Nine-Time World Champion · MotoGP

Valentino Rossi

Nine Grand Prix world titles across four classes, and more premier-class wins and podiums than any rider in history. The official Rossi collection: Aprilia, Honda, Ducati and the yellow 46.

Nationality
Italian
Born
16 February 1979 · Urbino, Italy
Classes
125cc · 250cc · 500cc · MotoGP
Race number
46 (retired in his honour)
World titles
9 (1997, 1999, 2001–2005, 2008, 2009)
Premier-class record
89 wins · 199 podiums
Shop the Collection Watch highlights
Valentino Rossi
Nine-Time World Champion
1996 — 2021
9
World Titles
115
Grand Prix Wins
235
Podium Finishes
65
Pole Positions

Who is Valentino Rossi?

Valentino Rossi (born 16 February 1979) is an Italian former Grand Prix motorcycle racer and nine-time World Champion, nicknamed the Doctor. He is the only rider to have won 125cc, 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP titles, and holds the premier-class records for wins and podiums. He retired in 2021 after 432 starts, 115 victories and 235 podiums.

Full name
Valentino Rossi
Nationality
Italian
Grand Prix career
1996–2021
Best known for
Most premier-class wins in history

By Kozmozcyber Editorial Published Updated 9 sources

Rider Profile

Valentino Rossi: Full Biography

Valentino Rossi is an Italian racing driver and former Grand Prix motorcycle racer, a nine-time World Champion and the only rider to have won titles in the 125cc, 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP classes.

The Two-Stroke Years Rossi entered the World Championship with Aprilia in 1996 and won the 125cc title in 1997 and the 250cc title in 1999. He moved to the premier class with Honda in 2000 and won the last 500cc World Championship of the two-stroke era in 2001.

The Dominant Decade He took the first two MotoGP titles for Honda in 2002 and 2003, then moved to Yamaha and won at the first attempt in 2004 — a switch widely regarded as the hardest of his career. Five consecutive premier-class titles ran to 2005, with two more in 2008 and 2009.

Ducati, Yamaha and After Two winless seasons at Ducati in 2011 and 2012 were followed by a return to Yamaha and three straight runner-up finishes, the closest in 2015 when he led most of the season and lost the title by five points. He retired at the end of 2021, and the number 46 was retired from the MotoGP class in his honour. He now races GT cars and runs the VR46 team.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Valentino Rossi

Chapter 01

Four Classes, Four Titles

Rossi arrived in the World Championship in 1996 as the son of Grand Prix winner Graziano Rossi and won a race in his first season. The 125cc title followed in 1997 with eleven wins from fifteen races, the 250cc title in 1999, and then the premier class with Honda. In 2001 he won the last 500cc World Championship before the two-stroke era ended, making him the only rider to hold titles in all four classes the championship has run.

Aprilia · Honda · 1996–2001
Chapter 02

The Yamaha Switch

Rossi left Honda at the end of 2003 having won two MotoGP titles with the dominant RC211V, and joined a Yamaha team that had not won a premier-class championship since 1992. He won the first race of 2004 at Welkom, took the title that year and the next, and made the point that the rider mattered as much as the machine. Five premier-class championships in a row ended in 2005; two more followed in 2008 and 2009.

Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha · the hardest move
Chapter 03

The Long Second Act

The move to Ducati in 2011 produced no wins in two seasons and one podium in the first. Rossi returned to Yamaha in 2013 and finished runner-up three years running, closest in 2015, when he led the standings for most of the year and lost by five points after starting the final race from the back of the grid. His last victory came at Assen in 2017. He retired at the end of 2021 after 26 seasons, and has since raced GT cars and run the VR46 team he founded.

Ducati · Yamaha · 2011–2021
Career Timeline

Valentino Rossi Career Timeline: 1979–Present

Born in Urbino

Valentino Rossi is born on 16 February, the son of Grand Prix racer Graziano Rossi, and grows up in Tavullia.

World Championship debut

Enters the 125cc class with Aprilia and wins in Brno in his first season, finishing ninth overall.

125cc World Champion

Wins eleven of fifteen races to take his first world title at the age of eighteen.

250cc World Champion

Nine wins and 309 points give him the 250cc crown in his second year in the class.

The last 500cc champion

Wins eleven races on the Honda NSR500 to take the final 500cc World Championship before the four-stroke era.

First MotoGP title

Takes the inaugural MotoGP championship with Repsol Honda, winning eleven of sixteen races.

Champion with Yamaha

Moves to Yamaha and wins the season opener at Welkom, then the title, ending Honda's run.

Return to the top

Regains the championship after two seasons without it, and retains it in 2009 for a ninth world title.

Two years at Ducati

Joins the Italian factory team and scores a single podium in two winless seasons.

