Norick Abe! Such a crazy riding style, I love it! He was Rossi’s Idol back then, before Rossi was “The Doctor” he had the nickname “Rossifumi” since Norifumi “Norick” Abe was his favourite rider. He must’ve loved racing with him. RIP Norifumi, you are greatly missed.
My dad saw this live! Edit: I also met Valentino for a split second ( at Phillip Island 2019 ) but didn’t get to talk since he had to go out for fp2 but I did get to chat with Rossi’s old crew chief which was amazing ( he is a pretty sound guy )
Yes, we were there. The four strokes always seemed far more dramatic than the two strokes, but the beginning of an era of adoration for Valentino.... great!
Thank you for sharing this entire race. I've seen it when i was young. Have you notice how few dnf and high speed crashes were back then, although it was a race of 30 laps , on full wet. Mc wiliams did an amazing race, taking into account his race craft.
I remember watching this with my father back in 2000 to this day probably one of the best Rossi's performance you'll ever see. Having such shitty start and coming on top of it all just show how good bike rider VR is and the potential he has, dont think ive seen any other rider do this. It's just hard to explain there is no one like him hes one of a kind.
Memorable awful starts, (lovely) shaming on him because of the start that was obliging him to struggle to get a comeback but in the meantime knowing that the show was just about to start 💛just Vale
One of two things.. 1. How far has the engineering of Moto Gp come.. 2. How much love and respect can you hand to the love, the journey of our awesome Valentine 🙏❤️
Today rossi announced his retirement after 26 years of racing, i grew up watching him racing until today he finally announced his retirement he still inspire many people, simply goat grazie valentino per gli ultimi 26 anni di una carriera straordinaria Grazie Vale [46] 💛
i remember Roberst Jr talking about the Suzuki back then and said "with this bike in the wet, i can beat anybody. this thing is so smooth to ride with absolute mad brakes and stability" unfortunately, when you give up almost 15hp to the Hondas, in the dry it gets tricky. yet he claimed the 2000's championship. Roberts is really underrated. this race proves what he said. the only one guy able to follow him in the wet was McWilliams with the lighter bicylinder.
Rossi, 9 time world champion. 125GP, 250GP, 500GP, MotoGP. legendary. characteristic Rossi style : 1. bad start. 2. picks off riders one by one as he makes his way to front. 3. hangs behind the leaders through the race to preserve tires and evaluate his competition while calculating the best place to pass. hence the nickname "The Doctor". 4. makes his big move near the end while the others are struggling on worn tires. in later seasons, there were cameras in the fairing looking back at the riders. i loved watching Rossi's hands dance on and feather the controls. don't see that now with the electronic nannies on the 4-strokes.
I remember Kevin Schwantz talking about how he loved the rain. He was so confident in his riding that the thought of the rain making everyone’s bike equal, he felt, was a massive advantage for him. I feel Rossi is cut from a similar cloth.
he quickly changed his mind when he discovered the potentiel of the new RC211V. he then said "2 strokes were real cool but nothing can match that thing" talking about the new Honda. even in the event where all his bikes were there in 2021 he said "my best memories" talking about it. really sad how Honda treated him. he could've been the ultimate Honda rider.
VR46 is exciting to watch as it is a matter of when he is going to blow everyone's mind with his motorcycle mastery He has the history books covered with his record making feats and unbelievable comebacks
this was the heyday of the stinkwheels,nothing compares to the violence and adrenaline rush of a two stroke.the world is poorer for the lack of 2 strokes.the smell of castrol r30 and that sinister powerband,those were the days.
Gods of grip, playing on the ragged edge of adhesion ! McWilliams on the twin at a disadvantage but what a performance, the skill level on show from all three was mesmerising !
19 years later and Valentino is still pushing for wins.. the GOAT.. Also, amazing to think that today’s road Superbikes have more power and way more tech than these 500s..
There're so many armchair racers that have no idea these races exist. Rossi is so very special winning on 2 strokes, multiple different manufacturers, and most of all racing a prototype into his 40. This is why he is the GOAT!
Jack Torrance Because they HAD to be tamed and demanded immense respect. They were wild to watch and clearly ride. It made for great racing. They make amazing Power to weight and are cheaper for teams to manage. I give you the question.. Why not Jack? The environment? ppplleeeassee.. Get 'Yer hand off it.
corvidcee Wow nice over blown reaction bud, is that a normal thing for you? How bout you take your own advice and get ppplleeeassee get 'yer hand off it. 2 strokes development had gone far past its peak, 250+hp 4strokes with room to move are far more interesting than 180hp 2 strokes that had only minor updates over the last decade. 4 strokes had to be tamed too, its just that it went down the route of electronics to do so, allowing small riders to ride big bikes and turning the current bikes into fast 250gp/moto2 bikes - rather convenient for the spanish run dorna as they can now have lots of spaniards racing in the premier class. The electronics thing could easily be remedied by going to a control ecu but that will never happen. So keep living in the past if you like, they still race historic bikes but i prefer to see something less limited.
Jack Torrance Two-strokes haven't reached their peak; direct injection changes everything in a two-stroke. And while it's true the four-strokes have more power, they're also much larger displacement. Make everyone run 500cc and we'll see just how played-out the two-stroke design is.
JETZcorp Peak not end, the bikes were looking the same each year, and the only engine innovations were the 2 and 3 cyc which struggled to be competitive in racing (which is all that matters), and fuel injection on the aprilla which they also ditched. Also who cares what makes the most hp per cc, its an incredibly simplistic view on racing.
Rossi= GOAT ... such a awesome career and when he moved to Yamaha , while winning it all with Honda he showed the pure sportsman he is ... and he did win a lot with Yamaha .. LEGEND
My favorites were the two-strokes. They took real skill to ride and were fun to watch. The first time I watched them race in person, I couldn't believe how fast they were!
Yeah the two strokes seem to be pretty damn wild, but you can be sure that riding today's GP'S bikes mustn't be easy, those things are blindly fast, I know they have more electronics, but that's just to make up for how fast they are, I'm sure riding them today without any aids would be nearly impossible, nostalgia is a hell of a thing, it makes us think that everything in the past was better.
Notes : The MotoGP brand has been used since 2000 as the popular name for Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing, although this name has only been used as the official name of the most prestigious class since 2002 when the type of motorbike being competed changed from 500cc 2-stroke to 990cc 4-stroke.
1996-2021. Never another will last 25yrs in MotoGP. Miss you VR46. The best ever. To have seen Agostini, Rossi and Marquez in my lifetime has been a blessing. 3 goats.
What a very special rider Valentino Rossi is and was in his prime at his peak he was just sublime a joy to watch and still is i was there this day and have been to every British grand prix he has competed in for the last 21 years of his premier class career ive even named my son after him what a rider will be sadly missed and without a doubt for me the greatest of all time.
My prediction for this kid, he will : 1. 119 winnings 2 . 235 podiums 3. 65 pole positions 4. 96 fastest laps 5. 9 world champions Let's see am i right...
