10 iconic races of Valentino Rossi that made fans of the MotoGP legend echo Grazie Vale

Grazie Vale! For close to 25 years, fans of the legendary motorcycle racer, Valentino Rossi, witnessed an era that saw the dominance of the Italian. One of the sport's greatest and most charismatic competitors, the nine-time world champion brought down the curtain on a distinguished MotoGP career at the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix on Sunday (November 14). The seven-time MotoGP champion finished 10th in his penultimate race that Ducati's Francesco Bagnania clinched.

With 115 victories that include seven MotoGP titles under his belt, Valentino Rossi received an emotional farewell from his Petronas Yamaha team and fans of the Italian, who took a final lap of honour amidst fireworks and a standing ovation. Rossi, who announced his retirement from the sport in August 2021, is now considering a move into car racing.

The only motorcycle racer to have won titles in the 125cc, 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP categories, Valentino Rossi has now been inducted into the MotoGP Hall of Fame, making him an official legend! 

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The Italian, who made his mark in 1996 in the 125cc world championship, bagged his first podium finish at Brno in the Czech Republic. Following a successful stint in the 250cc class a year later, Valentino Rossi's move up to the 500cc class with Honda at the turn of the century that saw the start of an era of unmatched dominance. 

After bagging world titles in 2001, 2002 and 2003, Rossi moved to Yamaha in 2004 to clinch his fourth title in a row. He repeated this success in the following seasons until he took his tally to nine for Yahama by 2009. Valentino Rossi later joined Ducati, but their partnership remained unproductive as the Italian failed to add to his total of world titles in 2011 and 2012. 

Between 2014 and 2016, Valentino Rossi could only manage to attain successive runner‑up spots despite being back with the Yamaha team, which he had left to join Ducati. It was during this time riders like Jorge Lorenzo, and Honda's Marc Marquez dominated the sport. As for Rossi, who registered his last win at the Dutch Grand Prix in 2017, the rider failed to clinch that final world title that would have taken him into double figures.

As Rossi hangs up his racing leathers, it is only befitting to revisit 10 of his most iconic wins to celebrate the legendary career of 'The Doctor'. Watch this video to know more:

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• Valentino Rossi
• MotoGP
• Racing
• Italy