VALENTINO ROSSI STATISTICS

2008-09-28 08:36
In becoming only the second rider ever to win the MotoGP World Championship following a two-year gap, Valentino Rossi has cemented his place amongst the legends of motorcycle racing. A return to the form that won him five consecutive premier-class titles between 2001 and 2005 has seen the Italian reinstated at the very pinnacle of the sport, with a host of career milestones reached along the way.

Here is a full list of Rossi's historic MotoGP achievements in 2008:

o Rossi has joined Giacomo Agostini as one of only two riders to have taken six or more premier-class World Championships

o Rossi is only the second rider to regain the premier-class title after a two year gap - the other rider to do this was also Agostini

o This is Rossi's eighth world title across all classes. Only Agostini with 15, Angel Nieto, with 13, Mike Hailwood and Carlos Ubbiali, with nine each, have won more

o Rossi is the first rider to win the premier-class title on four different types of motorcycle: 500cc 4-cylinder two-stroke, 990cc 5-cylinder four-stroke, Yamaha 990cc 4-cylinder four-stroke and a Yamaha 800cc 4-cylinder four -stroke

o It is eleven years since Rossi's first World Championship success in the 125cc class in 1997. The only rider with a longer period between his first and last titles is Angel Nieto, who won the 50cc crown in 1969 and the 125cc equivalent in 1984

o With his 69th career MotoGP win at Indianapolis, Rossi broke Giacomo Agostini's record for the most premier-class victories; a record that has stood since the legendary Italian's final victory at the West German Grand Prix in 1976

o With 37 wins, Rossi has had more success with Yamaha than any other factory in his career

o Rossi is also Yamaha's most successful rider, having scored 13 more premier-class wins for the factory than Kenny Roberts.

o With three races to go he is the only rider to have scored points in every round of the 2008 season.

o Rossi's sequence of five straight race wins since Laguna Seca is his longest run of wins since 2005, when he also scored five successive victories.

Other facts about Rossi's career

o In 1997 Rossi became the second youngest ever 125cc World Champion after scoring 321 points and eleven wins

o Two years later, he became the youngest ever 250cc World Champion with nine wins

o In 2001 Rossi joined Phil Read as one of only two riders ever to win the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc titles
o Rossi's debut victory for Yamaha at the opening race of 2004 in South Africa made him the first rider in history to take back-to-back wins for different manufacturers

o After winning the MotoGP World Championship three times with Honda, Rossi took his fourth premier-class title with Yamaha in 2004 and became the only rider other than Eddie Lawson to win consecutive premier-class titles for different manufacturers


Valentino Rossi - Career

Nationality: Italian
Born: 16th February 1979 in Urbino, Italy

World Championships: 8 (6 x MotoGP/500cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 125cc)
GP victories: 96 (70 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
GP podiums: 148 (112 x MotoGP/500cc, 21 x 250cc, 15 x 125cc)
GP Pole Positions: 51 (41 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
First GP win: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 207 (146 x MotoGP/50cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)

Results
1. Valentino Rossi (ITA) Fiat Yamaha Team 43'9.599
2. Casey Stoner (AUS) Ducati Marlboro + 1.943
3. Dani Pedrosa (SPA) Repsol Honda + 4.866
4. Jorge Lorenzo (SPA) Fiat Yamaha Team + 6.165
5. Nicky Hayden (USA) Repsol Honda + 24.593
6. Loris Capirossi (ITA) Rizla Suzuki MotoGP + 25.685
7. Colin Edwards (USA) Tech 3 Yamaha + 25.918
8. Shinya Nakano (JPN) San Carlo Honda Gresini + 26.003
9. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA) JiR Team Scot MotoGP + 26.219
10. John Hopkins (USA) Kawasaki Racing + 37.131
11. James Toseland (GBR) Tech 3 Yamaha + 37.574
12. Randy De Puniet (FRA) LCR Honda MotoGP + 38.020
13. Marco Melandri (ITA) Ducati Marlboro

Source: Fiat Yamaha Team

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