camp rider line-up includes USA's Cory Ventura (aged 16) and Jackson Blackmon (aged 17), Brazil's Eliton Kawakami (aged 17) and Bruno César (aged 18), and Thailand's Keminth Kubo (aged 19). All are filled with enthusiasm and can't wait to start training – and they have quite the schedule to look forward to. ^[611]

In September 2018, four talented young Yamaha riders arrived in Cattolica, Italy, to participate in the sixth edition of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp. Muhammad Aiman Bin Tahiruddin (16) and Nazirul Izzat Bin Muhammad Bahauddin (18) from Malaysia, Muhammad Faerozi Toreqottullah (15) from Indonesia, and Shota Yokoyama (16) from Japan were the four riders participating in the sixth edition of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp. The first day of training gave the participants the opportunity to showcase their talents in three racing disciplines, MiniGP, Go-Kart, and flat track.^[612]

In May 2019, the 7th Yamaha VR46 Master Camp came to a close with a tour of the VR46 headquarters in Tavullia, followed by the traditional graduation ceremony and many presents. The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp riders celebrated their graduation from the seventh edition at the VR46 Headquarters on Sunday, the last day of their programme.^[613]

In August 2019, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. announced that the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp, a training program to develop young racing talent organized in collaboration with Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi's VR46 Riders Academy, will be held in Italy for five days, from September 4th to 8th. The program will build on participants' experiences to enhance their skills, knowledge, and motivation. This eighth edition of the Camp marks the second of its kind this year, following the one held in May. It will feature four riders from Southeast Asia—two from Thailand, one from Malaysia, and the first participant from the Philippines—and one from Canada. This means that upon its conclusion, the Master Camp will have included riders from 15 different countries since its inception. As with previous editions, the young riders will undergo a week-long training and instructional curriculum under the guidance of VR46 Riders Academy staff and affiliated MotoGP riders, traveling to locations such as Rossi's Motor Ranch in his hometown of Tavullia and the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp program was created in 2016 as part of this effort and has been held seven times to date. Thirty-seven participants, mostly teenagers—including one female rider—competed in various championships, primarily on the YZF-R25 and YZF-R3 motorcycles, and hailed from 14 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, and the United States.^[614]

In August 2021, Yamaha announced the 9th edition of Master Camp. These five young talents are currently competing on Yamaha Motor Europe's 2021 WorldSSP300 team or in the 2021 Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup. They are skilled and hungry for results – perfect traits for future Master Camp graduates. The new Master Camp students include Yamaha MS Racing teammates Unai Orradre (17, from Spain) and Bahattin Sofuoglu (17, from Turkey), who are competing in the WorldSSP300 championship, as well as Humberto "Torquinho" Maier (15, from Brazil), Fenton Harrison Seabright (19, from England), and Iker Garcia Abella (17, from Spain), who are Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup riders.^[615]

In May 2022, Yamaha announced the 10th edition of the Master Camp. The new Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup riders have arrived in Cattolica, Italy, ready to participate in the tenth edition of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp, which will take place from May 4-8, 2022. The Yamaha VR46 Master Camp training program was developed by nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi, the VR46 Riders Academy, and Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. The new Master Camp participants include Jurand Kusmierczyk (17 years old, from Poland), Devis Bergamini (19 years old, from Italy), Enzo Valentim Garcia (17 years old, from Brazil), and Kevin Fontainha (15 years old, also from Brazil).^[616]

In June 2022, the 11th edition of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp was held. Riders Passkon Sanluang (19 years old), Worapot Thongdonmaun (16 years old), Aldi Satya Mahendra (15 years old), MD Aliff Danial Bin Muhammad Asri (18 years old), and Maiki Abe (18 years old) put on a dazzling display on the YZF-R3 motorcycle at the Galliano Park circuit. The event continued with a tour of the VR46 headquarters, a traditional graduation ceremony, and a meeting with Valentino Rossi during a private training session at the VR46 Motor Ranch.^[617]

In May 2023, the 12th edition of the VR46 Master Camp took place. These six recruits tested their skills on the flat track against Franco Morbidelli, learned all the tricks of MotoGP eSport from three-time World Champion Lorenzo Daretti (aka Trastevere73), and showed their speed on MiniGP bikes in front of Manuel Gonzalez. On the third day of the 12th Yamaha VR46 Master Camp, Eduardo Burr (Brazil, 16 years old), Dawid Nowak (Poland, 14 years old), Marc Vich (Spain, 16 years old), Krittapat Keankum (Thailand, 18 years old), Thurakij Buapa (Thailand, 19 years old), and Shoma Yamane (Japan, 15 years old) showed their skills in three very different disciplines: flat track, MotoGP eSport, and MiniGP.^[618]

The 13th edition of the Yamaha VR46 Master Camp (August 7-12, 2024) in Italy was attended by six riders from six countries. One of them was Wahyu Nugroho, a bLU cRU Pro Racer from the Yamaha Racing Indonesia (YRI) team. Also participating were Gonzalo Sanchez Melendez (Spain), Takumi Takahashi (Japan), Dorian Joulin (France), Aymon Bocanegra (Peru), and Md Adamhaikal Bin Jahar (Malaysia).^[619]

The collaboration between VR46 Racing Team and Pertamina Enduro in the VR46 Riders Academy program increasingly demonstrates real commitment. The program is now entering the next phase with intensive training titled Riders Summer Camp 2025 which will take place on July 28 - August 3, 2025 in Misano Circuit and VR46 Ranch in Tavullia, Italy. Not only focusing on improving technical skills, VR46 Riders Academy Indonesia also emphasizes the importance of character building and a winning mentality. As a form of full support, Pertamina Lubricants held a briefing session on July 25, 2025 at the Enduro x Fastron Lounge. This event presented two inspirational figures Rifat Sungkar, Indonesian rally legend and Pertamina Lubricants Brand Ambassador, and Dimas Ekky Pratama, Indonesian racer and Riders Summer Camp 2025 trainer. There are 5 racers who participated in this training, including Decksa Almer Alfarezel, Argiya Farrel Ramadhan, Adytya Fauzi, Muhammad Rama Putra Septiawan, Hafizd Fahril Rasyadan. The five racers were selected after going through a rigorous selection process at the Mandalika Racing Series, as part of a concrete effort to identify the best seeds in Indonesian motorcycle racing. ^[620]

To train his VR46 Riders Academy riders, Rossi sometimes rides a Yamaha YZF-R6 and Yamaha R3 on local circuits in Italy. For larger-scale training sessions, he also rides a Yamaha YZF-R1. He also uses a Yamaha YZ250F for motocross training on flat track circuits. ^[621][622] Rossi, along with the VR46 Riders Academy, often practices karting on a MiniGP-spec motorcycle called the RMU Moto, equipped with an 80cc 2-stroke engine, at the Jeepers Kart go-kart circuit near his home in Tavulia, Italy. He also frequently practices on an Ohvale bike at the Misano karting circuit.^[623]

In addition to riders from the VR46 Riders Academy, several other riders who have trained or participated at Valentino Rossi's VR46 Ranch include Marc Márquez, Casey Stoner, Pedro Acosta, Jorge Lorenzo, Álex Rins, and several others. Jorge Lorenzo, Rossi's former MotoGP rival, was even invited to race in the "100 km dei Campioni" event at the VR46 Ranch. Alex Rins was also included in the list of riders invited to the same event.^[624] Rossi even trained in go-karting with F1 driver Kimi Antonelli. The meeting between Antonelli, whose passion for two-wheeled vehicles was evident in his attendance at MotoGP San Marino 2024, and Rossi now a GT3 racer on the Italian karting circuit, was the closest thing to a meeting between past and present.^[625]

Rossi is the owner of the junior-class team Sky Racing Team by VR46, which debuted in the Moto3 category of Grand Prix motorcycle racing in 2014 with riders Romano Fenati and Francesco Bagnaia with his former Cagiva teammate Vittoriano Guareschi as team manager.^[626] In 2015, Andrea Migno replaced Francesco Bagnaia and Guareschi was replaced by Alessio 'Uccio' Salucci and Carlo Alberto Tebaldi.^[627] The team also races in Moto2. In 2020, it was announced that Rossi's brand VR46 would back one machine from the Esponsorama Avintia team in the 2021 MotoGP season, to be ridden by his half-brother, Luca Marini.^[628]

VR46 Riders Academy began to reap the "investment" results through several academy drivers, including Franco Morbidelli who became the 2017 world champion and then finished as the 2020 MotoGP runner-up. This achievement was then repeated by Francesco Bagnaia who became the 2018 Moto2 world champion and then finished second in the 2021 MotoGP final standings. Until finally, Bagnaia ended the long wait for VR46 Academy by becoming the 2022 MotoGP world champion.

In addition, there are several other names who have managed to compete at the top of the standings, such as Luca Marini who was runner-up in Moto2 2020, Marco Bezzecchi who managed to get third in the final Moto2 2021 standings, and several other riders in academy.

In the 2020 season, the Sky Racing VR46 won the Moto2 teams championship by taking first place in the final standings after leading the standings with 380 points.

