Valentino Rossi

At 45 years old, Valentino Rossi has this physical status:

Valentino Rossi (Tirchi) is an Italian who was born 16 February 1979 and a nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. With some referring to him as one of the best motorcycle racers of all time, Nicknamed The Doctor is widely regarded as one of the finest motorcycle racers of all time. He has nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name, seven of which are in the premier 500cc/MotoGP class. With 89 victories to his name, he holds the most premier class victories. He competed in premier class World Championships with both Honda and Yamaha. He is also the first road racer to have participated in 400 or more Grand Prix, and he rode with the number 46 for his entire career.

Rossi won the final 500c World Championship (becoming the last satellite rider to win the top-class title to date) and the 8 Hours of Suzuka with Honda in 2001, after graduating to the premier class in 2000. Since leaving Honda to join Yamaha, he also won MotoGP World Championships with the factory Honda team in 2002 and 2003 and continued his quest for back-to-back titles. In the final round at Valencia, he lost the 2006 championship due to a crash. He came in third overall in 2007 before winning the title in 2008 and retaining it in 2009. After a 2010 season marred by a fractured leg and no title defense, he moved from Yamaha to Ducati, replacing Casey Stoner for the 2011 and 2012 seasons and endured two losing seasons with the Italian marque in 2012.

Rossi returned to Yamaha in 2013 and ranked fourth in the standings, followed by three consecutive runner-up positions in 2014, 2015, and 2016. In 2015, his best chance of winning a tenth title came in 2015, where he dominated the standings for the bulk of the season, finishing fifth, five points behind eventual champion Jorge Lorenzo. He scored more points in the championship last season, and he celebrated his final race victory in the 2017 Dutch TT at the age of 38. He retired after three winless seasons with the factory Yamaha team, then moved to Petronas SRT for 2021, after only one season with the satellite Yamaha team and missing out on a podium for the first time in a career spanning 26 seasons. Rossi's seven premier class titles came in this decade, with 77 race victories and 48 pole positions among the top performers in MotoGP in the 2000s. He has won 12 race titles and seven pole positions in the ensuing 12 seasons. Rossi was the 6th most popular rider in terms of total race victories during this period.

Rossi was inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame as a FIM official at the awards ceremony following the 2021 season. At the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, his legendary #46 bike number was disqualified. As of 2022, Rossi runs Racing Team VR46, which competes in both Moto2 and MotoGP. He also wants to be involved and directing his motorcycle racing team, VR46. Rossi competes full-time in GT World Challenge Europe, driving an Audi R8 LMS for Team WRT, in addition to his team's position.

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Career

Rossi was born in Urbino, Italy's Marche region, and the family immigrated to Tavullia as a child. He began riding at a young age, as the son of former motorcycle racer Graziano Rossi. Rossi's first racing passion was karting. Graziano bought a kart as a substitute for the bike, fuelled by his mother, Stefania's, concern for her son's welfare. However, the Rossi family's habit of always wanting to move faster prompted a redesign; Graziano replaced the 60 cc motor with a 100 cc national kart motor for his then 5-year-old son.

Rossi won the regional kart championship in 1990. He took up minimoto and, by the end of 1991, had won numerous regional competitions.

Rossi continued to compete in karts and finished fifth at the national kart championships in Parma. Both Valentino and Graziano had begun researching into the Italian 100cc series, as well as the corresponding European series, which had presumably led him into Formula One. However, the high cost of racing karts resulted in the decision to focus on minimotos exclusively. Valentino continued to learn the ins and outs of minimoto racing between 1992 and 1993.

Rossi was given his first chance to ride a 125cc motorcycle by former world champion Paolo Pileri, who later became a team manager after stepping away from action. Rossi competed in the 125 cc Italian Sport Production Championship in 1993 with support from his father, Virginio Ferrari, Claudio Castiglioni, and Cagiva factory racing team manager Claudio Lusuardi. In a first-corner accident no more than a hundred meters from the pit lane, he crashed his motorcycle in his first race meeting with the Cagiva team. He came in ninth place in the race this weekend.

Despite the fact that his first season in the Italian Sport Production Championship was anything but good, he ended up in a pole position in the season's final race at Misano, where he would eventually finish on the podium. Rossi had been given a factory Mito by Lusuardi by the second year and had gained the Italian championship.

Rossi competed in the Italian 125 CC Championship in 1994 with a Rotax engine. Guido Mancini, a former rider and mechanic who had worked with Loris Capirossi, was responsible for the bike's construction. "Mancini, the Motorcycle Wizard" (Il Mago Mancini) was published in 2016 by director Jeffrey Zani, and it chronicles Mancini's birth and the mechanic's friendship.

Rossi moved to April 1995 and claimed the Italian 125 CC Championship. He came in third place in the European Championships.

Rossi's debut in grand prix motorcycle racing makes the 1996 championship season. He had some success in his first year, scoring consistently and sometimes finishing just off the podium from his first run to Italy, but he ended up in both the French and Dutch rounds. He gained more points by finishing fifth in the German championship, but he was forced to leave early in the British round, as a result.

Rossi claimed his first podium finish at the 1996 Austrian Grand Prix in the form of a third place after battling with Jorge Martnez. After competing with Jorge Marten in the 1996 Czech Republic Grand Prix, he earned his first pole position on Saturday and his first ever race win in the 125cc class.

Rossi continued to score points in Imola, although he was disqualified twice during the Catalan and Rio rounds, but he even more points in Australia's last round. He finished in ninth place with 111 points in his first season.

In his second year, the 1997 championship season, he went from the AGV squad to the official Nastro Azzurro Aprilia Team and went on to dominate the sport. He began winning pole and race at the 1997 Malaysian Grand Prix but he had to cancel at the next race in Japan. He bounced back in the Spanish and Italian rounds in the next two races. He came in second in Austria, just 0.004 seconds behind race winner Noboru Ueda, who went on to win a flurry of races from France to Britain, including three pole positions at the Dutch, Imola, and German rounds.

He earned his third position in the Czech Round and then went on to win two more in the Catalan and Indonesian races. He came in sixth place in Australia. He won the 1997 125cc title, winning 11 of the 15 races by 321 points. During the 1997 season, he dressed up as Robin Hood and carried a blow-up doll on a few occasions. Throughout this and the future seasons, this fun-loving character has gained a following.

