A look at Valentino Rossi’s rivalries in MotoGP career – MotoGP Special
Valentino Rossi, the 7-time world champion, has a knack of getting into conflicts with fellow MotoGP riders over 17 years of his motorcycling career.
In mid 90’s, little after the start of his career, Rossi got involved in feud with Max Biaggi. Although Rossi and Biaggi had not competed against each other in a race until 2000, Rossi-Biaggi rivalry had started years before that. In his autobiography, ‘What
If I Had Never Tried’, Rossi refers to his rivalry with Biaggi and the reason that escalated it. Rossi won the 2001 and 2002 World Championships and during this time, Biaggi was going through a rough patch in his career, struggling to find his riding rhythm.
Animosity between Rossi and Sete Gibernau began in 2004 and reached its climax following the incident that took place in 2004 Qatar Grand Prix. Rossi was relegated to the back of the grid because Gibernau and the Gresini Honda team had complained that Rossi’s
crew cleaned Rossi’s grid position ahead of the race in order to aid in traction. Adding fuel to fire, in 2005 Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, Rossi and Gibernau got involved in a tangle at the final corner after which Gibernau was forced into the gravel trap.
Rossi won the round and Gibernau finished 2nd.
Since the ‘Qatar incident’, Rossi-Gibernau animosity thrived. They never spoke to each other after that. Gibernau ran into all sorts of problems with his riding during 2006 season. An injury blighted 2006 season with Ducati marked the end of Gibernau’s
career and with it the rivalry between Rossi and Gibernau.
The third major feud of Rossi’s career started in 2007 with Casey Stoner. The Australian rider did not give any chance of reclaiming the World Champion title to Rossi. Stoner won most of the races ahead of Rossi in 2007 and went on to clinch the World Champion
title. Things went to the point of no return at Laguna Seca Raceway in 2008. With a few laps to go, Rossi and Stoner were battling for the 1st position when Rossi got involved in a crash with Stoner. Although Stoner was able to resume the race but not before
Rossi got enough time to finish ahead of him.
Even though Stoner has retired from MotoGP, still both Rossi and Stoner taunt each other over the incident at Laguna Seca and their five-year rivalry goes on.
2008 marked the start of a new rivalry for Rossi, this time with Jorge Lorenzo, his new teammate. They stayed teammates for 3 consecutive years (2008–2010), during which period things kept deteriorating. Acrimony between Rossi and Lorenzo lead to a wall
being erected in the Yamaha garage and it was decided that there will be no sharing of data between Rossi and Lorenzo. On Rossi’s switch to Ducati in the 2011 season, Rossi-Lorenzo came to an end.
Rossi spent two most disappointing years of his career with Ducati. He has finally decided to return to Yamaha in the 2013 season. Lorenzo will be Rossi’s teammate again but things will be in favour of Lorenzo this time around because he is the reigning
MotoGP champion. Masao Furusawa, godfather of Yamaha M1 and Giacomo Agostini, 15-time world champion have already made predictions of renewed rivalry between Rossi and Lorenzo in the upcoming MotoGP season.
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