In addition to leading his own team, Rossi collaborates with several others to attract young racers through various programs.

The team competes in the CIV Italian Championships Series in collaboration with Bardahl as the main sponsor. In the 2021 season the team got a wildcard to race in two Moto3 series, at Mugello and Misano. This team races using KTM bikes.^[629]

He also runs a program to nurture young riders called VR46 MasterCamp. In collaboration with Yamaha, the team competed in the CEV Moto2 Championships for several years under the name Yamaha VR46 MasterCamp. Starting 2022 season, this team will debuted in Moto2.^[630]

Starting from the 2022 season, the VR46 Racing Team will also return to Moto3 and work closely with Esponsorama Avintia. Then the Avintia Racing team changed its name to Avintia VR46 Riders Academy, the result of a collaboration between Avintia Racing and VR46 Riders Academy, which is likely to place several VR46 racers in the team.^[631]

This team is the outcome of a collaboration between the VR46 Riders Academy and RMU Moto from Italy. They compete in the CIV PreMoto3, featuring young riders trained at the VR46 Riders Academy.^[632]

Rossi has gone through numerous helmet designs throughout his career, most featuring the Sun & Moon motif, signifying (according to Rossi) the two sides of his personality. His helmets are manufactured by AGV.^[633] Aldo Drudi was associated with Rossi's helmet graphics in 2010. Nearly every year, Rossi works with Aldo Drudi to design a unique helmet to use while racing at the Italian and San Marino Grand Prix.^[634]

Since commencing his Grand Prix career, Rossi has worn leathers from Dainese. In 1996 and 1997, Alpinestars was a sponsor on his bike, but did not supply Rossi with leathers. Alpinestars just supplied racing boots for Rossi. After Rossi joined the Yamaha factory team, the team wore shirts from Alpinestars, while Rossi maintained his association with Dainese. In 2011 and 2012, Rossi was a member of the Ducati factory team, where the team wore shirts from Puma, while Rossi still maintained his association with Dainese.

In March 2022 Rossi has announced a multi-year partnership with Racing Force Group, which would see Rossi use OMP race suit and Bell helmets in his car racing career.^[635]

During his motorcycle racing career, Valentino Rossi has introduced several special edition helmets. Not only during his home races, but also on special occasions, he often wears themed helmets. Rossi is indeed a creative rider both on the track and in celebration. Here are some of the details.^[636]

• The Sun and Moon Helmet 1996 – In the 1996 125cc championship, racing for Aprilia, Rossi cemented the Sun and Moon as the brand's design motif. The Sun and Moon would continue to feature on almost all of Rossi's motorcycle helmets, but this first helmet was where it all began.

• AGV Suzuka 1997 Helmet – Rossi has a large fan base in Japan and for a time was even known as "Rossifumi." The nickname "Rossifumi" is a tribute to Norifumi Abe, a rider whose spectacular riding style Rossi admired. (Norifumi Abe died in a road accident on October 7, 2007, when a truck stopped in front of him.) Rossi often displays a sticker on his helmet or bike written in Japanese characters that says "Go Rossifumi."

• AGV Tricolore (Imola 1998) – The 1998 Imola race also marked the first time Valentino Rossi would race in a special uniform. The bike was adorned with a matching Tricolore helmet design with a green, white, and red scheme. The Drudi-designed helmet was a simple yet effective variation of Rossi's staple Sun and Moon helmet design, except he wore the Italian colors. Rossi also dyed his hair red, white, and green for the occasion.

• AGV 'Peace and Love' Helmet (Mugello 1999) – Rossi's motorcycle graphic had "Valentine's Day & Love" written on it, and Rossi stated the design was a tribute to the vibes of Peace and Love. The cartoon figure on the back of the helmet was based on an Italian cartoon character called 'Paparinik' – Rossi developed his own variation of the character called "Valentine's Day", and the helmet design featured a flower emerging from a pistol.

• 1999 World Champion Helmet ('I Am World Champion') – To celebrate this achievement, a new helmet designed by Aldo Drudi was produced. This helmet is partly based on the previous helmet design, but differs in that the Sun and Moon motif lowers the sides of the helmet to make room for a giant ring of flowers, representing the number 46. The number 46 also features a world map embedded in it, showing all the places Rossi has raced and the global nature of the championship. Cartoon-style text runs along the base of the helmet, declaring Rossi the World Champion.

• 500cc debut 2000 –The AGV helmet used in Valentino Rossi's first season opener in the premier class GP500 2-stroke has a dark base color with a new cartoon design plus lots of number 46 logos.

• Soleluna 2000 – The helmet synonymous with Valentino Rossi early in his career, including in 2000 when he moved up to the 500cc class, was the Soleluna (sun and moon) design. This design was created by Aldo Drudi, a renowned Italian helmet designer. The Soleluna helmet became Rossi's trademark throughout his early career, from the 1996 season through his debut season in the 500cc class in 2000.

• Rossi Sun and Moon (2001 Official Helmet) – After finishing second in the Championship in his first season in the 500cc GP, Valentino Rossi returned to his second season in 2001 with a new helmet design. The design remained the same: Soleluna, a sun and moon, with the front logo positioned in the position of the AGV logo.

• AGV Mugello 2001 (‘Hawaiian') – Valentino wore a Hawaiian helmet for the Mugello race, designed by Aldo Drudi. The helmet features a blue background featuring a bright blue hibiscus flower. The design is placed on the front of the helmet, with Valentino's logo in the center – each zigzag sun ray on the helmet represents a larger flower. The moon is featured on the back of the helmet.

• Sepang and Rio 2001 – Rossi's helmet for the final two rounds of the 2001 season was an adaptation of the main helmet design he used for most of the year's races – the sun initially featured on the front face of the helmet, and was dark blue with a moon in the background. This helmet design for Sepang and Rio changed to feature a tribal-style sun on the front with light flowing to the rear visor. At the rear, the night sky blue was replaced by a yellow moon on a black background. Rossi also wore this helmet for the winter testing sessions following his 500cc championship-winning season in 2001.

• AGV Rossi Suzuka Helmet (2002) – Suzuka is a track where Rossi has had a new helmet design in the sport's history, and 2002 was no different. Rossi's helmet at Suzuka in 2002 was a variation on the previous season's design and was created by mixing old graphics that Rossi had used on helmets in the past, with the sun and moon as the dominant symbols on either side of the helmet. The right side of the helmet retains the yellow color associated with Rossi, with a bold Ming motif that almost resembles a flower. The left side is darker and features the moon. Rossi also features his initials below the sun on the back of the helmet.

• AGV Mugello 2002 Helmet (Graziano Tribute) – Rossi's helmet for the Mugello race is a tribute to Italy and his father, Graziano, who was also a racer in his youth. The helmet design is modeled after Graziano's racing helmet and features a paint job-based design. It consists of a white background with the colors of the Italian flag wrapped around the helmet. The number 46 is featured on both sides of the helmet (46 is also Graziano Rossi's racing number when he competed in the World Championship). The base of the helmet features 22 icons, each representing an aspect of Rossi's life and personality, such as a pizza, a football, a plate of spaghetti, etc.

• 2003 Official Rossi Helmet (VR46) – This was a striking and more mature design than Rossi had previously used. On the left was the cartoon sun and moon design from the previous year, replaced by a stylized black sun on a yellow background, and a yellow moon on a black background. The front of the helmet's chin area simply displayed red with a yellow 'number 46', and as a result, this helmet model is commonly referred to as the 'VR46'.

• AGV 'Peace' Helmet (Barry Sheene Tribute) – Valentino Rossi went out for testing with a rainbow-bright helmet design by Aldo Drudi that contained two messages. This helmet featured all the colors of the rainbow and had the word 'PACE' in large white letters on the back. 'Pace' is Italian for 'Peace', and the design was used to voice Rossi's opposition to the invasion of Iraq, a topic that dominated the news. The helmet also features the number 7 on both sides as a tribute to Barry Sheene, who died of cancer before the test. All teams and drivers held a minute's silence in memory of the former 500cc world champion.

• AGV Mugello 2003 – As per tradition, Rossi had a new helmet design for the race. He took to the track with a blue helmet featuring the colors of the Italian flag on the front, and the word 'ROSSI' in bold white at the top, highlighted by five stars. This shade of blue is also used by the Italian football team and the Savoia Royal Family. The rear of the helmet simply features a large white number 46. This helmet is quite rare in that the usual Sun and Moon image is relegated to a small feature on one side of the helmet.

• AGV Austin Powers/Flower Power Helmet (Valencia 2003) – This closed helmet design features a sun and moon with a small flower underneath the front of the helmet. The right and left sides of the 'Valentino' helmet are in the basic text style that ran throughout the 1960s, with the word 'di Rossi' running across the top of the helmet. This again shows the number 46. It would be the last helmet Rossi would wear at Honda. In keeping with the 1960s/flower of power theme, Rossi took to the podium wearing a large Afro wig.