Rossi was promoted to the 250cc class the following year after winning the championship in 1997.

In 1998, the Aprilia RS250 was at its pinnacle, with a crew of riders in Rossi, Loris Capirossi, and Tetsuya Harada. Rossi's year started poorly, with her first two rounds falling short of Japan and Malaysia; however, Japan and Malaysia were able to help. He came back from this by scoring three second places in Spain, Italy, and France, but he was disqualified once more in the Madrid round.

He won by more than 19 seconds over second-place Jürgen Fuchs for his first victory at the 1998 Dutch TT. He had to pull out of the British Grand Prix, but he bounced back by winning a podium place in Germany, finishing third.

He resigned in the Czech Republic, fell out of the competition, but a flurry of victories from Imola to Argentina saw him finish second in second place in his rookie year in the class, just 23 points behind 1998 250cc champion Loris Capirossi.

Rossi made his second year in the 250cc class, 1999, and he dominated the season once more. He started the season off with a pole position in Malaysia on Saturday, but ended fifth on race day. At the third round in Spain, he would pick up more points in Japan and go on to win his first race of the season.

Rossi earned his second pole position of the season in France but was forced to leave on Sunday. He bounced back to back victories in Italy and Catalunya and finished second in the Dutch round, barely missing out on the race with Capirossi. He took three more races from Britain to the Czech Republic, winning yet another pole position in Germany.

In the Valencian Community round, Rossi came in second second, and off the podium in eighth place. With three more races win, including one in Australia, where he fought vainly with Olivier Jacque, one in South Africa, and one in Rio de Janeiro, he finished the season strong. He ended up in third place in the Argentinian round after scoring pole position on Saturday.

He won the Rio de Janeiro title with just one round remaining and ended the season in first place with 309 points, his first 250cc world championship title and his second overall.

Rossi was given a seat with Honda in the 500cc's then-highest class in World Championship motorcycle racing, winning the 250cc World Championship in 1999. Mick Doohan, the former world champion and Jeremy Burgess as chief engineer, worked with Rossi as his personal mentor in his first year at Honda. Rossi was also the first time Rossi competed against Max Biaggi.

Rossi started his first year in the 500cc class with two retirements in the first two rounds: he was disqualified from the South African and Malaysian rounds. He scored points in Japan's third round and added two third-place finishes in Spain and France. Rossi earned additional points in Italy and a third-place podium finish in the Catalan round. He earned an additional point by finishing in sixth place at the 2000 Dutch TT.

Rossi took the Honda for nine races before winning, but it was his first 500cc victory, after a tense match with the Suzuki of Kenny Roberts Jr. and the Aprilia of Jeremy McWilliams. Despite being affected by ever-changing weather conditions and only qualifying in seventh place on Saturday, the Italian chose the right tyres and stormed the field to fight Roberts Jr. and McWilliams in his first race in the 500cc class. Rossi won in Donington Park and went on to win consecutive podium positions in the next three races: two second-place finishes in Germany and the Czech Republic, and one third-place finish in Portugal. After losing in the competition, he resigned from the Valencian Community round.

Rossi won the Rio round. Kenny Roberts Jr. clinched the 2000 title after finishing in sixth place, giving him an unaffordable advantage in the tournament. Rossi came second at the Pacific race and third in the Australian races after his second 500cc win. With 209 points, he came in second place in his rookie season in the 500cc class.

Rossi had a fantastic second season in the 500cc class, winning 11 victories and only finishing off the podium three times. After losing with Max Biaggi earlier this year, he began the year off in Japan by winning in Japan. At the South African and Spanish rounds, he then won back-to-back poles and race victories. After taking another pole on Saturday, he finished the French championship in third place but fell out of the Italian round whilst leading the wet race.

Rossi bounced back by winning the following race in Catalunya after a slow start that dropped him to 15th place at the start of the first lap. Since barely missing out on the race against Biaggi in the Dutch round, he earned his second place. He won another match, this time the British GP.

Rossi had a disappointing seventh in Germany, but the Czech Republic then defeated Biaggi and Portugal, giving them a 29-point advantage over Biaggi). He had another disappointing showing in 11th place in the Valencian Community round, but after winning a string of races from the Pacific to the Rio rounds, he continued to win more.

Rossi took his first 500cc title and his third title overall, 106 points ahead of Biaggi, Rossi's biggest challenge during the season. Rossi is the last satellite rider to clinch the title in the premier class as of 2020. Rossi also joined American rider Colin Edwards for the Suzuka 8 Hour endurance race aboard a Honda VTR1000SPW, becoming the first Italian rider to win the race. Despite Rossi's inexperience with superbikes, the pair was able to win the tournament. In 2002, 500cc two-strokes were still legal, but the 990cc four-stroke MotoGP class was announced at the start of the season, after which the 500cc machines became obsolete.

When riders had teething issues getting used to the latest bikes, the MotoGP bikes had their first year.

Rossi started the year off strong and won the first race in Japan under wet conditions, defeating several local riders who were racing as wildcards. In addition, he took pole position in the first five races.

Rossi came in second in South Africa, where his colleague Tohru Ukawa claimed his first and only victory in the MotoGP class. He continued winning from the Spanish to the German rounds, including two pole positions at the Dutch and British GPs. At the Valencian Community final race of the season, he registered his only retirement of the season before winning in Portugal and Rio, two second-place finishes in Australia, and a second-place finish in the second round.

Rossi went on to win eight of the first nine races of the season, totaling 11 victories. He captured his second title in the Rio de Janeiro event, his first in the inaugural class, and his fourth overall with four races remaining.

Rossi rode on in 2003 after a strong 2002, despite the fact that he was up against rising Spaniard Sete Gibernau. Rossi rode and won the first round of the season in Japan, but the event was marred by the death of Japanese rider Daijiro Kato, who crashed at the 130R and hit the barrier at a high speed in the ensuing Casio Triangle. Rossi came second in second in the South African round before winning in Spain, despite falling back to ninth place on the first lap.

Rossi took three pole positions in the next three races and finished second in France after losing to Gibernau, who overtook him on the last lap. He won in Italy and finished second in Catalunya. He achieved second-place finishes in the Dutch and British rounds, the latter the result of a ten-second penalty for overtaking under yellow flags, giving Max Biaggi's victory and a second place in Germany, fighting Gibernau who denied him victory with just 0.060 seconds separating both sides when they crossed the finish line in a thrilling confrontation.

