Valentino Rossi: 100 Wins and a Global Triumph for MotoGP

Valentino Rossi, widely feted as the greatest motorcycle racer of all time, won his 100th Grand Prix race at Assen, Holland, yesterday, 27th June.

Rossi contrasts starkly with the grim professionals of today’s Formula One. He is one of those rare champions to be found in any field of endeavour, who combines sublime natural talent with an infectious enthusiasm and passion that has engaged people all over the world and transformed MotoGP into a huge global entertainment business, without losing any of its the raw appeal to traditional fans. 

Despite the fickle Italian sporting press writing him off on more than one occasion – the last time was about three weeks ago – the 30 year-old, eight-times World Champion is showing no signs of fatigue or complacency. Two weeks ago his will to win was on show in an “impossible” last lap overtaking move on team mate Jorge Lorenzo that took him to win number 99 after a titanic race-long battle in Barcelona. At Assen he displayed his natural speed and ability to crush his rivals and simply ran away with the race after taking the lead on the first lap.

All over the world, Rossi fans outnumber local riders. Even in Spain, which along with Italy, produces the most top level riders, his dramatic defeat of Lorenzo was begrudged by not a single fan. And global audiences are not so gullible. If there was anything false about Rossi’s persona, he would simply be respected rather than loved.

The most revealing thing I ever heard about Rossi followed some physical monitoring of GP riders. Amongst other things, heart rates were tested during a race. Understandably, under the stresses of riding highly tuned prototypes against tough, world class opponents, riders were registering around or beyond 200 beats per minute. Except Rossi, whose heart was consistently beating around 105 times per minute, “Like a child at play,” according to MotoGP chief medic, Dr Costa. 

Of course nobody reaches this level of achievement without a high degree of ruthlessness, as Rossi’s past infamous rivalries with Max Biaggi and Sete Gibernau show. But there was nothing underhand about the way he broke the spirits of such brilliant opponents. They were the actions of a man who would not be beaten by anyody under any circumstances. Interestingly, his off-track relationships with his current leading opponents, Lorenzo and Casey Stoner, are much more sanguine. They are also arguably the most talented racers he has ever faced, so mutual respect is  probably the underlying reason. On track, as Barcelona and last year’s Laguna Seca race showed, he is still just as ruthless.    

In sporting annual earnings tables, Rossi is up there with Tiger Woods and top NBA and tennis players. After what he has done for motorcycling, Dorna, which owns the rights to MotoGP, will regard his earnings as the best and luckiest investment they have ever made. 

So no matter what you are doing, the next time you need inspiration, type Valentino Rossi into your search engine and reflect on what this genius of speed and marketing has done for MotoGP and the wider world around him.