Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi has made a career out of leaving behind the competition, but his racing style has made him known for just as often outpacing himself. Ever since Rossi was a child, he was eager to move to faster and more powerful vehicles more quickly than common sense would allow. And once he’s behind the wheel or handlebars of a speed machine, he keeps his eye on nothing but the pole position, sometimes at a risk to his personal safety. But while Valentino Rossi (born February 16, 1979) may ride through life powered by a volatile formula, he manages to keep it on the road.

Valentino Rossi has been keeping racing fans breathless wondering if his massive talent for moto racing will lead to a Formula 1 or Rally racing career—but perhaps his hesitance to switch comes from hard-won experience. He has already carved out a long record achievement as a moto racer, winning the MotoGP World Championship five years running. His surefooted, precise racing style has become his trademark and is what many attribute his nickname “The Doctor” to.

But it wasn’t always so. From the days when his father, also a professional moto racer, illegally tried to obtain a go-kart license for the underage Valentino and his mother tried to get him to go out for the soccer team, Rossi was anxious to get to the next level. When he made his debut racing full-sized motorcycles, he threw caution to the wind, and the results were un-tempered speed, and several accidents, which fortunately were harder on Valentino’s bikes than his body.

Throughout his career racing proper motorcycles, Valentino has found that Yamaha provides him the best vehicles and training environment. Even lucrative offers from Ferrari haven’t turned Valentino Rossi onto four-wheeled vehicles. But with excellent test times against seasoned champions, there’s nothing to stop him if he changes his mind. But with a string of championship victories and continued success with his Yamaha partnership, why would he?