Rossi won three more races and secured two more poles: a pole position turned into a triumph in the Czech Republic, where Rossi defeated him in the final lap by just 0.042 seconds. In Portugal, a regular win was defeated, while another pole-victory was posed at the Rio de Janeiro rounds. After a mistake made him run off into the gravel and dropped him to ninth, making it impossible for him to pass race winner Biaggi in the closing laps, he came in second at the Pacific GP.

Rossi ended his season in style by winning three straight poles and races at the Malaysian, Australian, and Valencian Community rounds. Many commentators believe the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island is one of Rossi's finest career moments due to the unusual circumstances. After being given a ten-second penalty for overtaking Marco Melandri under yellow flags due to a Ducati rider's accident, Rossi pushed away from the rest of the field, eventually completing the penalty and winning the race.

Rossi claimed the 2003 title in Malaysia, his third in the top class and fifth overall, with only two races remaining. With a special livery, he won the Valencian Community Round in the final round, his last victory for Honda.

They parted ways at the end of the season with increasing doubt that the cause for his success was the RC211V's dominance rather than Rossi. Mid-season rumors pointed to a possible transfer to Ducati, which sent the Italian press into a tumultuous; Rossi's idea on the great Italian bike seemed too good to be true. Ducati did indeed convince Rossi to ride their MotoGP bike, the Desmosedici, but Rossi turned down for several reasons. Critics claim that Ducati had a long way to go before being competitive, even with Rossi at the helm. This turned out to be the truth of Ducati's lackluster results in the 2004 season, which had actually been worse than their first year in MotoGP in 2003. Rossi's book, What If I'd Never Tried It, gave Rossi another reason for choosing Yamaha over Ducati, saying that the Ducati Corse's attitude was similar to the one he was trying to escape from at Honda. Rossi has since signed a two-year deal with Yamaha that is reportedly worth more than US$12 million, much less than any other manufacturer, even Honda.

Rossi went from Honda to Yamaha and ended up with the team in a two-year deal. Many doubted his move, and many doubted his selection, and many believe Biaggi, who joined the Honda Pons team a year earlier, as well as Gibernau, are legitimate candidates for the title this year.

Following the tragic tragedy of Daijiro Kato last year, the 2004 season at Welkom in South Africa began with the traditional first venue of the season at Suzuka. Rossi took the pole and won the South African race on Saturday after a tough fight with Max Biaggi, becoming the first rider to win consecutive races with different manufacturers after winning the final race of the previous season on his Honda bike. Rossi won another pole in Spain on Sunday, but his fourth-place finish brought an end to a 23-race streak. He had to drop out on the podium in France once more, but he did win in Italy, Catalunya, and the Netherlands, a fight in which he came from pole after a tense fight with Gibernau.

Rossi crashed out as he approached the Rio de Janeiro race when he lost the front of his M1 and slid into the ground whilst competing with Makoto Tamada, Max Biaggi, Nicky Hayden, and Alex Barros, causing him to drop out of the competition in the process. Rossi fell off the podium in fourth place at the German GP after the Rio round, but he bounced back to pole by winning the British round from pole. He then finished second in the Czech Republic, first in Portugal, and second in Japan.

When Rossi's team was suspended for starting at the back of the grid for grid cleaning, uproar ensued at the inaugural Qatar round. Gibernau won the competition, while Rossi dropped out of the competition when he was in sixth place. Rossi won two more regular victories in Malaysia and two more in the Australian and Valencian Community rounds, pitting against the likes of Troy Bayliss, Nicky Hayden, Makoto Tamada, and Max Biaggi for his ninth victory of the year.

Rossi came in first with 304 points to Gibernau's 257, with Max Biaggi third placing 217 points. At the penultimate race of the season on Phillip Island, he claimed his third MotoGP, fourth top class, and sixth overall championship.

Rossi and the Factory Yamaha crew were much more dominant than the year before. Rossi began the season by winning pole and in a turbulent manner in Spain, colliding with Gresini Honda of Sete Gibernau on the last lap. He earned a second-place finish in Portugal, but he continued to win five consecutive titles from the Chinese to the Dutch rounds, including three pole positions in France, Italy, and Assen.

Rossi failed to finish third in third place in the first United States round since 1994, although local hero Nicky Hayden took the championship. Rossi recovered by winning three more games, beginning with 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.

Rossi's first and only non-podium and retirement of the season came during a failed overtaking attempt with Marco Melandri in the Japanese round. Rossi, a second-place Malaysian and back-to-back victories in Qatar and Australia, defeated Nicky Hayden for the victory after Motegi. He concluded the season with a second and third place finish at the inaugural Turkish and Valencian Community rounds.

Rossi finished the season in first place, 147 points ahead of second-place finisher Marco Melandri, winning his fourth MotoGP and seventh overall championship in Sepang with four races remaining. He won 11 races, including victories in three rain-affected races at Shanghai, Le Mans, and Donington.

Rossi was once more the favorite to win the championship as the 2006 season began. Rossi was unlucky in the first round in Spain, when Toni El'as guessed his braking point into a corner and crashed into the Italian's rear wheel, crashing into the gravel as a result. He returned to the sport, but he only managed to finish 14th out of a field of 14. He won his first game of the season in Qatar, but he fell just short of the podium in the next round in Turkey.

Rossi could have been forced to resign after going from thirteenth to fifth in the third round of China, and he was fighting Colin Edwards and John Hopkins for third place. A piece of rubber from his front tyre had been thrown on his front fender, rashing it off the motorcycle. At the next round in France, he didn't progress, he brushed the back of Honda rider Dani Pedrosa, causing him to run wide and then crashed from his Kawasaki after collapsing from his Kawasaki. Rossi led Hopkins to second place on the fifth lap and began to pull a gap from Pedrosa after Hopkins crashed the front of his Suzuki at an off-camber right-hander on lap ten and recovered. He was comfortably in first position with a time of over three seconds before his Yamaha suffered with a mechanical glitch on lap 21, causing Rossi to leave for the second time in a row. Rossi will finish eighth in the standings with a 43-point deficit to Nicky Hayden.