Five points short

Leads the championship for most of the season and finishes runner-up to team-mate Jorge Lorenzo.

Final Grand Prix win

Wins the Dutch TT at Assen at the age of 38, his 115th Grand Prix victory.

Retirement

Ends his career at Valencia after 432 starts; MotoGP retires the number 46 in his honour and names him a Legend.

GT racing and VR46

Moves to GT cars with Team WRT and runs the VR46 Racing Team and Riders Academy.

By the Numbers

Valentino Rossi Grand Prix Record, Season by Season

Valentino Rossi season-by-season record: team, wins, poles, podiums, points and final standing.
SeasonTeamWins PolesPodiumsPointsPos.
1996 Aprilia · 125cc 1 1 2 111 9
1997 Aprilia · 125cc 11 4 13 321 1
1998 Aprilia · 250cc 5 0 9 201 2
1999 Aprilia · 250cc 9 5 12 309 1
2000 Honda · 500cc 2 0 10 209 2
2001 Honda · 500cc 11 4 13 325 1
2002 Repsol Honda 11 7 15 355 1
2003 Repsol Honda 9 9 16 357 1
2004 Gauloises Fortuna Yamaha 9 5 11 304 1
2005 Gauloises Yamaha 11 5 16 367 1
2006 Camel Yamaha 5 5 10 247 2
2007 Fiat Yamaha 4 4 8 241 3
2008 Fiat Yamaha 9 2 16 373 1
2009 Fiat Yamaha 6 7 13 306 1
2010 Fiat Yamaha 2 1 10 233 3
2011 Ducati 0 0 1 139 7
2012 Ducati 0 0 2 163 6
2013 Yamaha Factory Racing 1 0 6 237 4
2014 Movistar Yamaha 2 1 13 295 2
2015 Movistar Yamaha 4 1 15 325 2
2016 Movistar Yamaha 2 3 10 249 2
2017 Movistar Yamaha 1 0 6 208 5
2018 Movistar Yamaha 0 1 5 198 3
2019 Monster Energy Yamaha 0 0 2 174 7
2020 Monster Energy Yamaha 0 0 1 66 15
2021 Petronas Yamaha SRT 0 0 0 44 18

Championship seasons are highlighted. Career totals: 115 wins · 65 pole positions · 235 podiums · 6,357 points from 432 Grand Prix starts across the 125cc, 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP classes. Premier class alone: 89 wins and 199 podiums, both all-time records. Figures verified 28 July 2026.

Valentino Rossi in his own words

In His Own Words
I don't have a particular dream. My dream was to become world champion in MotoGP. And it's okay like this.
Valentino Rossi · retirement press conference, Valencia, November 2021

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Frequently Asked

Valentino Rossi: Frequently Asked Questions

How many world titles did Valentino Rossi win?

Nine: the 125cc title in 1997, the 250cc title in 1999, the 500cc title in 2001, and MotoGP titles in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009. Seven of the nine came in the premier class.

How many races did Valentino Rossi win?

115 Grands Prix from 432 starts, with 235 podiums and 65 pole positions. His 89 premier-class wins and 199 premier-class podiums are both all-time records.

Why is Valentino Rossi called the Doctor?

It is the nickname he adopted early in his premier-class career and used for the rest of it, alongside the number 46 that his father Graziano had raced with.

When did Valentino Rossi retire?

At the end of the 2021 season, after a final year with Petronas Yamaha SRT. MotoGP retired the number 46 from the class in his honour and named him a Legend at the FIM awards in November 2021.

Which teams did Valentino Rossi ride for?

Aprilia in 125cc and 250cc, Honda from 2000 to 2003, Yamaha from 2004 to 2010, Ducati in 2011 and 2012, Yamaha again from 2013 to 2020, and Petronas Yamaha SRT in 2021.

What was Valentino Rossi's closest title miss?

2015. He led the championship for most of the season and finished five points behind team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, having started the final race at Valencia from the back of the grid.

What does Valentino Rossi do now?

He races GT cars — he returned to GT World Challenge Europe full-time for 2026 after two seasons in the World Endurance Championship — and runs the VR46 Racing Team and the VR46 Riders Academy.

Shop His Gear

Valentino Rossi Collection

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. Valentino Rossi — official rider profile · MotoGP.com (official)
  2. Valentino Rossi named MotoGP Legend · MotoGP.com (official)
  3. MotoGP Legends · MotoGP.com (official)
  4. Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme · FIM, governing body records
  5. List of career achievements by Valentino Rossi · Wikipedia
  6. Valentino Rossi · Wikipedia
  7. Valentino Rossi (Q169814) · Wikidata entity record
  8. Valentino Rossi — official site · Official
  9. Rossi's proudest MotoGP achievement — Valencia retirement press conference · Crash.net

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by Kozmozcyber. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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