• AGV 'Wooden' Helmet (Mugello 2004) – Rossi unveiled a special one-off Drudi-designed helmet, which was designed to poke fun at his recent results, which saw Rossi miss the podium on consecutive occasions for the first time since his first premier class win for Honda in 2000. The helmet was a variation on his regular helmet design from 2003-2004, but was made to look like it was made of wood. The design also featured a medallion with the number four in Roman numerals (IV), made to look like it had been carved into the top of the helmet. Rossi said the story behind the design is steeped in Italian tradition, where the saying goes that if you take fourth place, you get the wooden medal.

• AGV ‘Che Spettacolo!' Helmet (Australia 2004) – During the cool-down lap, Rossi stopped to change into a special helmet designed to celebrate his success. The helmet is plain white, and has the words ‘Che Spettacolo' written in bold black letters around the helmet and showing the number 46 above. ‘Che Spettacolo' means ‘The Special One' in Italian. Cool, bro.

• AGV Sepang Winter Test (‘Cleaning-Up') – As usual, Rossi always changes his helmet with a new design when testing his motorcycle. This is what he did at the Phillip Island Circuit in 2005. Still relying on the sun and moon motif, the helmet graphics look attractive. Black and bright yellow are still dominant on this helmet.

• AGV ‘The Doctor' or ‘Il Laureato' Helmet (2005 Mugello) – The helmet is designed in a cartoon style and features Rossi holding a doctorate, with the title ‘Valentino dottore per davvero' (translated as: "Valentino, truly a doctor"). The colors of the Italian flag embrace the helmet, with the sun and moon just below the helmet features. The back of the helmet features the words "Il Laureato" with a small gold number ‘1' above it.

• Yamaha 50th Anniversary (Laguna Seca 2005) – The yellow-and-black graphics are inspired by Kenny Roberts' American Yamaha of the 1970s and 1980s, with a special new version of the iconic Soleluna. Next to them is the number 46, worn by world champion Vale. Discover the 2005 AGV Pista GP RR Laguna Seca as told by The Doctor.

• MotoGP World Champion – ‘7′ Helmet (Sepang 2005) – Rossi wore a helmet with a white design and a large number 7, which he wore during the celebration of his 7th world championship at the Sepang International Circuit.

• AGV Rossi White Zoo Helmet (Valencia 2005) – To celebrate his world title defense, Rossi had a specially designed helmet made by Aldo Drudi featuring a cartoon ‘zoo' of exotic animals, as well as the trademark Ming moon and motif. A red phoenix can be seen on the back of the helmet facing toward the rising sun, and a sitting hippopotamus on the front facing upwards. Various other cartoon birds can be seen towards the top of the helmet, while the base features marine life such as fish and dolphins.

• AGV Winter Test Helmet (Philip Island 2005) – As usual, Rossi went out for testing with a new helmet design. Sticking with the usual Sun and Moon motif, Rossi has a bright, flashy neon-yellow and black helmet, which features a black and yellow Sun Moon jaggard that dominates the left side of the helmet and runs around to the back.

• AGV "7 Shots" Testing Helmet (Malaysia 2006) – Rossi arrived at Sepang with a unique helmet style. His helmet was designed with the number 46 on the front and sides, while the rear was decorated with bullet-like cracks. These seven cracks represent Rossi's seven MotoGP championship titles.

• AGV Gothic Helmet (Yellow) – Some of Rossi's most superstitious fans suggest that the Gothic design is bad luck for Rossi due to its coincidence with the Championship-winning helmets of Nicky Hayden in 2006 and Casey Stomer in 2007.

• AGV Rossi Mugello 2006 Helmet (Manara) – The helmet design is not dominated by the sun and moon, as past Rossi helmets have been, but instead features significant symbols showcasing Rossi's life in comic storyboard format. The right side of the helmet features Enzo Ferrari, and the left side shows Steve McQueen—two people who consider him a hero of Rossi's. The top of the helmet is split into four panels and features Manara's storyboard images of Rossi's dog, Guido, the chicken Osvaldo (an early Rossi sponsor who featured prominently in one of Rossi's on-track celebrations), and one of Manara's famous topless girls in the art. The back of the helmet features the number 74 in tribute to the late Daijiro Kato (Kato died in 2003 after an accident; his racing number was 74) and the words "Quarantasei" (Italian for 46).

• AGV Sword Helmet – Jerez Test (2006/2007) – Valentino Rossi knows how to get the message across. During his Jerez test session in 2007 while preparing for the season (after he lost the world championship to Nicky Hayden), Rossi rode out with a sword graphic embedded in his helmet, one of which plunged into the front of his Yamaha. This alludes to the sword Excalibur, a legendary sword that states its encased stone can only be removed by the true king (Arthur, in this story). It is said that Rossi announced that he would come to fight strong for the 2007 season and that the true king would return to his throne; an impostor (Nicky Hayden) would stand in his place.

• AGV Rossi Assen Helmet 2007 – The Yamaha team raced at Assen in 1950, wearing a livery inspired by the launch of Fiat's famous '500' car. Rossi's helmet completes the look with a previous record and a photo of Valentino playing guitar while sporting a 1950s haircut.

• AGV Heart Helmet Mugello 2007 – Aldo Drudi designed an iconic Heart design for the Mugello round of the 2007 MotoGP season. The Heart held significance for Italian fans and the press. Rossi won six consecutive Grand Prix races at Mugello in 2006.

• AGV Rossi GP Tech Dreamtime Helmet – The AGV GP Tech Dreamtime Rossi helmet first appeared in Australia in 2007 at Phillip Island. The helmet's design takes inspiration from ancient Aboriginal art. Once again, this is an Aldo Drudi-designed helmet.

• Jerez 2008 Birthday Helmet – Rossi celebrated his birthday with a surprise Aldo Drudi-designed helmet that he wore during pre-season testing at Jerez. This also marked his first full season on Bridgestone tires.

• AGV GP-Tech Rossi Double Take helmet (My Face) Mugello 2008 – The famous AGV GP-Tech ‘Double Take' helmet, also known as ‘My Face', was designed by Aldo Drudi and used at the 2008 Mugello MotoGP round. Rossi won his seventh consecutive Mugello race in 2008, but it was the Drudi helmet that was most discussed and proved to be the biggest highlight of the weekend for many fans and journalists. The helmet was also released in a limited edition, with a replica model available for purchase. In 2022, Daniel Ricciardo wore a special Valentino Rossi tribute helmet at the F1 Italian GP.^[637] Alex Albon also launched a similar special helmet inspired by Rossi's 'My Face' helmet at Italian GP 2022.^[638] In 2023, The MARC Cars Australia team has unveiled a unique livery for the Bathurst 12 Hour, which will feature Valentino Rossi this weekend. The unique livery was created by the Marc Cars Australia team to welcome Valentino Rossi to the 2023 Bathurst 12 Hour, featuring Rossi's 'My Face' helmet motif on the roof of the car.^[639]

• AGV Football Azzurri Catalunya MotoGP Helmet – Valentino sported a tribute to the Italian football team at the 2008 Gran Premium Cinzano de Catalunya MotoGP. Italy was competing in the Euro 2008, and Valentino was given a bike paint job to resemble a football kit, a football helmet design, and the famous number 46 was given a makeover to match the number worn by the Italian football team.

• AGV GP Tech Rossi Helmet 5 Continents – The AGV GP Tech Rossi Helmet 5 Continents was Rossi's primary helmet for the 2008 MotoGP season, and another unique design by Aldo Drudi. The design is an evolution of Rossi's trademark sun and moon theme, where each ray of the sun represents one of the five continents entered in the MotoGP race.

• AGV GP Tech Misano 2008 – The AGV GP Tech helmet, custom-designed for Rossi's Misano round of MotoGP in 2008, was to celebrate his home race and featured a house surrounded by typical Rossi cartoons, including his last Bulldog Guido. Rossi's prolific Misano win equaled the record of 68 wins and that of his compatriot Giacomo Agostini.

• AGV Celebr-8 Helmet – The AGV Celebr-8 helmet was designed to commemorate Rossi's eighth World Championship title. The helmet design was not used in every race but was widely used in the 2008 and 2009 testing sessions. In February 2009, at the Sepang test, Rossi also used a newly designed version of the yellow Celebr-8 helmet.

• AGV Rossi Gallina Vecchia Helmet 2009 – Rossi celebrated his ninth championship title by wearing a number 9 T-shirt and a helmet featuring a chicken with the words "Older Chickens Make Better Broth." Although Rossi was 30 years old at the time, he still managed to win, symbolized by the nine eggs he carried during his celebration, in keeping with the Italian proverb "Gallina Vecchia" (an old chicken makes less delicious soup but still lays eggs).

• AGV Rossi Misano Donkey Helmet 2009 – This helmet was designed by Aldo Drudi, featuring a donkey as a dig at Rossi for making a minor mistake and crashing while competing against Lorenzo in the previous round. The concept of this helmet is the same as the "My Face" helmet, except that Rossi's face on the "My Face" helmet is replaced with a donkey, and the words "The Doctor" are also changed to "The Donkey."

