| Capital: | € 120 million |
|---|---|
| Age: | 41 |
| Born: | February 16, 1979 |
| Country of origin: | Italy |
| Source of wealth: | Racing (motorcycle) |
| Last updated: | 2024 |
Short introduction
Valentino Rossi was born in Urbino, Italy in 1979. He is one of the most successful athletes in the world. In his home country, he is respectfully referred to as dottore. This means that he is recognized as an absolute competence in his field. His career is characterized by an extraordinarily large number of titles and awards that the athlete has received so far.
Early life
Valentino Rossi was born on February 16, 1979 in Urbino, Italy. His love of sport was already given to him at home. His mother Stefania had a career in soccer in mind for her son. Nothing came of it, because father Graziano Rossi brought him to karting. At the age of eleven, young Valentino won the regional go-kart championship with nine victories, demonstrating his talent. He came to the bike because he couldn’t go on his go-kart because of its weight and size. It was not possible for the family to buy a larger vehicle. So the father decided that Valentino should switch to a mini bike. It didn’t hurt his career because he won his first race in 1991. The following year he became the regional minimoto champion. From the age of 14 Valentino Rossi drove street racing machines. In 1993, he took third place in the Italian Sports Production Championship on a 125 cc Cagiva. In 1995 he made his final breakthrough. He became Italian motorcycle road champion in the 125cc class on Aprilia.
Career
In the 1996 season, Rossi took his first pole position with Aprilia. At the 1997 World Cup, he won his first world title in Brno. He convinced by winning 11 out of 15 races. In 1998 he changed classes and from then on rode 250 motorcycles. However, he stayed with Aprilia. In 1999 he also became world champion in the larger class. His success remained unbroken. This was followed by seven more world titles for the Italian, which he clinched with Honda and Yamaha. His last title as world champion was awarded to him in 2009. Rossi also won 115 victories in various Grand Prix races.
In this way, Rossi’s fortune began to grow steadily.
After Rossi became world champion on the motorcycle in all classes, he tried himself as a Formula 1 driver. On the Ferrari test track, he was only 1.5 seconds behind Michael Schuhmacher. Ferrari wanted to sign Valentino Rossi, but the latter declined. He decided to extend the contract with Yamaha.
In 2009, the Italian drove his first endurance race in a Ferrari 430 GT3 and was able to win third place.
He also tried as a rally driver and won third place in the 2018 Monza Rally with the Ford Fiesta WRC Plus. He started number 46. Since then, number 46 has been a kind of symbol for his fans.
Career highlights
Rossi has nine world titles. He won the title in 1997, 1999, 2001 to 2005 and 2008 and 2009.
In addition, Valentino Rossi has won several athletes of the year in Italy in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2009.
In 2015 he was awarded the “Legend” award at the Gazzetta Sports Awards. The university in his hometown of Urbino awarded him the title of honorary doctor for communication.
The popular Valentino Rossi earned his fortune not only through athletic performance. It also grows through the estimated annual salary of around $ 10 million. Rossi is one of the top earners in racing.
Famous quotes
“I never drove for the records. The motivation to break a record is not enough to keep going. You have to enjoy it! ”
“There are no slow motorcycles, only slow riders!”
“If you succeed, women will come by themselves. There they are like journalists. ”
Success tips
Rossi’s tip for success is to strive for his goal not only for the sake of the goal, but with pleasure. He remains true to his line and is an example that success is not possible without passion and joy.