Rossi bounced back from defeating two races in Italy and Catalunya with a two-victory. After breaking his hand and ankle when he collapsed on Thursday, he came in eighth in the Dutch round. Nicky Hayden, who competed with Yamaha colleague Colin Edwards on the last lap, was victorious of the championship. Edwards attempted to run through Hayden but they soon fell onto the gravel and crashed into the street at the last corner.

Rossi took second place in Great Britain and another victory in Germany, fighting tooth and dear with Marco Melandri, Nicky Hayden, and Dani Pedrosa, all from Assen. However, he suffered again in the United States round due to mechanical issues in the last few laps, but Nicky Hayden, the event's first local hero, took the title for the second time in a row. Hayden's lead over Rossi jumped by 34 points to 51, with Rossi falling to fifth in the championship.

Rossi gained a pole and a second position in the Czech Republic going into round 12, then advanced to the next round in Malaysia. Hayden led the points for the majority of the season, but Rossi was still working his way up the points ladder by now. Hayden's points lead dropped from 51 points at Laguna Seca to 12 points in Motegi, with Rossi going from fourth to second in the championship standings.

Rossi took pole position in the penultimate round of the season in Portugal on Saturday. Hayden was knocked out by his colleague Dani Pedrosa on lap 5, prompting both riders to retire on Sunday. Toni Elas, a third-place finisher, defeated Kenny Roberts Jr. and Rossi to lead the second lap. Rossi came back in front, but Elas shot past him at the final corner and took the title with a minuscule 0.002 second advantage over Rossi. Rossi led by 8 points to take the lead going into the year's last round.

Rossi had to finish in second place or higher in the final race of the season to win the title. On Saturday, he claimed his second straight pole position, but Hayden could only qualify fifth, earning him his second consecutive pole position. Rossi got off to a rocky start on Sunday when the red lights went out, putting him in seventh place. He made a mistake on lap five, lost the front wheel of his M1 and slid out of contention. Rossi managed to get to bat again, but it would be to no avail: Rossi finished 13th, but losing the championship to Nicky Hayden by just five points. Troy Bayliss, a wildcard rider who had to replace the injured Sete Gibernau, won the race. Rossi called his fall "a disgrace," but Nicky congratulated him for his victory.

Rossi lost the championship in 2006, but he returned to the sport in 2007 as one of the favorites to win the championship. Yamaha worked on a new bike that met all Rossi and Colin Edwards' requirements for this season and into 800cc over the winter. Rossi claimed his first pole position of the year on Saturday in Qatar, but second to Casey Stoner on the Ducati on Sunday, who had made the switch from the LCR Honda team to the Factory Ducati team. Rossi then won the second race in Spain to recover. Rossi clinched another pole in Istanbul on Saturday but eventually ended in tenth place after running wide on the fast turn eleven when he tried to break away on the first lap. Rossi battled his way back to second, defeating Loris Capirossi, but Toni El's Capirossi, John Hopkins, Marco Melandri, and Alex Barros all lost positions after the Michelin tyres began to fade and he crashed into second, allowing Toni Eldi, Capirossi, Marco Melandri and Alex Barros to overtake him within three laps. Stoner led every lap, won the race, and took the lead over Rossi in the process.

Rossi, who was once on the backfoot in the championship, responded in China by securing another pole position and finishing in second place after battling hard with Stoner. When he was overtaken earlier on the track, the Australian, who made good use of the Ducati's straight line speed, blasted Rossi every time. Chris Vermeulen of the Suzuki won a rain-affected race in the French round. Rossi got off to a good start and beat Stoner in the early stages of the competition to make a break, but Rossi and his YZR-M1 were defeated by Stoner, Randy de Puniet, Sylvain Guintoli, and later on, Nicky Hayden, Dani Pedrosa, and Alex Hofmann. Rossi eventually finished in sixth, but Stoner crossed the line in third, extending his championship lead by 21 points.

He won his first race of the season in Italy, and at round seven in Catalunya, Rossi took his fourth and final pole of the season. Rossi finished second in 0.069 seconds after a long fight with Stoner, losing out again. Rossi finished fourth in the United Kingdom, but he bounced back in the Dutch round in great style by winning the race from eleventh on the grid. He overtook several riders and eventually did the same to Stoner with four laps to go, opening up a small deficit that he never gave up when crossing the line.

Rossi's fantastic win in Assen came as he crashed on lap five of the German round and was forced to leave early. He had a rough start on lap one, losing him from seventh to ninth, but he was able to regain two positions before losing to Randy Puniet for sixth place. Rossi attempted to squeeze his bike next to the Kawasaki of Puniet's Kandy, he lost the front of his M1 at low speeds through a long right-hander and crashed into the gravel. Rossi went on to earn more points by placing in fourth and seventh position in the United States and Czech Republic, but Stoner had a 60-point lead over Rossi by that time, having left round 12.

Rossi resigned at the new San Marino venue once more, though Stoner's eighth victory of the season came as he extended his championship lead from 60 to 85 points. Rossi will win his last race of the season after a close match with the Honda of Dani Pedrosa in Portugal. Rossi went from fifth to third on the first lap, overtaking Stoner on lap nine after Pedrosa did the same two laps before. Pedrosa re-overtook Rossi on lap ten and a match ensued, with Pedrosa re-overtaking Rossi on lap 16, with the Spaniard only having four laps left after he ran wide. Rossi made a similar mistake and Pedrosa regained the lead just half a lap later. Pedrosa was still way ahead, but Rossi was more cautious and sank down the inside of turn one's first corner. The move was a miss, and he swung wide, but he maintained enough energy to attempt the same trick a few corners later, this time succeeding. Rossi crossed the line 0.1 seconds ahead of his fourth run of the season.

Rossi suffered from braking issues on his second bike in the Japanese round, finishing in 13th position after all riders were forced to swap bikes due to the drying track. After finishing the race in sixth place and giving him an unbeaten advantage in the championship, Casey Stoner was destined to become the 2007 world champion. Rossi went on to take one last podium in Australia, finishing third and then gaining a point in fifth place in the Malaysian round. Rossi's best race of the season began in 17th thanks to a fractured three bones in his right hand after he fell during qualifying. On lap seven, he took 16th and passed Shinya Nakano for 15th and, eventually, the final point, but he was forced to stop on lap 18 due to a technical glitch, his third DNF of the season. Dani Pedrosa won the race, with Casey Stoner coming in second place about five seconds behind.

