What is the key to riding a bike?
Valentino Rossi’s secret weapon as a MotoGP legend
There is indisputable danger in traveling 100+ mph around a tight curve and then throwing yourself to turn even more sharply in the opposite direction. Sometimes the intensity is too much and you’ll end up like this.
Who is the craziest guy willing to risk this every single weekend? And more importantly how does he manage to stay on top of a motorcycle that’s flying by at 200mph just inches from other racers?
Number 46, Valentino Rossi, also known as “the doctor,” is a MotoGP legend. He’s been dubbed “the doctor” because in Italy, that is the title you give to someone that you have the highest respect for. He accredits his success and fulfillment of his life to the passion he has for bikes!
The legend we see today started racing karts when he was just five years old. His kart’s 60cc motor was replaced with a 100cc motor for more speed, and in 1990 he won a local kart championship.
Originally, Valentino was looking into going into the European series or the Italian 100cc competitions which would lead him to Formula 1 racing (four wheeled cars). However, he settled with minimoto, because of the high costs of racing karts which his father, Graziano Rossi could not afford. Overcoming this obstacle, Valentino kept with his passion on minimoto!
“I was lucky. My father raced bikes. He gave me the passion very early. I had my first bike when I was three or four.” -Valentino Rossi
As a very enthusiastic teenager, in 1994, he produced outstanding results to win the Italian 125cc Championships by a large margin. He ventured on to participate in the 1996 World Championship season, but ended up crashing numerous times and was unable to finish 5 of the races.
This experience paved the way for him get better control of the vehicle. In 1997, he ended up winning 11 of the 15 races, and World Championship Grand Prix. After many successes, he is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name — seven of which are in the premier class.
However, what makes Valentino Rossi the fantastic rider that he is, is not necessarily his skill, but the passion that he holds for racing motorbikes. Many have commented that he races like he’s a child having the time of his life. This claim has been backed up by analysis of his heart rate (whenever he in a race) which almost never seems to go above 125 beats per minute and rests around 90 beats per minute. When comparing this to the 170 bpm limit that most racers experience and the 120 bpm average, you can see how happy and fearless Valentino Rossi really is.
During an interview with Motorcycle News, a reporter asked him whether or not he still gets the thrill of riding at 34 years old compared to his race days at 18 years old. Rossi explains that the thrill is not as much as it used to be but traveling up to 200 mph for 40 minutes makes your heart pump.
Many riders along with Valentino are very passionate about motorbike racing. In fact, it is not uncommon for a rider to wake up from coma with broken bones, to jump back on his motorcycle and continue racing so that he does not put his career in jeopardy. In the MotoGP documentary Faster, Valentino talks about how when a normal person breaks a finger, they will go get it fixed and drink coffee and watch television for the next few days. But when a MotoGP rider breaks a foot, rib, arm, wrist, toe, or finger, they make a quick fix and will even ride with dislocated body parts in order to attain points for the championship.
Dr. Claudio Costa is a doctor in medicine and philosophy who is a familiar face for MotoGP racers. In most MotoGP races, he waits off the track to take care of the riders who fall off their bikes. He understands the pressures of the sport but also the passion that the riders like Valentino possess. However, Costa knows when sending a rider back out is a death sentence.
“In the riders’ veins, there are drops of Dionysian madness which are beautiful because they give the heroes of motorcycling the power to live life fully.” — Dr. Claudio Costa
Valentino Rossi has indisputably established himself as a top contender in MotoGP. Rossi is in first in all time MotoGP races wins standings, with 89 victories among other achievements. The circumstances that form his status as a MotoGP legend is a combination of his skills and the praise he constantly receives from race officials, other riders, and most importantly his fans about the humbleness, respect, and passion that he brings to the sports. Valentino Rossi will be first to tell you about the importance of passion when throwing a motorcycle from doing 100 mph in one curve to 130 mph in the opposite curve.
“To be a great motorbike racer, the most important thing is passion for the bike.” -Valentino Rossi
“Valentino Rossi.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 July 2017. Web. 24 July 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentino_Rossi>
“Faster (2003).” IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 24 July 2017. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368721/>