• AGV Rossi Mugello Hands Helmet 2009 – As is his custom, he creates designs that are Uniquely, Rossi once wore a helmet with a hand design. The image shows Rossi's hands holding his head. Rossi's two pet bulldogs are also featured on this helmet. The top of the helmet's visor features the words "Tribu dei chihuahua."

• Rossi Mugello Jolly Joker Helmet 2010 – In 2010, Rossi wore this helmet made by Aldo Drudi, featuring a joker among four playing cards. The Yamaha logo is also visible between the two joker hats.

• Rossi Misano Time to Wake Up Helmet 2010 – This giant helmet design has two meanings. First, it signifies that it's time for Rossi to bounce back after missing four races due to a broken leg and a less than satisfactory result in Indianapolis. Second, it serves as a reminder of Rossi's bad habits. Rossi said, "This helmet is a dig at me for being late. We've installed a large clock on this helmet in the hope that I can finish the race on time."

• Rossi Laguna Seca Helmet 2010 – This helmet It features a unique design, featuring photos of the Yamaha crew, including Jeremy Burgess and Davide Brivio. It also features photos of Rossi's family, including his father, Graziano Rossi, his mother, Stefania Palma, his younger siblings, Luca and Clara, his girlfriend, Marwa Klebi, his close friend, Uccio, and Rossi's childhood friends.

• Valencia Ducati Test – This helmet features a bold black and yellow design. The right side features a sun, while the left side features a moon, symbolizing Rossi's two distinct personalities. A question mark at the top represents a mystery. Rossi and everyone else are unsure what will happen to him with Ducati in 2011. The number 46 is placed on the back.

• AGV Rossi Eyeball Mugello 2011 – This helmet was created when Rossi was still with Ducati in 2011. The eyeball design symbolizes Rossi's sadness at the condition of his motorcycle, which was unable to compete with its rivals.

• AGV GP Tech Valentino Rossi Elements – This helmet was released in 2011 and named Elements after its color scheme. The main element in the helmet's design is the sun and moon, which are synonymous with Rossi. In addition, there are other elements representing the five elements of life: fire, water, air, earth, and light.

• Festival Del Mugello 2012 – In 2012, Rossi chose to create a theme for the music festival traditionally held in Sanremo. Sanremo itself is known as the City of Flowers, hence the floral arrangement with a photo of Italian singer Gianni Morandi.

• Misano 2012 – Vale was at Ducati at the time. Ducati's performance did not meet his expectations, and the public blamed him for his inability to improve the team. His performance in the 2012 season declined sharply. During his years at Ducati, fans had to get used to seeing him racing in the middle of the pack, rarely racing to the front like he did at Yamaha. His helmet seemed to say, "Beat me as much as you like, but I will still get up and not give up."

• AGV GP Tech Valentino Rossi Turtle – This helmet was worn by Rossi in the fifth round of the 2013 MotoGP. The design uses a cartoon turtle, as Rossi considered himself slower than other racers, even though he had returned to Yamaha. On the side are four figures of runners. The front runner is orange, the second is red, and the third is blue. These colors represent Marquez, Pedrosa, and Lorenzo. The fourth runner is yellow, struggling to catch up with the runner in front of him. This yellow runner is likened to Rossi. Rossi loves turtles. As a child, he begged his mother to buy him a turtle doll. After... Buy a turtle, Rossi attaches it to his helmet and wears it every time he races in Minimoto.

• Rossi Misano Helmet 2013 – Rossi unveiled a special edition Pink Floyd-themed AGV helmet, "Wish You Were Here," at the Misano MotoGP race. The design pays tribute to his friend and fellow rider, Marco Simoncelli, who tragically passed away in 2011. The helmet incorporates elements from the iconic Pink Floyd album cover, with the title "Wish You Were Here" prominently displayed, symbolizing Rossi's feelings for Simoncelli.

• Rossi Losail Helmet 2014 – This helmet features an abstract sun design. What sets it apart from other helmets is the addition of an LED light accessory on the back. According to Rossi, this light is useful to make it easier for other riders to see him on the circuit because the race takes place at night. This helmet was only used at the 2014 Losail, Qatar round.

• Woolly Hat – The 2015 winter test was held in a far-flung location, the Sepang Circuit, Malaysia. But Rossi tried to liven up the session with his helmet design, which resembled a wool hat.

• Yellow Energy – Also known as the 'Mirror Helmet' or 'Yellow Energy,' this helmet was worn by Rossi at his home race at Mugello in 2015. This helmet shows that Rossi draws his energy from the fans who always support him. This helmet is striking because of its mirror-like reflective part.

• Shark Helmet – This helmet depicts a small yellow fish with the number 46 being hunted by a large shark. "I'm the small fish, in front trying to save myself. The big shark is all my rivals—Jorge, Marc, Dani, and the Ducati riders—all the riders who want to beat me in my home race. That's the idea," Rossi said before the Misano race.

• 'Snow Man – Rossi wore this snowman-themed helmet during pre-season testing at the Sepang Circuit. Like the Woolly Hat worn a year earlier in the same session, this helmet was considered a mockery of the winter training sessions, which were actually held in hot Malaysia.

• Soleluna (2016) – For the first time in three years, Rossi made a major update to the design of his Soleluna helmet. Still with a sun and crescent moon theme, this helmet featured numerous geometric shapes throughout. Two '46's were on the front of the helmet, located below the visor.

• Mugiallo (2016) – As usual, Rossi appeared with a special helmet at Mugello. Dominantly colored yellow, The Doctor's helmet featured an image of the Mugello Circuit at the top and the text 'Mugiallo' surrounding it. 'Mugiallo' is not a typo. Yellow in Italian is 'Giallo', and Rossi combined that word with Mugello to create 'Mugiallo'.

• The Blues Brothers – The Blues Brothers is one of Rossi's favorite films, and at his home race of the 2016 season, he appeared with a special design inspired by the film. The helmet featured a photo of Rossi with his close friend and assistant, Alessio "Uccio" Saluccim, wearing Blues Brothers uniforms.

• AGV Pista GP R Valentino Rossi Special Winter Test Malaysia 2017 – This iconic helmet shell is adorned with geometric shapes and striking colored beads, piquing the curiosity of Valentino Rossi, The Doctor, while on vacation in Mexico, providing the inspiration for this color. The design is inspired by the Huichol. His work, preceded by meticulous research into the indigenous methods used to produce these pieces, is truly unique.

• AGV Pista GP R Special Edition MotoGP Mugello 2017: Tribute to Francesco Totti, Nicky Hayden, and Marco Simoncelli – This helmet was designed by Rossi in collaboration with renowned designer Drudi Performance. The helmet features an image of a footballer resembling Rossi, emblazoned with Italian words, the Yamaha, AGV, and Monster Energy logos, and of course, Nicky Hayden's number 69 with a star accent. It has the signature Marco Simoncelli 58 color scheme on the back.

• Soleluna 2018 – The design features a sun on the right side, complete with a moon on the left. On the back, Valentino Rossi and the number 46 are featured. Completing the rear design, Rossi added a small number 58 in the lower left corner as a tribute to the late Marco Simoncelli. The black base is accented with yellow, symbolizing the power of the sun and the energy of the moon.

• AGV Pista GP R Special Edition MotoGP Misano 2018: Back To Misano – Rossi's theme for this special 2018 Misano helmet reflects his experience a year ago. After being unable to race in front of his home crowd due to a motocross accident, Rossi is delighted to be back and expresses his joy through the helmet's design.

• AGV Pista GP R Rossi Special Edition MotoGP Mugello 2018: Viva L' Italia – This helmet design retains the sun and moon symbol, as seen on the decals Rossi has worn throughout the 2018 season. The difference is that while Rossi's regular helmet has a blue base color with highlighter yellow accents, for this special Mugello helmet, Rossi combines the colors of the Italian flag: red, white, and green.

• AGV Pista GP R Winter Test 2019 – The 2019 AGV Pista GP R IRTA features neon colors like Rossi's iconic yellow, as well as green, fuchsia (a vibrant purplish-red), and orange. The ever-present Sun and Moon are also present, now styled on the front of the body shell with a thin but visible blue stripe.

• AGV Pista GP-R: 2019 Mugello Tricolore Special – In general, Valentino Rossi's 2019 AGV Pista GP-R Mugello Special uses a basic tricolore design based on the Italian flag's green, white, and red. However, interestingly, the details of the three colors are not applied with a solid technique, but rather with a Detail Paint Brush, which is not actually solid, but rather with brush strokes. These three brush strokes gradually fade towards the rear and merge with white with the yellow "46" lettering on the back.

• AGV Pista GP-R: Menu Misano 2019 – As explained by Aldo Drudi, designer of Rossi's Piadina & Watermelon helmet, the theme is actually based on the sole luna design. The sun and moon that have adorned Valentino Rossi's helmets. The difference is that Drudi has replaced the sun with pizza slices, while the moon is overlaid with a watermelon. A closer look at the helmet's graphics suggests Rossi wants to offer his fans a special "Misano Menu." Pizza is clearly a familiar food to Italians. Watermelon can be interpreted as a refreshing or dessert after eating pizza.