Stoner controlled the season, winning ten races to win his first title, 125 points ahead of second place Dani Pedrosa. Rossi, on the other hand, came in third place with 241 points, six less than in 2006. Rossi's lowest championship position since his first appearance in the 125cc in 1996. Pedrosa's victory in the last race at Valencia, as well as Rossi's retirement, saw him defeat Rossi by a single point.

Rossi and Yamaha lost the championship for two seasons in a row to Nicky Hayden's Honda and Casey Stoner's Ducati, prompting many people to doubt if he was capable of winning another championship. Some said he should retire, but others predicted Casey Stoner would win his second title or that Dani Pedrosa would become a legitimate title challenger after his good shows in 2006 and 2007. This was also the year he went from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres, which Rossi said was necessary to "boost his motivation." Jorge Lorenzo, his current teammate, did not opt for the change.

Rossi started the year off with a fifth position in Qatar, whilst Stoner took the lead, prompting some to predict that the race will be more of the same as last year. Rossi came back to Spain by finishing second, but Stoner could only muster eleventh place. Rossi finished third in the Portuguese round, with his colleague Jorge Lorenzo winning after a late charge from Pedrosa was not sufficient to regain the lead.

Rossi won three straight victories in Spain and Portugal, as well as a pole-victory in the Italian round. Two more second-place finishes followed, one in Catalunya and one in the United Kingdom.

The Dutch GP was not a success for Rossi in round nine of the season. He came to Assen with an 11-point lead over runner-up Pedrosa, but got off to a shaky left hand hairpin only after losing the back of his M1 machine on the first turn of the season, crashing around and collecting Randy de Puniet's LCR Honda, taking him out in the process. Rossi remounted the bike and got to work again, but he couldn't finish eleventh, losing the championship lead to Pedrosa by four points.

Rossi regained the lead of the title chase in a rain-affected German round after Pedrosa crashed out of the wet track and Rossi came second. Rossi won a slew of races in the United States, where Rossi won after a hard fight and a pass down the "Corkscrew" corner over Stoner, who crashed a few laps later but continued and took second place in a rain-shortened run in Indianapolis, despite losing a pole-victory. Rossi had won at every circuit on the calendar at the time, and his win in Motegi made him the first Yamaha rider to win at the Honda-owned track.

Rossi had to finish third or higher in round 15 of the championship to win the title at Motegi. He started poorly, falling from fourth to fifth on the grid, but he made up ground quickly by defeating Jorge Lorenzo and Nicky Hayden on lap two before hunting down his title rivals. Rossi did the same on lap six as Stoner made the pass on Pedrosa on lap six and went after Stoner until he made the race-winning move under braking on lap 14. Rossi then pushed away from Ducati's lap to start his fifth MotoGP, sixth top class, and eighth overall championship in Japan with three races remaining. On the podium, he wore a shirt with the words "Scusate il ritardo" ("Sorry for the absence") in Italian, underscoring his lack of titles in the last two years.

Rossi claimed the title in Motegi with an unassailable lead of 92 points, he secured three more podiums, including another victory in Malaysia, as well as a third place in the Valencian Community round.

Rossi came in first in the championship, 93 points ahead of second place Casey Stoner.

Many predicted Rossi to be a strong candidate in 2009. Rossi won the championship run in Qatar and a pole-podium in Japan, winning the competition by Rossi's colleague Jorge Lorenzo.

Rossi's first victory of the year came in Spain in the third round. Rossi began fourth on lap 2, but overtook teammate Lorenzo for third on lap two and then made a second pass stick for second place on lap 7. Pedrosa, the current race leader, was up by 1.4 seconds by then, but Rossi took over the Honda rider's back wheel with 11 laps to go. He made the victory pass at the Nieto corner in 2.7 seconds, taking the championship lead over Stoner by eleven points in the process.

Rossi's French GP was a disaster. Jorge Lorenzo rode the frantic wet/dry race, while Rossi fell as a result of a failed bike swap to slick tyres and also received a ride through penalty, ending up in sixteenth place and thus not scoring any points. Rossi's coworker Lorenzo now has the championship lead, although it is only one point behind both Rossi and Stoner.

When Rossi earned his third position finish in Italy, it looked good, but he faltered his run to seven consecutive victories at the venue. Rossi won the race by 0.095 seconds and a pole-victory in the Dutch round following Mugello's two more victories: a regular victory at Catalunya, wrestling with Lorenzo throughout the season and overtaking him on the last corner of the last lap. This victory marked his 100th victory in his career, and he became only the second rider in motorcycle grand prix history (after Giacomo Agostini) to win 100 percent.

Rossi came in a close second second second at the United States Grand Prix, behind surprise race champion Dani Pedrosa. He then went on to win three more pole positions in the German round, going tooth and nail once more with teammate Jorge Lorenzo with five laps remaining. Rossi regained control and held off the Spaniard to win by a 0.2 seconds on the penultimate lap. Rossi took the lead over Lorenzo and a 28-point lead over Stoner after winning by 14 points. Rossi started from pole position in the first round but was demoted to third on the first lap of the second lap. When Elas was the first to fall on lap eight after he clipped a wet white line on the track, a five-strong lead group of Jorge Lorenzo, Andrea Dovizioso, Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, and Toni Elas was battling for the lead. Dovizioso and Rossi were left to fight it out, but as the rain increased, so did their lead. Both were up with 13 seconds, separating them and third place Randy de Puniet. However, Rossi spun out of the lead when he turned around the Fogarty Esses on lap 20, bringing him to eleventh and leaving Dovizioso almost ten seconds ahead of Puniet. Rossi climbed to fifth place on the final lap, overtaking home hero James Toseland at the final turn, but the race went to the Honda of Andrea Dovizioso for the first time. Rossi won the Czech Republic round by more than 11 seconds over second place Pedrosa.

