23 consecutive podium finishes
following the victory in the opening round of MotoGP
in 2004, beating Giacomo Agostini's previous record
which stood for an amazing 35 years. In was August
2002 in Czech Republic when Rossi last failed to
reach the podium.
Rossi is in the top five all-time
podium finishes in the premier class on motorcycle
racing, including the opening round of the 2004
season, he has 55 podiums, 34 of which were victories.
His next victum in 4th is Wayne Rainey.
He is the first rider since Barry
Sheen to win the opening round for four successive
season, Sheen achieved it in 1976. '77. '78 and
'79.
He is the first rider in the series
history to win back-to-back races for two different
manufacturers.
Valentino Rossi Timeline
1979: Rossi is
born in Urbino, son of Italian GP rider Graziano
Rossi.
1989: Rossi's
motorsport career starts when he races go-karts,
with his mother Stefani deeming bikes too dangerous.
1990: He wins
a regional karting series in Italy with nine race
victories.
1991: Rossi finishes
fifth in the national karting championship in Parma,
but by now he's also taken up racing mini-moto.
1993: Rossi begins
road racing riding a Cagiva Mito 125 and claims
pole position in Misano and scores his first podium.
1994: Cagiva boss
Claudio Lusuardi gives Rossi a factory spec bike
and he wins the title.
2000: Rossi quits
250 GPs and moves to Honda winning his first race
at Donington Park before finishing second in the
title.
2001: Rossi wins
the last 500cc premier class world title with 11
wins.
2002: Rossi enjoys
his best run of success in MotoGP when he wins in
Jerez to spark a run of 7 successive vivtories and
11 in total for the year.
2003: Rossi helps
Honda equal its own record with nine wins helping
Honda win all 15 races before dropping the bombshell
that he is to joi nYamaha.
2004: He wins
on his Yamaha debut and takes nine out of 16 races
to give Yamaha its first premier class title in
12 years.
2005: He claims11
wins, joining an elite club of five riders to have
won five or more premier class titles in Yamaha's
50th anniversary year.
2006: He crashes
out in the final race gifting the championship to
Nicky Hayden. Rossi remains the most successful
rider that year with 5 wins.
2007: After a
promising pre-season on Yamaha's first 800cc YZR-M1,
Rossi is embarrassed by Casey Stoner's Ducati, his
worst season since his rookie campaign in 2000.
2008: MotoGP World
Champion.
Rossi Wins by Circuit
* correct as at 19th September 2008.
