You know him as the legendary MotoGP rider. But there are more interesting facts in Valentino Rossi’s life you may not know about.
Valentino Rossi has been racing for his entire life. He first started his professional racing career in the 125 cc class over two decades ago. Since then, he has won the World Championship title for nine times.
Born in 1979, Vale is 37 years old now. But it doesn’t stop him from being the man to beat on the race track in MotoGP. Even though it has been seven years since the last time he clinched the world title, he is still very much capable of being the fastest and winning a race.
Of course, the past twenty years of his life hasn’t always been smooth. Even until now, there are ups and downs, and even some controversies.
Let’s take a look back to his legendary career and pick out ten interesting facts about The Doctor, Valentino Rossi. Prepare yourself for the excessive yellow exposure!
10. His ritual before the race starts
Every Valentino Rossi’s fan who has been following his career for decades must have noticed his ritual before the race start.
Perhaps, it started as a casual thing. But after years and years of doing it, it has become a ritual he has never missed. It may have some sort of jinx to him.
First, right before he rides his bike out from the pit, he would squat beside it and take a moment to pray. In addition sometimes, he would pat or kiss the bike. Vale loves the bike he rides, even the one which engine blew off in Mugello last week.
Then, right before the start, he would fix his helmet, his gloves, and his wedgie. All eyes on him the next time you watch a MotoGP race!
9. The car he owns
Valentino Rossi became a racer not because he had to, but because he loves to. He is a speed demon both on and off track. And like most speed demons, he fancies fast cars.
Lucky for Vale, he didn’t even have to pay a single penny for his fast cars. He owns two of them which he got as gifts and rewards of his racing career. Sweet.
In 2009, he received a BMW M3 from winning his 7th MotoGP championship title. You can see the awesome car on the picture as he was going to test it for the first time.
Then in 2012, Ferrari gave him the Ferrari 458 Italia. As if the $250,000 price tag wasn’t honoring enough, it was custom made to his color: yellow. Besides sport cars, Vale also owns a Pershing 56 luxurious yacht.
8. His relationship status
People expect a man who is mature, financially stable, and settled with his career would have settled down in terms of marriage as well. But that is not the case for Valentino Rossi.
Yes, ladies, he is still single. But not available though. He has been involved in many relationships from time to time. However, he does not let his dating rumors overcome his racing career.
He does not put his relationship out on a display but he does not hide it either. We saw his girlfriend watching him racing from the pit box sometimes.
The lucky girls are mostly models. Among them are Martina Stella, Maddalena, Arianna Matteuzzi, and Mandala Tayde. It may be typical for racers to date models. But can you blame them from wanting to have a beautiful sight by their side? He is currently dating Linda Morselli.
7. His tax problem
This may be the biggest personal issue Valentino Rossi had to face. Back in 2008, his tax problem news was shocking to both his fans and himself.
Vale is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. Plus, he is making a buck load of money from his sponsorship and merchandises. His father, Graziano, also said that Vale has been careful with his money and investment.
Rumor has it: the problem came from his former manager. They parted in 2005, before this issue came up. So, how did Vale not notice this?
He was living in London when the tax problem occurred. His residence there was actually one of the investigated items. He cleared out the issue by paying €35 million. In spite of this problem, Vale still has his $135 million of net worth.
6. His dog
Valentino Rossi is a dog lover, especially Bulldogs. Many people think that Bulldogs are aggressive. But they are actually equable, kind, resolute, and courageous. Obviously Vale knows that well.
Since 2000, he had a British Bulldog named Guido who passed away in 2008. He was seen with him a lot in many occasions.
Then Rossi got two new Bulldogs, one male and one female. His current two guardian angels are named Cesare and Cecilia.
He takes them wherever he goes in a form of stickers on his bike. As seen on the picture, the animated version of them has been accompanying Vale throughout every race.
5. The place he lives in
So, where does The Doctor live?
As he signed up with Honda, he moved to London. He lived in an apartment before he bought a luxurious house which led him to tax problem investigation.
Upon that, he moved back to his home country, Italy. He built a private ranch in Tavullia, a small region in Italy inhabited by only 8,000 people. And guess what, all 8,000 of them are registered as members of Valentino Rossi Official Fan Club.
The bright yellow number of 46 can be seen all over Tavullia. He is worshiped like a king and loved as a hero there.
His ranch is a 198-acre property. It consists of vineyards and olive trees, a farm, a bunkhouse, and his private race track which will be discussed next. He also owns a villa in Ibiza, Spain, where he usually hangs out with his friends.
4. His private race track
Why does Valentino Rossi need a 198-acre property? The answer is: to build his own private race track. His home in Tavullia is not just a place for him to take a rest, but also to practice his skills.
The 1.8 mile race track is located at his ranch, alongside his bunkhouse, farm, and vineyard. It is not asphalt like common MotoGP tracks. It is a dirt track.
Vale’s father, who was also a professional racer, trained him on a dirt track since he was young. Graziano Rossi believes that it helps him in controlling the bike. You’re right, Babbo, he really is the master of corners.
Usually, his practice here is not a casual ride around the track. He would host a tournament where his friends and fellow riders can join in.
3. His own VR Riders Academy
Valentino Rossi is a hero to many young boys in Italy, especially those who are inspired to pursue the same career path. Vale realizes this. He also understands how hard it is to breakthrough into the MotoGP world.
So, he turned his private race track into a base camp for young Italian riders to practice alongside him. It started as a casual coaching. Then in 2014, Vale announced officially the founding of VR46 Riders Academy.
The academy is a professional team ran by talented people. And they have Yamaha as the official bike supplier.
Vale created Sky Racing Team VR46 and appointed Pablo Nieto as the manager. Only the most talented riders from the academy will be chosen to ride with this team and compete in Moto3 Championship. This year, they are Romano Fenati, Nicolò Bulega, and Andrea Migno.
2. His half-brother
Valentino Rossi is the only child of Stefania and Graziano Rossi. His parents got divorced when he was young. Since then, he spent more time with his father who trained him to be the world champion.
Graziano remarried and has a daughter, who is Vale’s half-sister, Clara Rossi. She supports him all the way. She would accompany their father, Graziano, at Vale’s pit during races.
Clara may have been very supportive, but there has been one young boy who stood by the sidelines and witnessed Vale’s blooming career as he was growing up. He looks up to him and now he is following Vale’s footsteps. Who is he?
Vale’s mother, Stefania, also remarried. With Massimo Marini, she has another son, Luca Marini. The 19 year old is currently competing in Moto2 World Championship with Kalex Forward Team. Vale is very excited about this.
1. His world-wide massive support
Wherever he competes, you will see the bright yellow attributes swarming around the race tracks. He is loved not just by the sport fans, but also his fellow respectful riders.
Vale has a well-organized fan club which operates all around the world. They would book all grandstand seats and filled them with his signature color: bright yellow. They turned Mugello circuit in Italy into Mugiallo. Giallo is the Italian word for “yellow”.
The feeling is mutual. Vale would stop to greet his fans wherever he goes. He respects their loyalty throughout his twenty years of racing career.
He may be pushing forty, but Vale’s fans surely don’t want to see him retire anytime soon. Keep fighting, Vale! Uno di noi!