Rossi's first and only retirement came at an end in Indianapolis when he crashed out of the competition after being overtaken by eventual winner Lorenzo on lap ten. Lorenzo had just 25 points to go after winning by this victory, limiting Rossi's title advantage to just 25 points. Rossi responded with his sixth pole position of the year on Saturday and winning the "home stadium" ahead of Lorenzo on Sunday, extending his advantage to 30 points. In Portugal, however, Lorenzo had the upper hand, winning the race with Rossi only finishing fourth, reducing the championship lead from 30 to 18 points. Rossi came in second place in the Australian round over a close second to home hero Casey Stoner, who won the competition. Lorenzo crashed on the first lap after running into Nicky Hayden's Honda, causing him to resign. With two rounds remaining, the championship gap widened from 18 to 38 points.

Rossi took another pole position and a podium in Malaysia's penultimate round on Saturday, behind Stoner and Pedrosa. He clinched his sixth MotoGP, seventh top class, and ninth overall title over Jorge Lorenzo, who started at the back of the grid and only finished fourth, behind Rossi. Lorenzo had an unbalanced lead of 45 points over him. The Valencian Community's final race of the year ended in a disappointing second place podium finish for Rossi, behind Pedrosa.

Rossi finished first in the championship with 306 points, 72 points behind second-place Jorge Lorenzo. Six victories in a championship winning season were the lowest number in Rossi's history; the previous minima were nine in 1999 in the 250cc class and 2003, 2004, and 2008 in MotoGP. Rossi lost at Mugello for the first time since 2001.

Rossi rode a Yamaha around the famed Snaefell Mountain Course in an exhibition lap at the 2009 Isle of Man TT with Agostini on the 'Lap of the Gods.' Due to poor weather, this had been postponed by 48 hours. He also hosted the Superbike podium, bestowing the podium to John McGuinness, Steve Plater, and Guy Martin.

Rossi was once more favored to win the championship going into the 2010 season, with two consecutive titles winning, and this seemed even more promising after winning just one of the pre-season testing sessions over the winter.

Rossi's first few races were off to a promising start. He won the first race of the season in Qatar after early leader Casey Stoner crashed out, took third place in Spain despite being robbed by an injured shoulder during his rookie season in Budapest, and Lorenzo claimed back-to-back victories in France for the first time in his MotoGP career. Rossi's injury was not taken seriously in the beginning and was supposed to recover in a few weeks, but the ligament tear in his shoulder did not heal properly.

Rossi's life took a turn for the worse in round four in Italy. During a second free practice at around 120 mph (190 km/h), he lifted his YZR-M1 in one of the fastest right-left combinations – the Biondetti corner. His right tibia fracture was repaired after he was displaced in a fractured compound. Any expectations of him winning the 2010 championship had been shattered, and after post-surgical care near his hospital in Cattolica, it was clear that he was out of contention for the next two or three months. It was the first time Rossi had missed a race in his Grand Prix career, and it enabled his title rivals – Lorenzo, Pedrosa, and Stoner – to gain trophies, podiums, and victories while he was absent for the Italian, British, Dutch, and Catalan rounds.

Suzi Perry of Daily Telegraph announced in her Daily Telegraph column that Rossi was planning on making a comeback at Brno. Rossi himself announced this a week later. Rossi rode at Misano on a Yamaha World Championship-specification Yamaha YZF-R1 supplied by the Yamaha World Superbike Team on July 7th to determine his leg's recovery. During two runs, he ran 26 laps in a matter of two seconds, just behind the current World Superbike times at the track. Rossi screamed of pain after the session ended, describing pain in both his leg and shoulder. Rossi took part in another test at Brno on July 12th, after which Rossi said he was happier and a lot better.

Rossi returned to Germany in fourth place after losing out to Casey Stoner on the final corner and starting fifth after an observation by the Chief Medical Officer on Thursday and missing four rounds. He shot two rounds earlier than expected, but just 41 days after his injury. Rossi claimed his first podium appearance since his fractured leg seven weeks ago at Mugello, defeating Honda in the process, defeating Andrea Dovizioso in round nine of the season. Lorenzo took the lead after Pedrosa crashed out of the lead. Rossi had weak results in the Czech Republic and Indianapolis in the second and third rounds, placing fifth and fourth in the Czech Republic and Indianapolis.

Rossi earned his third third place in San Marino's "home run," behind race winner Pedrosa and second-place Lorenzo. The race was interrupted by the death of Shoya Tomizawa, the Japanese Moto2 rider, who was struck at high speeds by Alex de Angelis and Scott Redding after crashing at lap 12 in the hospital and succumbing to his injury later in the hospital. Rossi was off the pace again when he took the floor in Aragón and finished in sixth position. After the second eruption of the Eyjafjafjal volcano in Iceland, he bounced back by winning another third-place podium in Japan. Rossi competed with Lorenzo for the bottom of the podium during the season, but he now had a 69-point advantage over Dani Pedrosa, who was defeated by Casey Stoner.

Rossi won the Malaysian race from eleventh position, battling with the Honda of Dovizioso for the victory multiple times. Rossi had earned his position in sixth place in the first round of corners but fell several positions after a poor start. He stopped multiple riders, including Lorenzo, to fight for the lead with Dovizioso on a few occasions, but finished in just 0.224 seconds. This was his first victory since the June crash in June, and his second victory of the season. Lorenzo won the title, but he ended up in third place after being unable to win the title on a ninth or higher level.

Rossi continued to impress with his third place in Australia, a second place in Portugal, and a final third position at the Valencian Community rounds, after his victory in Malaysia.

Rossi came in third in the championship with 233 points, 150 points behind champion Jorge Lorenzo and 12 points behind runner Dani Pedrosa. Rossi has won ten podiums during the season, including five consecutive podiums in the season's final run.

Rossi announced on August 15, 2010, after the Brno race, that he would ride for the Ducati team, signing a two-year contract beginning in 2011 and teammate Nicky Hayden joined the team. On September 9, 2010, he tried the Desmosedici for the first time in Valencia, making it his first appearance on an Italian motorcycle since 1999. Rossi underwent surgery on his shoulder, which he suffered during the 2010 season, in order to be able to perform pre-season testing in Malaysia. At the second Malaysian test, the Ducati met the team's hopes and left Rossi unsatisfied, finishing over 1.8 seconds behind Casey Stoner's record-setting Honda, despite initial progress during the first test.

