MotoGP
The MotoGP legend reaches 300 career GPs at Mugello – we look at arguably his five greatest moments.
Nine World Championship titles, 106 wins, 186 podiums and 59 pole positions tell only half the story of Valentino Rossi's Grand Prix career since he debuted as a 17 year old in the 125cc class way back in 1996.
Just over 18 years later, the MotoGP veteran and legend is about to pass another milestone. At his home Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, Rossi will make his 300th GP start, as he continues his incredible career.
With plenty to choose from, RedBull.com has compiled a list of Rossi's top five moments down the years. Agree or disagree? Add your nominations in the comments section at the bottom!
Phillip Island 2001: The first title
We start with the race that sealed Rossi's first premier class title. It was the last year of the all-out 500cc era, and at the Australian GP Rossi went head-to-head with Max Biaggi for victory.
It all came down to the final lap, where a ballsy overtake from Rossi just a few corners from the end of the race moved him into the lead. He held it to the line in a tense finish, winning by just 0.013 seconds to take the first of five titles in a row as the start of a new era exploded into life.
*Special mention: Phillip Island 2003. Rossi overcame a 10-second penalty during the race to still win by more than five seconds.
Welkom 2004: The legend is sealed
After three consecutive titles on the Honda, Rossi took on a new challenge for 2004 by switching to Yamaha. It was a move that many questioned.
The factory was struggling badly, without a win in 18 months and seemingly so far off the pace that the next victory was nowhere within sight. Rossi had other ideas though and blew away any misconceptions by doing precisely what nobody thought possible.
A start-to-finish duel with his intense rival Biaggi went the way of Rossi as he made history by becoming the first rider ever to win back-to-back premier class races with different manufacturers.
Jerez 2005: Breaking Gibernau
Rossi's fighting spirit and ruthlessness was underlined at the opening round of the 2005 season, when at the Spanish Grand Prix he punted home hero Sete Gibernau off the track in the final corner on the last lap.
The pair had fought closely for the past two seasons, with Gibernau finishing runner-up to Rossi in the championship twice, and this race is credited as being the moment that the Italian really finished off his Spanish adversary.
The boos rang out after the race as the Spanish crowd backed Gibernau, but Rossi didn't care. It had been a frantic last few laps, with both riders pulling out all the stops, and it signified a further step towards total dominance by Rossi.
Watch it all unfold in this video review of the GP.
Laguna Seca 2008: Taking on Stoner
The duo's bitter rivalry stepped up a gear after the 2008 US Grand Prix, where they clashed in spectacular style as Casey Stoner attempted to defend his title and Rossi went all out to reclaim it.
The pair fought out front and the now famous manoeuvre from Rossi on Stoner at The Corkscrew was a measure of just how far he would go to get one over on the Australian, who was seriously threatening his mantle as MotoGP's main man.
The pressure told with nine laps to go, when Stoner ran off track while trying to keep pace with Rossi, and The Doctor went on to win on his way to reclaiming the MotoGP title.
Re-live the tension of Rossi and Stoner's encounter with this video.
Catalonia 2009: Laying down the law to Lorenzo
Rossi had already been irked by the introduction of the precocious young rookie Jorge Lorenzo as his team-mate the previous year, and the young Spaniard was really pushing the seasoned Italian hard in his second year in MotoGP.
At the Catalonia GP the pair embarked on putting on one of the greatest shows in recent memory, as they took the quest for victory down to the very last lap.
The lead changed three times on that last round of the circuit, but a magnificently brave and inventive move from Rossi at the very death saw him come out on top. They had pushed one another to the absolute limit, and it was a true display of mastery from Rossi to clinch what had seemed an improbable win.
Check out a breathtaking video of the action here.
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