• AGV Pista GP RR Soleluna Pop Art Edition: Winter Test 2019 – Rossi's winter helmet retains his signature style. This helmet still features the sun and moon logo, which is synonymous with Valentino Rossi. However, the sun and moon images here have been given a modern twist.

• AGV Pista GP RR Special MotoGP Misano 2020: La Doppia – The helmet features a combination of white and blue. On the top of the helmet, there is a tablet with the words VR 46 written on it. Around it, there are the words 'La Doppia di Misano,' which has a double meaning of Misano. On the back is the tablet's packaging, one of which has been opened. The helmet's design is intended to be a joke about Valentino Rossi's age and performance, as he will be racing at the Misano circuit for two consecutive weekends, with the next race being the Emilia Romagna GP. The blue tablet is inspired by the drug Viagra. There are also several other details on the helmet, such as the number 46,000 grams and the expiration date of August 20, the date of the last race at the Misano circuit.

• AGV Pista GP RR Soleluna 2021 – For the 2021 season, Valentino Rossi considered creating a new helmet to represent his new career. This season, Valentino Rossi joined the Petronas Yamaha SRT team. Therefore, Aldo Drudi created a new motif with a more luminescent graphic, symbolizing the setting sun. On the opposite side, the moon graphic also glows to symbolize moonlight at night. The graphic is luminescent because they believe the sun and moon are sources of light. All of this combines to symbolize Valentino Rossi's career, which is not over, but rather a new beginning.

• AGV PISTA GP RR Special Mugello 2021: Muuuu...Gello – Valentino Rossi's helmet design for the 2021 Italian MotoGP features a large cow emblazoned on the helmet. The Italian inscription reads: Muuu-gello, which translates to Moo-gello in English. Moo is the distinctive sound of a cow. As a result, this helmet design combines the sound of a cow mooing with the name of the Mugello Circuit.

• AGV PISTA GP RR Misano 2021: Special for the Princess – To celebrate the birth of his baby girl, Rossi showed off a special helmet featuring a large pink ribbon. What's interesting is the phrase embedded on the left side of the rear of the helmet. These words are apparently lyrics from a song by Italian singer Lucio Battisti: "Chissà, chissà chi sei. Chissà che sarai. Chissà che sarà di noi. Lo scopriremo solo vivendo." The translation is "Who knows, who knows who you are. Who knows what you will become. Who knows what will happen to us. We will only find out by living."

• AGV PISTA RR Emilia Romagna 2021: Forza Vale – Rossi's helmet at the 2021 Misano MotoGP has a special meaning, dedicated to his fans. The helmet features graphics inspired by photos of fans in the Misano Grand Prix grandstands, including a yellow heart symbol, the number 46, and images of the sun and moon. The helmet also features Rossi's two dogs and a cat, along with the words "Forza Vale," which encouraged Rossi at the end of his career.

Rossi is superstitious and renowned for his pre-ride rituals. On a race day, he will always watch the beginning of the Moto3 race to see how long the starting lights remain lit before going out at the start of the race. Prior to riding (whether racing, qualifying, or practice), he will start his personal ritual by stopping about two metres from his bike, bending over and reaching for his boots. Then, when arriving at his bike, he will crouch down and hold the right-side foot-peg, with his head bowed.^[640] In an interview, Rossi said "It's just a moment to focus and 'talk' to my bike, like moving from one place to the next".^[641] He adjusts the fit of his leathers by standing straight up on the foot-pegs, whilst riding down the pit-lane before the start of race or practice. He also revealed in an interview with MotoGP.com that he always puts one particular boot on before the other, as well as one particular glove on before the other, and that he always gets on the bike the same way. He also gets off the bike in the same way, swinging his right leg over the front of the bike.^[642]

Besides his performance on the track, Rossi's popularity has risen due to the unique actions he performs on the track. Since the beginning of his career, Rossi has always looked unique, for example with his trademark yellow color, hair color, and eccentric makeup. Besides making himself popular, Rossi's unique celebrations make MotoGP even more popular in the world. His celebrations have also become a trend and are imitated by many other racers. Rossi did it deliberately to attract people's attention. According to him, the drama he did was unreasonable, but instead made people pay more attention to motorcycle racing. In addition, he also did it to remove the seriousness that sometimes exists in top races.^[643]

After leaving the family home in Tavullia, he moved to Milan, before taking up residency in London, England during his period with Honda. During this time he acquired a villa in Ibiza which he still owns,^[644] and following the tax case returned to his main residence to live close to his family in Italy. Rossi is a practising Catholic.^[645]

Though Tavullia falls in the Marche region on the border with Emilia-Romagna, Rossi has been known to identify also with the historical region of Romagna.^[646][647] In June 2017, at an inauguration of a swimming pool in Pesaro, the provincial capital, Giovanni Malagò, President of the Italian National Olympic Committee, was booed for saying that Rossi was "a little here [Marche] and a little there [Romagna]".^[648][649]

In 2002, Rossi received threats from an Italian-Spanish anarchist movement, which in those days sent parcel bombs to people it considered targets in either of the two countries. The anarchists considered Rossi "guilty" because at the time he rode for Honda's MotoGP factory team, it had been sponsored by the oil company Repsol since 1994 (for which he filmed a commercial in Spain), with their logo displayed on both the motorcycle and on his race suits.^[650]

On 31 May 2005 he received an honorary degree in Communications and Advertising for Organizations. In March 2010, the Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini delivered to Rossi the first Winning Italy Award for his contribution to the promotion of Italy's image in the world.^[567]

Rossi has a maternal half-brother, Luca Marini, 2020 Moto2 season runner-up who was racing for the Sky Racing Team by VR46.^[651] In 2021, Marini moved to the MotoGP class joining the Esponsorama team using the Sky VR46 livery on his bike,^[652] before moving over to Rossi's VR46 Racing Team for the 2022 season.^[653]

On 4 March 2022, he had a daughter with his partner, Francesca Sofia Novello. Valentino Rossi's first child is a daughter named Giulietta Rossi.^[654]

In July 2024, Valentino Rossi announced his partner was pregnant with his second child, another daughter.^[655] In 4 January 2025, Valentino Rossi and Francesca Sofia Novello welcomed the birth of their second child, a daughter named Gabriella Rossi. ^[656]

Rossi enjoys a wide variety of music genres. He is said to be a fan of The Prodigy, Rage Against the Machine, Bob Marley, and more soft rock bands.

Besides having a racing team, Rossi also has other businesses such as merchandise, apparel, and many other things with the VR46 brand.^[657] In Tavullia he also has a place of business with the name Tavullia 46. Tavullia 46 owns various entities such as pizza restaurants and ice cream shops.^[658]

Valentino Rossi has several businesses related to VR46, including VR46 Racing Apparel, VR Equipment, and VR46 Metaverse. In addition, he also owns a racing team that competes in the Motorcycle Grand Prix championship. Here are more details about these businesses:^[659]

• VR Equipment:
  • The business focuses on developing and selling high-tech racing equipment for all athletes.
• VR46 Metaverse:
  • A digital platform that allows VR46 fans and the community to interact and engage with VR46-related content.^[660]
• VR46 Agency
  • VR46 Agency which handles the search for sponsors and commercial partners, and focuses on marketing consulting in the field of sports and market analysis. So, not only does it excel in racing, but it is also in line with its business. VR46 Agency partners with Rossi's VR46 Riders Academy, which has produced many great riders in the premier class, including two-time defending MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia.

According to Sports Illustrated, Rossi is one of the highest-earning sports personalities in the world, having earned an estimated $34 million in 2007.^[661] In 2009 Forbes ranked Rossi as number nine among the world's highest-paid athletes having earned an estimated $35 million in the past year.^[662] When he returned to the Yamaha family in 2013, Forbes listed Rossi as the highest-paid athlete in the world. According to Forbes, Rossi earned US$12 million from that race. Rossi is not just a celebrity, but also one of the highest-paid world-class athletes. He also receives endorsements from several brands. Forbes also noted that Rossi can earn up to US$10 million per endorsement. ^[663] According to the Bornrich website, in 2017 Rossi's net worth was estimated at US$120. ^[664][665]

Rossi was investigated by the Italian tax authorities for tax evasion in 2002 but the investigation proved unsuccessful.^[666]

In 2007, the Italian tax authorities declared Rossi was being investigated for suspected tax evasion. The authorities announced they were investigating Rossi for undeclared revenues of 112 million euros ($160 million) between 2000 and 2004. The officials said, against the European Taxes Agreements among European countries, Rossi's London residency has enabled him to take advantage of favourable tax conditions, such as only declaring earnings made in Britain and avoiding taxes on his lucrative merchandising and sponsorship contracts, commenting that Rossi had residency in London but his "centre of interests" was not there, as shown by a thorough investigation.^[667] It noted that in 2002, Rossi's Italian tax form declared earnings of 500 euros, while sponsorship contracts were all reported to be made out to foreign companies, but with his affairs controlled mainly from Italy.^[668] In February 2008, Rossi announced that he had reached a settlement with the Italian tax authorities: he paid 35 million euros to close the tax case. He also plea-bargained a suspended sentence of six months' imprisonment for non-declaration of income.^[669]

In November 2015, Milestone srl announced the development of Valentino Rossi: The Game, to be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with Rossi officially endorsing the game.^[670] It was then released on 16 June 2016, and it is also the official video game of the 2016 MotoGP season.