There was a lot of excitement for the first race of the season; Rossi on an Italian bike won some raves, but he started the season on a sad note, finishing ninth in Qatar. When he collided with the Honda of Casey Stoner with 20 laps to go, he had gone from twelfth on the grid to third in the second round in Spain. In the rainy weather, Rossi rode past his bike on the inside of Stoner, causing both riders to fall off the track. Rossi recovered and placed fifth, but Stoner retired from the sport. Rossi later apologised for the crash. He rose from ninth to fourth in Portugal, where he took fourth place from him at the time.

Rossi's best show of the year came in France, where he earned his first and only podium appearance of the year. When Dani Pedrosa and Marco Simoncelli at the front collided, he fought hard with Jorge Lorenzo of Yamaha and Andrea Dovizioso of Andrea Dovizioso, overtaking both for fifth position. Pedrosa crashed and retired from the sport, but Simoncelli was awarded a ride-through penalty.

Rossi then ran the next four races inside the top six; fifth at Catalunya, sixth in the United Kingdom, fourth in the Netherlands round, and sixth in Italy.

Rossi finished ninth in ninth place in round nine in Germany. He picked up two sixth places in the United States and Czech Republic, but he lost one more in tenth at Indianapolis after suffering with gearbox issues in the event. Rossi came last and considered retirement on lap nine, but he ended up tenth in tenth place.

Rossi's "home grand prix" in San Marino and Aragón continued to perform seventh and tenth, defeating the Tech 3 Yamaha of Cal Crutchlow in eighth and tenth but not able to cross the line 0.180 seconds ahead of him.

Rossi's year came to an end. After a few corners, he crashed out of the race on the first lap in the Japanese round. Rossi sustained a blow to his finger while colliding with Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies, leaving him with a bleakness. Rossi attempted to overtake lvaro Bautista for fifth on lap 14, but slid out of the race when he slid out of the sport.

Rossi finished ninth in Malaysia, but on the second lap of the race, he was involved in a collision with Marco Simoncelli and Colin Edwards. Simoncelli collapsed when running fourth, collapsing in the path of Edwards and Rossi, who both hit his Honda. In the incident, Simoncelli's helmet was also missing. The blow resulted in the Italian suffering critical injury, where he later died in hospital. Rossi retired at the first corner after lvaro Bautista fell from his bike and hit 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. For the first time in his Grand Prix career, he went winless on a season.

Rossi was a little better in 2012 after a rough first season with the Ducati. He started poorly in Qatar, starting from twelfth and ending with a mustered tenth at the top. He ranked in ninth and seventh positions in Spain and Portugal.

At the French round, one of the year's best performances came. He came from seventh on the grid but claimed fourth on lap four and overtook fading Pedrosa for third place on lap 3. Rossi was then joined by Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Dovizioso of Tech 3 Yamaha who competed with him over the bottom of the podium from laps 4 to 18, before Crutchlow lost the front end of his M1 at the first corner. He recovered and continued the run, as did Dovizioso, who suffered the same fate with four laps to go. Rossi slashed the advantage Stoner had earned during the war and reeled him in for the remaining ten laps after breaking free of both the Tech 3 riders. Rossi tried to overtake Stoner on the fast left-right combo at the start of the track, but Stoner retook the lead. Rossi retried the move this time, this time with a narrow gap over the remainder of the lap to cross the line in second place: the best finish Rossi has on a Ducati to date.

The Ducati continued to do poorly in the first two races, allowing Rossi to gain only points. Rossi was seventh in Catalunya while living in the United Kingdom but finished the marathon in ninth place. Rossi placed sixth in Germany, his highest dry result of the season so far. He continued his German success and finished fifth in Italy. At the United States GP, his first and only DNF of the season came. Rossi was supposed to come home in eighth position if he collided with Corkscrew corner while trying to brake. He was also dissatisfied with the race's bike set-up, which prevented him from riding fast enough all weekend. Rossi came in seventh place in the Indianapolis and Czech Republic rounds.

Rossi took second place in Le Mans, his best Ducati result in the second time this season. His Ducati bike got a new frame and swingarm, which improved the motorcycle's efficiency. Rossi's last year with Ducati came to an end. He finished eighth in Aragón, seventh in Japan, in fifth place in the Malaysian round, and tenth in the Valencian Community round.

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

Rossi would leave the Ducati factory after the 2012 season, according to a statement on August 10. Rossi would return to the Yamaha factory team for the 2014 season, resuming his relationship with Jorge Lorenzo later that day. Rossi was reacquainted with the Yamaha at a post-season test in Valencia on November 13–14, 2012. However, rain stopped him from achieving a realistic lap time until he tested the 2013 unit in Sepang, where he posted his third-fastest time of 2:00.542 out of 28 riders. He took 0.4 seconds off record-setter Dani Pedrosa and just 0.113 seconds off teammate Jorge Lorenzo.

He started the season well. He had a good run all weekend, but he faltered badly in the new qualifying style, dropping him to seventh place on race day. On the first lap, he fought himself back to fourth, but he came close to passing Andrea Dovizioso, the Ducati replacement rider, down to seventh place once more. His podium chances worsened as he fell behind Stefan Bradl, but 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 rode both Crutchlow and Pedrosa, but Márquez' ferocious riding style and tenacity culminated in a confrontation between the two riders. On the penultimate lap, Márquez overtook Rossi, with Rossi repassing him on the final lap to remain in front and cross the line ahead of the Spanish rookie in 0.211 seconds. Rossi came in sixth and fourth place in the Americas and Spain over the next two races. He finished in a disappointing twelfth in the French round. He started his race on the grid and advanced to third position to win another podium, but Cal Crutchlow fell out of contention with ten laps to go. Rossi continued to finish in twelfth position, albeit on a faulty bike and hampered by a misting visor.

Rossi retired early this year at round five in Italy. He was involved in a first-lap collision with the Gresini Honda of lvaro Bautista in the left-right chicane that takes place between turns two and three. Rossi rode around Bautista, but he failed to spot Rossi and clipped his bike on the right-hander's approach, causing him to crash and collecting Rossi in the process. Rossi finished fourth in Catalunya for the second straight time, starting from seventh on the grid.

