Valentino Rossi recently became the first man to accomplish 200 podiums however is he the best rider in MotoGP’s history?
When it comes to the sport of motorcycle racing and the premier class of MotoGP, you will rarely find a better rider than the Italian stallion – Valentino Rossi.Valentino Rossi is a multiple-time World Champion having secured the World Championship in the premier class in the years of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009.
Rossi has achieved the second-most victories in the sports history with a total of 110 race wins and is currently on course for his eighth World Championship in MotoGP as he leads the 2015 MotoGP Championship on 138 points, a single point clear of his teammate, Jorge Lorenzo.
Despite not winning a race since the third round of the season in Argentina, it has been Rossi’s consistency, his determination and his never-say-die attitude that has kept him on top of his game and ahead of the rest of the field thus providing him with the lead of the championship. This is what has kept him ahead of his teammate, Jorge Lorenzo, who has won the last four races, and it is what has made Valentino Rossi the legend that he is today.
But having become the first man to secure 200 career podiums, is Rossi the best rider ever in MotoGP history?
Some MotoGP fan would say yes and would you dare to disagree?
When the sport MotoGP is mentioned, the casual fan who doesn’t really watch the sport can always relate to one name and if you ask them who they know from the sport, the first name that will enter their head will be Valentino Rossi, at least of the modern era anyway. This is very similar to those who don’t watch much Formula One – many would know Michael Schumacher and Valentino Rossi can be compared in the same spotlight because of the stranglehold they have each had on their individual sports.
To be the first man ever to achieve 200 podiums in MotoGP is quite an accomplishment. This just doesn’t happen overnight and is by no way, shape or form a fluke at all. Such an achievement requires years of self-discipline, dedication, perseverance and of course a little bit of luck too. No other rider has achieved this statistic and with Rossi being the only man to do so is proof in itself that his talents are worth screaming to the world about.
It’s also worth noting that more than half of Rossi’s podiums have seen him stand on the very top step of the podium – in fact, he has won 110 times to be precise. Such repeated success and consistency has delivered Rossi several World titles and one of the best riders of all-time. It’s that consistency also that has kept him ahead in the title race in 2015. He may not have won as many races this year as he did when he was in his prime but he is now 36-years-old and has finished on the podium in every race thus far this season which sees him lead the title race by a single point.
Some people would disagree though and argue that there have been more successful riders in the sport than Valentino Rossi, but who?
When it comes to the very best MotoGP rider of all time, many would consider Casey Stoner as a name in the hat for this label. The Australian is a two-time World Champion, has won 45 races over the course of his career and despite not attaining as many podiums as Valentino Rossi, Stoner still accomplished 89 podiums. During his time in the MotoGP class, Stoner never once finished outside the top four in the championship standings, which is quite an impressive record in itself. Stoner was very consistent himself with six consecutive victories at Phillip Island and has claimed victories at 20 different circuits over the course of his career. Stoner didn’t enjoy a career as long as Rossi but if he did, who knows what else he could have achieved?
Another man considered to be one of the very best was Giacomo Agostini. Active between the years of 1964 and 1977, Agostini achieved an incredible 15 World Championships over the course of his 13-year career with eight title victories coming in the 500cc class. This feisty Italian also achieved a sensational 122 race victories, 12 more than the most successful active competitor at the moment, Valentino Rossi. Agostini in fact has won the most races of all-time. Whilst Rossi was the first man to reach 200 podiums, Agostini didn’t do too bad for himself by appearing on the podium 159 times. Agostini, with such statistics could be considered the very best of all-time but the final two years of his career were hardly anything to shout about in 1976 and 1977 dropping completely out of the title picture.
Valentino Rossi without a shadow of a doubt is one of the best riders of all-time and becoming the first man to achieve 200 podiums is simply surreal for even Rossi. However, when it comes to being considered the very best of all-time, this is very difficult to determine as technology and machinery in MotoGP has advanced so much over the years of the sport between the times Agostini and Rossi raced and if Stoner had the length of career Rossi has had, who knows what he could have achieved?