Rossi supports Italian football club Inter Milan since 1990. After he won world titles in 2008 and 2009, Inter congratulated him via their website.^[671][672]

At the 2015 Argentine Grand Prix, Rossi wore a replica Diego Maradona football shirt on the podium in tribute to Maradona after Rossi won the race.^[673] Maradona congratulated him via his Facebook.

In April 2025, F.C. Internazionale Milano and Nike, Inc. announced a special partnership with Valentino Rossi. The jersey was designed to celebrate Rossi's 46th birthday and his love for Inter Milan, a unique blend of football and motorcycle racing. On the Inter Millan website, the Inter 2024/25 Away Kit has been redesigned with the addition of several iconic references to Valentino Rossi's career. In particular, the famous "Sun and Moon" symbol has been incorporated into the center of the jersey – a nod to the union of two different worlds and the special bond between Rossi and Inter.

"This special jersey is an iconic item for Valentino Rossi and Inter fans – a collector's piece that combines the tradition and history of the club with the thrill of racing," it said in the Inter Millan website.

The jersey's special feature is also the number 46 embedded under the Nike logo. In addition, a small number 46 also adorns each digit of the jersey number on the back. Rossi, who became the model for the launch of this special Inter Milan jersey, was very happy and honored by the dedication of his favorite club that created a special uniform for him. Added with a second label and the words "Engineered with Valentino Rossi's exact specifications". This special edition jersey has been worn by Inter players at San Siro Stadium, Milan, Italy, during the match against Cagliari Calcio on Saturday (12/4/2025) and is available for purchase in an exclusive special version 'Rossi 46' - the only one with a special design to make the number look like a MotoGP race track. This jersey has been available on April 10 at Inter Stores in Galleria Passerella, Piazza Castello and San Siro, as well as official Nike sales points (Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Loreto di Milano). The Valentino Rossi jersey has been marketed through the official website with a starting price of 270 USD and for the personalization option, the price is 235 USD.^[674]

Rossi enjoys playing games, including MotoGP games on PlayStation. He once said he is more agile in virtual car racing, but still enjoys playing MotoGP online with his friends.^[675] In 2020, Rossi achieved a first podium finish in the fourth round MotoGP Virtual race held at the Misano Circuit. The race was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Rossi finished in the top three. He celebrated his podium finish as if it were a real race.^[676]

valentinorossiracing
YouTube information
Channel	valentinorossiracingVR46
Location	Italy
Years active	2012–present
Genres	Sports Entertainment
Subscribers	323 thousand[677]
Views	34 million[677]
Contents are in	Italian English
Last updated: 21 June 2025

Valentino Rossi has a YouTube channel called valentinorossiracing. On the channel, he shares various content related to his life in racing, including his VR46 team, which competes in MotoGP. In addition, the channel also features videos from off-track, such as daily activities, interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage from various events he participates in. The channel was created to share experiences with fans, provide insight into the world of racing, and build rapport with fans. ^[678]

Rossi has a large following on several social media platforms, earning him the nickname The Social Media King of MotoGP. The Doctor, who has seven premier-level world championship titles, has over 33 million followers across three platforms at Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Valentino Rossi's social media following, according to the latest data (as of 2025), is approximately 33.6 million across three major platforms. This includes followers across various platforms such as Instagram (16.2 million), Facebook (12 million), and X (5.4 million). Notably, even in retirement, Rossi remains one of the most popular MotoGP riders on social media. ^[679]

Rossi is a fan of athletes and Hollywood stars, including F1 drivers Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Alex Albon, and Daniel Ricciardo. He is also a fan of footballers Marco Materazzi and Diego Maradona, NASCAR driver Kyle Busch, tennis player Roger Federer, and basketball player Michael Jordan. Among the Hollywood stars are Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, and Tom Cruise. ^[680][681]

Lando Norris wore a special helmet design at the 2019 Italian Grand Prix at Monza Circuit, Italy, featuring a livery created by six-year-old fan Eva. The helmet was predominantly blue and featured a 'Soleluna' motif.^[682]

In 2024, Alex Albon launched particularly special livery helmet on his Bell HP77 for special occasions like his 100th Grand Prix, which he celebrated at the 2024 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, United States. The Doctor logo, Valentino Rossi's nickname, is visible on the front and back. Likewise, at the top is the sticker of Valentino Rossi's beloved bulldog, Guido. This helmet was designed by Massimo "Mad56" Dante and MDM Design, a favorite of Albon.^[683]

In Tavullia, Italy, there is a private museum of Valentino Rossi, his hometown. The museum is called 'Route 46' and displays various historical collections from his racing career, including motorcycles, helmets, racing equipment, and trophies. Rossi himself built and manages the museum, aiming to share his racing legacy with fans. The museum is also expected to become a tourist attraction in Tavullia. The museum houses Rossi's personal collection, including motorcycles he has ridden, such as the Aprilia RS125R (1997 125cc world championship) and the Yamaha YZR-M1 (2005 Valencia MotoGP). Initially, the museum was private, but Rossi plans to open it to the public so fans can see his complete collection. Tavullia is a small town in Italy, and the museum is located near the ranch where Rossi trains. The museum is expected to attract tourists, especially motorcycle racing fans, to visit Tavullia. The museum is part of the legacy of Valentino Rossi, who is considered one of the greatest riders in MotoGP history.^[684]

Valentino Rossi has a giant mural painted in his hometown of Tavullia. Besides winning nine world championships, achieving 115 individual race victories, and securing 235 podium finishes during his two-wheeled racing career, his enthusiasm and engagement with fans are unmatched. Coupled with the fact that he has worked behind the scenes for a long time to train future riders, it clearly proves that his value to motorcycle racing is immeasurable. All these reasons and more are why his hometown of Tavullia, Italy, is eager to create a monumental tribute to Valentino Rossi. To make this happen, the City of Tavullia, together with the cultural association Wallabe Urban Art, invited street artist Andrea Buglisi to create a mural showcasing Rossi as a true rock star. An official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in Tavullia on 11 April 2023, attended by Valentino Rossi, as well as the Mayor of Tavullia, Francesca Paolucci. The mural takes inspiration from the cover of David Bowie's music album, Aladdin Sane. Meanwhile, the text below is a quote from Led Zeppelin's song "Stairway to Heaven": "To be a Rock and not to Roll." Buglisi believes this quote demonstrates the sporting discipline Rossi also demonstrated. This is not the only celebration Tavullia has planned for its most famous local son. According to Speedweek, the Mayor of Tavullia believes his region should be a kind of open-air museum.^[685]

Rossi has a huge fan base worldwide, known as the Fan Club Valentino Rossi. Rossi fans are known as "The Doctor" and have a fanatical following, both online and offline. Rossi fans are particularly enthusiastic and known for their incredible support.

At the end of 2021, Rossi launched an album called Da Zero A 46. Valentino Rossi's extraordinary 25-year career in MotoGP is captured in this sticker album with Augmented Reality (AR) technology. It contains highlights of The Doctor's achievements, such as victories, most iconic overtaking maneuvers, and celebrations. The editorial project Da Zero a 46 was created by Creatiwa Studio in collaboration with MoreGlobe, which used augmented reality to bring the new sticker album concept to life and was worked on for eight months. This album features 60 interactive pieces of content on 165 maxi stickers. 3D models come to life in the publication and can be obtained by downloading it through the MoreGlobe app. By framing the interactive cards on a smartphone camera, fans can retrace Rossi's history. By downloading the app, fans can access additional content via their mobile phones, simply by framing the album's details. Through an algorithm invented and patented by Creatiwa Studio, fans will also have access to interviews, exclusive videos, and 3D reconstructions related to specific card topics, such as Rossi's motorcycles, which can be analyzed in every detail. ^[686]

Throughout his racing career, Rossi often wore special liveries to mark celebrations. Some of these liveries are also widely followed by MotoGP fans. Some iconic liveries were worn by Rossi while still racing. For example, in 2003, Repsol, Honda's main sponsor at the time, held a design competition and the winning design was realized on the Honda RC211V motorcycle at the final series in Valencia, Spain, of the 2003 season. This moment was also Rossi's last time with Honda, which ended with the world championship title. Then in 2005, when Yamaha celebrated its 50th anniversary, they used a classic livery with the theme of Speed Block. This livery had been used on Kenny Roberts' racing motorcycle in flattrack racing events. The livery used at Laguna Seca, America, did not result in a victory. Rossi finished third. Still in celebration of Yamaha's 50th anniversary, the same theme was still used. However, the difference was in the colors. While at Laguna Seca they used yellow and white, at the race in Valencia, Rossi and his teammates used white and red. At that time, Rossi again finished third. Then in 2013, it was not always the special livery that was popular on Rossi fans' bikes. The livery used in the winter test ahead of the 2013 season was also considered by many Rossi fans to be a cool design. It was dominated by gray, with a hint of black, and yellow, Rossi's signature color. This livery also marked Rossi's return to Yamaha after two previous seasons with Ducati.^[687]