Rossi's first MotoGP victory since Malaysia in 2010 was on June 29, 2013, breaking a 43-race winless streak. He started fourth on the grid but overtook Honda Dani Pedrosa for the lead on lap six, a lead he maintained until the line despite a late charge from the other Honda of Márquez, who crossed the line 2.170 seconds behind the Italian. Rossi continued to win by scoring two more podiums at the German and United States, in which Márquez defeated Rossi in 2008 to win the race in a similar manner as Rossi did to Casey Stoner in 2008.

Rossi went from Indianapolis to San Marino in four straight years before scoring yet another third-place podium at Aragón after a three-way battle for the position with lvaro Bautista, Stefan Bradl, and Cal Crutchlow. Rossi came fourth in the Malaysian round, just off the podium, but they did a well-deserved third place in the Australian round, this time against Crutchlow and Bautista. He finished sixth and fourth respectively in Japan and Valencian Community.

Rossi finished fourth in the championship with 237 points, his best result since 2010 – 97 points behind champion Marc Márquez. He earned six podiums, including one at Assen.

Rossi announced the end of his long friendship with crew chief Jeremy Burgess, who was suspended by Silvano Galbusera, Marco Melandri's former crew chief, at the 2013 World Championship.

Rossi's first year since returning to Yamaha was a success, and expectations for 2014 were even higher: more podiums, awards, or even the illustrious tenth title were among other things that were mentioned by people. He began the season with a second-place finish in Qatar, ranging from tenth on the grid to a scrape with the Honda of Márquez for the victory, only to lose in 0.259 seconds on the last lap. Rossi only earned points in eighth and fourth place in the upcoming two races, the 2014 Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas, and the new venue in Argentina.

On the fourth round of the championship in Spain, he got a better result because he used an extra-hard rear tyre, allowing him to jump up to second position from fourth on the grid and overtake Márquez at the end of the back straight. Both were swapping positions over the remainder of the first and second laps, but Márquez had to take the Dry Sack corner and Rossi had to settle for second place. After Rossi ran wide halfway through the race, Márquez took victory, giving Márquez the second place in France. Rossi finished third in his 300th Grand Prix race on June 1, 2014, in his 300th Grand Prix series. His fourth second position at the Catalan Grand Prix was his second, leading to a large portion of the series but then losing first place to Márquez at a later stage in the season. The first and fourth rounds were largely unsuccessful, but a string of third places followed at the Indianapolis, Czech, and British races.

Rossi claimed his first race since the 2013 Dutch TT round at his "home race" in San Marino. He began third on the grid before moving to Márquez for the lead. Márquez fell on lap 10, allowing Rossi to draw a gap and finish first at the finish, ahead of teammate Jorge Lorenzo. The win gave him his first and so far only rider to achieve this level.

Rossi finished in sixth place and had been making strides up the order when he ran wide onto the grass, damp due to the hot weather, and crashing heavily. He was hospitalized in Alca, Peru, for a precautionary CT scan. (Or as Rossi put it: "I had a little nap") and was rushed to a hospital in Alcaiz for a precautionary CT scan.

Rossi won his second game of the year in Australia. He benefited from Marc Márquez's accident, who had been leading the way in the competition. Rossi's sixth victory on the circuit after five consecutive victories from 2001 to 2005. After passing Lorenzo, in Malaysia, another second-place finish followed when he had to take the lead halfway in the run. Both Lorenzo and Rossi were defeated by Márquez, netting a gap and finishing 2.445 seconds ahead of the Italian. Rossi claimed his first pole position since the 2010 French Grand Prix in Valencia, his 60th pole position in Grand Prix racing. He came in second place behind Márquez in the race.

Rossi came in second in the championship with 295 points, 67 points behind champion Marc Márquez.

With a record of consistent podium finishes, including two wins in San Marino and Australia, Rossi had a few hopes that he might win his tenth title this year. By winning the opening race in Qatar, he began the 2015 season, his 20th at World Championship level; it was his first victory in a season-opening race since the 2010 Qatar race. Rossi saw off Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso cross the line 0.174 seconds ahead of his 109th Grand Prix victory, while Dovizioso's teammate Andrea Iannone finished third, completing an all-Italian podium after the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix. Rossi earned his first third-place finish at the Americas in the second race. In the late stages of the competition, he climbed to second place, but he couldn't keep up the speed of polesitter and eventual champion Marc Márquez, losing his second position to Dovizioso. Rossi's second victory of the season came in Argentina, where Márquez and polesitter Márquez clashed following a scramble for the lead, causing Márquez to crash out of the penultimate lap and giving Rossi the race victory. With this win, he solidified his championship lead, becoming the first rider to win a race using an extra-hard Bridgestone rear tyre.

He came out a third place in France, and his eighth podium finish of his career – and the 200th of his Grand Prix career – before finishing with a third place in Spain. Rossi finished second in Catalunya after a late charge on teammate and race winner Jorge Lorenzo to hold the championship lead over his teammate by a single point.

Rossi claimed his first pole position of the season on the last lap of the 2015 Valencian Community round and 61st pole position in Grand Prix racing, his first pole position since the 2014 Valencian Community round, and his third victory of the season. It was his first victory from pole position since the 2009 San Marino Grand Prix and his twelfth podium appearance. He also extended his championship lead over Lorenzo, who came in third place.

Rossi extended his championship lead in Germany with third place and began his podium run with third-place finishes at Indianapolis and the Czech Republic. Lorenzo's win in Brno gave him the championship over Rossi, despite multiple victories at the time.

Rossi regained control of the championship race in the United Kingdom with his fourth victory of the year after Márquez – who had been chasing him for the majority of the season – crashed out in wet weather on lap 13, but Lorenzo finished fourth. In San Marino, a fifth-place finish ended, but Rossi extended his championship lead to 23 points after Lorenzo crashed out. Lorenzo won the Aragón round with Rossi finishing third, closing the gap to fourteen points with four races remaining. The two's performance was enough for the team to clinch their respective titles, their first since 2010.

Rossi extended his championship lead to eighteen points in Japan with a second-place finish to Dani Pedrosa, his first victory of the season in dry weather. Lorenzo had started on pole but then faded to third due to tyre issues. Lorenzo then slashed Australia by finishing second to Rossi's fourth, moving the lead to eleven points.

Rossi came in second in the championship, taking second place behind champion Marc Márquez.

Rossi had a difficult winter testing period for the 2017 season, often falling behind new teammate Maverick Vizales after struggling with a new, softer building Michelin front tyre.

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