• 
  Valentino Rossi, sitting on his special liveried Repsol Honda at the 2003 Valencian Community Grand Prix
• 
  Valentino Rossi, riding his special liveried Gauloises Yamaha at the 2005 United States Grand Prix
• 
  Valentino Rossi, riding his alternative liveried Gauloises Yamaha at the 2005 Valencian Community Grand Prix
• 
  Rossi YZR-M1 bike used at the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen, 2007. Valentino Rossi on the Yamaha M1 "Cinquecento" special livery.
• 
  Valentino Rossi, riding his FIAT Yamaha at the 2007 Australian Grand Prix in Philip Island. For the Australian round, the livery was changed to a special "Abarth" livery.
• 
  Valentino Rossi, riding his FIAT Yamaha at the 2010 Indianapolis Grand Prix, held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

In October 2024, Valentino Rossi debut as a co-host on Italian television with the GialappaShow. Along with host Magician Forest, Rossi shared stories and jokes, including about his legendary rivalries with rivals, particularly Marc Márquez and Casey Stoner. Forest, with his sardonic brand of humor, did not hesitate to poke fun at Valentino's pre-race habits (such as fixing his belongings). Forest revealed the "secret name" Rossi had given his private parts in honor of Marquez and Stoner. Rossi, with a playful smile, responded by saying he could not reveal the name. The show also featured clips, music, and comedy sketches, including one where Rossi and Forest played the Blues Brothers in a humorous way.^[688][689]

In 2003, a film entitled Faster was launched, produced by Mark Neale. This film tells the story of racing rivalries in the late 500cc class and the early MotoGP era. Faster focuses on the racing rivalries of 2001 and 2002, the early years of Rossi's MotoGP championship reign with Honda.^[690] Then in 2004, the film Faster & Faster was released. In this film, viewers can learn the story of the fierce rivalry between Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi. These two Italian racers battled on and off the track, competing to be the most famous racer. The story will make you shake your head, it turns out that the competition in the world of racing is that hot. This film also tells the excitement of racing in the 2003 and 2004 eras. The era when Rossi decided to leave Honda and join Yamaha. Rossi's victory when he first rode a Yamaha at the South African GP, was one of Rossi's best moments.^[691]

In 2011, Mark Neale released a documentary titled Fastest. It chronicles the MotoGP rivalry of the 2000s. Focusing on Valentino Rossi, the documentary offers a close-up look at the rivalry in this elite class. Of its 1 hour and 51 minutes running time, approximately 52 minutes are devoted to Valentino Rossi.^[692] In 2015, a MotoGP documentary titled Hitting the Apex was released, directed by Mark Neale and produced and narrated by Brad Pitt. The film chronicles the journeys of six MotoGP riders, such as Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Márquez, Dani Pedrosa, Valentino Rossi, Marco Simoncelli, and Casey Stoner. The film highlights not only the racing action but also the human side of the riders, including sad moments such as Marco Simoncelli's death in a crash at Sepang. Hitting the Apex is considered one of the best MotoGP documentaries ever made.^[693] In 2016, Monster Energy released the miniseries Valentino Rossi: The Doctor - Series, which chronicles the nine-time world champion's success on the track, character, and appeal to fans.^[694]

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref
2003	Faster	Himself	Documentary	[695]
2004	Faster & Faster		Documentary	[696]
2011	Fastest		Documentary	[697]
2015	Hitting The Apex		Documentary	[698]
2016	Valentino Rossi: The Doctor - Series		TV series	[699]
2019	DAZN MotoGP		TV series, produced by DAZN	[700]
2022	MotoGP Unlimted		TV series, produced by Amazon Prime Video. Season 1 - Episode 8 - 'Succession'	[701]

He starred in an Aprilia SR50 scooter commercial in 1997. It turns out that while starring in the Aprilia SR50 scooter commercial, Rossi also collaborated with Loris Capirossi. At the time, both riders were racing for Aprilia Racing, Capirossi in the GP250 and Rossi in the GP125. At the time, Capirossi and The Doctor were 24 and 18 years old, respectively. The theme of the commercial was Capirossi defeating Rossi in a race to a toilet because he was riding an Aprilia scooter. Here's a vintage Aprilia video starring Capirossi and Rossi.^[702]

Rossi's image as a nine-time motorcycle racing world champion (125cc 1997, 250cc 1999, 500cc 2001, MotoGP 2002-2005, 2008, 2009) has proven effective in boosting sales of the products he advertises for, including Yamaha in Indonesia. Accompanied by comedians like Komeng, Yamaha's advertisements in Indonesia are humorous yet powerful, with their messages truly impacting viewers.^[703]

When Yamaha wanted to promote their newest oil, Yamalube, an advertisement starring Komeng, Rossi, and his then-teammate, Jorge Lorenzo, was launched in 2015. In the 2015 season, Rossi and Lorenzo displayed a fierce rivalry for the championship. The two paired well, as Yamaha dominated the competition. In this advertisement, Yamaha illustrates that "all things in this world are created in pairs." Just like Yamaha motorcycles and Yamalube oil, and Rossi and Lorenzo.^[704]

In 2024, Valentino Rossi and Sean Gelael starred in a commercial promoting Pertamax Turbo. In the commercial, Rossi, playing a customer, meets Zakki Rossi, an Indonesian whose facial features resemble those of Valentino Rossi, who plays a gas station attendant.^[705]

Valentino Rossi becomes Yamaha's brand ambassador. The agreement was formalized in April 2023 after he retired from MotoGP. Rossi, who is a legendary Yamaha racer, will continue to work with Yamaha as a brand ambassador, marking the continuation of their long relationship. During his time in MotoGP with Yamaha from 2004-2010 and 2013-2021, Valentino Rossi won four world championship titles while defending Yamaha. This is also what makes Valentino Rossi always use a Yamaha motorbike when practicing on a motorbike, both on the flat track with the Yamaha YZ450F and the Yamaha YZF-R1 on the road race circuit. Meanwhile, Yamaha Motor Racing Managing Director Lin Jarvis said that Rossi is always considered part of the Yamaha family. However, Valentino Rossi's collaboration with Yamaha does not affect his racing team, the VR46 Racing Team. Because the team, which this year is called the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, is still using a Ducati motorbike and is rumored to be extending its contract as a satellite team. It turns out that Valentino Rossi's closeness to the manufacturers in MotoGP is not only to Yamaha and Ducati, but also to many manufacturers. Now with the entry of his younger brother, Luca Marini to the Repsol Honda Team, the relationship between Valentino Rossi and Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) is getting closer. Moreover, Honda is the first factory team to recruit Valentino Rossi to move up to MotoGP in the GP500 era. ^[706][707]

In 2017, Rossi and teammate Maverick Viñales were in Manila, Philippines, for a Yamaha event, where they participated in a press conference, photo shoot, and tested the Yamaha Sniper 150 MXi at the Manila street race track. They also received a warm welcome from Filipino fans. Rossi even announced that he would be displaying the Philippine flag on his motorcycle during the MotoGP season. ^[708]

He is a brand ambassador for Oakley, Inc., the American eyewear and apparel company. Oakley has partnered with Rossi, recognizing his status as a global icon and his appeal, particularly in Italy and Spain, according to sports publications and other media outlets. As part of their partnership, Rossi has collaborated with Oakley on a signature series of Holbrook sunglasses, further solidifying his role as a brand ambassador. The partnership also extends to advertising campaigns in Italy and Spain, where Rossi's image is prominently featured in connection with the Oakley brand. ^[709]

Rossi was a brand ambassador for GoPro. In 2016, GoPro announced a partnership with Valentino Rossi. This partnership allowed fans to see exclusive content of Rossi's life both on and off the racetrack. The partnership began around the time Rossi was first seen with the GoPro logo at the German Grand Prix. ^[710]

Rossi also a brand ambassador for BMW M Motorsport. He became a BMW M works driver at the start of the 2023 season and also serves as a brand ambassador. In this role, he competes in various GT racing series, including the GT World Challenge Europe and the FIA World Endurance Championship, driving a BMW M4 GT3. ^[711]

In October 2023, PT Pertamina Patra Niaga has partnered with two racers, Valentino Rossi, as brand ambassadors for Pertamax Turbo alongside Sean Gelael. Furthermore, Pertamina Lubricants officially joined MotoGP as a partner of the VR46 Racing Team for the next three seasons. Indonesian lubricant brand Pertamina Enduro is the main sponsor under the name Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team and has appointed Rossi as a brand ambassador for their lubricant products.^[712]

Valentino Rossi has been a long-time endorser for Dainese. Their relationship spans over 20 years, dating back to when Rossi was a teenager. Dainese has consistently provided Rossi with racing gear, including a helmet, throughout his career. Rossi and Dainese have collaborated since 1996, when Rossi was just 17 years old. Dainese has created a special helmet for Rossi, including a limited edition that celebrates his achievements and career. Rossi and Dainese have been an integral part of MotoGP history, with Rossi known as "The Doctor" and Dainese as his racing gear provider. Dainese and AGV (a helmet manufacturer that also collaborates with Rossi) have released limited-edition collections to celebrate Rossi's birthday and his incredible career.^[713]

Since 2009, Valentino Rossi has had a sponsorship relationship with Monster Energy. Monster Energy has been Rossi's personal sponsor and also sponsors his MotoGP racing team, VR46. This partnership covers various aspects, from the Monster Energy logo displayed on Rossi's motorcycles and racing equipment, to financial and marketing support. Monster Energy supports Valentino Rossi personally, with their logo often seen on his helmet, racing suit, and other equipment. Rossi's VR46 Racing Team is also sponsored by Monster Energy. This demonstrates a deeper relationship between Rossi and the energy drink company. Monster Energy uses Rossi's popularity to promote their products, and Rossi, as a MotoGP icon, adds significant value to the brand. The relationship between Rossi and Monster Energy has lasted for several years, demonstrating the commitment of both parties. Both share the same goal: achieving success in MotoGP racing and expanding their brand reach.^[714]

In 2016, Rossi received a measure of solace after failing to finish at the Dutch TT in Assen. He won an award from the Italian Sports Press Association (Assosport) as the athlete with the greatest influence in business and social media. Rossi received the award at the Sports Marketing Awards ceremony at the Samsung Arena in Milan. In a survey conducted by Assosport, Rossi won 65 percent of the vote as the athlete with the greatest influence in business and social media. This means the nine-time world champion won by a landslide. In second place in the survey was Italian swimmer Federica Pellegrini, who received 20 percent of the vote. Third through fifth place were taken by Juventus footballer Gianluigi Buffon, cyclist Vincenzo Nibali, and trampoline jumper Tania Cagnotto.^[715]

In November 2021, Rossi was officially inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame and became a MotoGP legend at the FIM MotoGP awards ceremony, after the race at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, Valencia. CEO of Dorna Sports, Carmelo Ezpeleta presented the MotoGP Legend award to Rossi who has competed for 26 seasons. After being ordained as an important figure when he was still an active racer, Valentino Rossi has now been officially recognized as a legendary racer by MotoGP.^[716] Meanwhile, the Ricardo Tormo Circuit has created a giant mural of Rossi's face in one corner. Rossi has won several times at this circuit. ^[717] Additionally, a legendary footballer surprised Valentino Rossi for his final race. That legendary footballer was Ronaldo Luis Nazario, better known as Ronaldo. Ronaldo greeted Valentino Rossi in the Petronas Yamaha SRT paddock. He did this to calm the nerves of Valentino Rossi for his final race.^[718]

In December 2021, Valentino Rossi received an award in the form of a tapir-shaped trophy. The award was the Tapiro d'Oro, the Golden Tapir trophy which is a satirical award from the television show Stracia de Notiza. Rossi has received it seven times throughout his career.^[719]

In April 2022, Rossi was awarded the Laureus Award, which is an honor for those who have changed history in various sports. If there is someone who can change the history of motorcycle racing, Rossi is the main star. This is the second award he has won. Back then in 2006, Rossi had already won this award in Barcelona. Although he has retired as a professional motorcycle racer, The Doctor's legacy will always be imprinted in the years to come. That is why the winner of nine world championship titles was named an Icon of Sport for his contributions throughout his career. Since deciding to retire at the end of 2021, tributes have been given to Rossi through the community in Valencia, murals of his face and awards have been given to him. In fact, the presence of #46 in the Portuguese Grand Prix, which was intended to provide moral support to the riders who strengthened his team, became the center of attention of the media and fans. Therefore, the Laureus Award was given to recognize all the efforts he has made in the MotoGP World Championship over the years with 115 wins and 235 podiums in all classes. The sports icon award is given under the direction of the Laureus World Sports Academy.^[720]

In December 2022, Valentino Rossi received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his great services to the world of motorcycle racing, given in a circle-shaped trophy with the words 'Grazie Vale' written on it. The award was given directly by FIM President Jorge Viegas to Valentino Rossi at the FIM Awards event held in Rimini, Italy.^[721]

Yamaha celebrates Valentino Rossi's legendary career by launching a special Yamaha R1 GYTR VR46 Tribute motorcycle. The motorcycle was launched at EICMA 2021 which was held this week, where Valentino Rossi's presence was the center of attention at this giant automotive exhibition. During his long career in MotoGP, Valentino Rossi has defended several giant world manufacturers. Of all, Valentino Rossi's relationship with Yamaha is the most iconic and most remembered by racing fans. Regarding the livery, the R1 GYTR VR46 Tribute was designed by Rossi's colleague and mainstay designer, Aldo Drudi from Drudi Performance. This special VR46 Tribute motorcycle is claimed to be the R1 GYTR with the highest specifications ever made by Yamaha. The fairing kit already uses the latest carbon fiber, a full carbon subframe is also installed on this motorbike, the tank is also enlarged to 22 liters, then there is the ECU REX 140 Marelli, and many other parts where everything is the same as those used by Toprak Razgatlioglu in WorldSBK this season. Rossi will soon enjoy riding this motorbike at the Misano Circuit, with the tag line 'One More Lap' used by Yamaha when launching this motorbike at EICMA.^[722]

In October 2021, Rossi receives award from Italian Foreign Minister after race at Misano. After the Emilia Romagna MotoGP, they all flocked to express their gratitude and messages to him. According to the Chairman of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), Giovanni Malago, Rossi has done a great service. Thanks to Rossi's services, Italy has become a major country in the world of two-wheeled racing. The emotion of emotion was not only felt by government figures. The Italy national football team Coach, Roberto Mancini, also shared this feeling. The football legend also expressed his high appreciation for Rossi's achievements so far.^[723]

On December 2021, Rossi received an award from the Italian Motorcycle Federation (IMF). The IMF presented the Italian rider with a Lifetime Achievement Award to coincide with their 110th anniversary.^[724]

On July 2022, Valentino Rossi has been recognized as a living legend of MotoGP. The Italian's charm is now immortalized through a giant helmet installation in Pesaro, Italy. Since his retirement, Rossi has not been easily forgotten. Tributes to the 9-time world champion continue to pour in. The city of Pesaro, this time provided a giant AGV helmet installation with graphics that reflect his trademark, Soleluna, or sun and moon. The Soleluna motif was worn by Rossi in the last few years of racing. The giant helmet was placed outside the Piazza D'Annunzio. The replica helmet is 4 meters high, 6 meters wide, and weighs 400 kilograms. Interestingly, the visor is printed holographically or 3D, so it looks like a real helmet that Valentino Rossi usually wears. Valentino Rossi, who grew up in Tavullia, said he was proud to be immortalized in such an unusual way. Moreover, Pesaro is his second home, the city where his parents, Graziano Rossi and Stefania Palma.^{[725][726][727]}

In September 2023, Rossi received the Key to the City of Tavullia award ahead of the 2023 San Marino MotoGP at the Misano Circuit. In an award ceremony initiated by the Mayor of Tavullia, Francesco Paolucci, at local time, Rossi was given the Key to the City of Tavullia for his services in advancing the city where The Doctor was born. Also present were a number of racers who graduated from the VR46 Riders Academy. On the stage of the award event called 'Tavullia Vale', Rossi's first motorcycle was seen at the Grand Prix in 1996 and his last motorcycle before retiring in MotoGP 2021. Almost the entire population of the city of 8,000 was present in the center of Tavullia.^[728][729]

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination

Award ceremony	Year	Category	Nominee / Work	Result	Ref.
Laureus World Sports Awards	2004	Sportsman of the Year	Valentino Rossi	Nominated	[730]
	2005	Sportsman of the Year	Valentino Rossi	Nominated	[731]
	2006	Sportsman of the Year	Valentino Rossi	Nominated	[732]
	2009	Sportsman of the Year	Valentino Rossi	Nominated	[733]
	2010	Sportsman of the Year	Valentino Rossi	Nominated	[734]
	2011	Comeback of the Year	Valentino Rossi	Won	[735]

Rossi, Valentino (2006). Valentino Rossi – The Autobiography: What if I had never tried it. Translated by Gabriele Marcotti. With Enrico Borghi. Arrow Books. ISBN 978-0-09-948696-1.

• Valentino Rossi at DriverDB.com
• Valentino Rossi at eWRC-results.com
• Valentino Rossi at MotoGP.com
• Valentino Rossi at the CONI honored athlete website (in Italian)
• Valentino Rossi at AS.com (in Spanish)
• Official website