Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi dominated MotoGP in the early 2000s as he won three riders’ titles on Honda machinery, and he won another four with Yamaha before the decade was over.
The Italian’s time as the king of the premier class started in the final season of the old 500cc championship. Rossi lifted his first top-tier title with Nastro Azzurro Honda aboard a factory-spec Honda NSR500 in 2001, and he made MotoGP his playground after its rebrand in 2002.
Rossi graduated to the factory Honda squad for the inaugural MotoGP season in 2002, as he replaced Alex Criville alongside Tohru Ukawa. Honda also introduced the RC211V in 2002, as MotoGP replaced 499c two-stroke engines with 990cc four-stroke units to start its new era.
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Valentino Rossi complained ‘a lot’ that Honda’s fairing was too small for the start of the MotoGP era
A new era crowned the same king, though, as Rossi won the inaugural MotoGP title in 2002. He also defended the title with Honda in 2003, before the Urbino native joined Yamaha and continued to lead the field with further titles in the 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009 campaigns.
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Rossi also scored 11 Grand Prix wins, 15 podiums and seven pole positions across 16 rounds en route to winning the MotoGP title in 2002 with Honda. Yet RC211V project leader Tomoo Shiozaki recalls how Rossi lamented Honda’s fairing upon joining the brand’s factory squad.
“Valentino complained a lot because he grew up with Aprilia, who used much bigger fairings,” Shiozaki told Motor Sport Magazine.
“But we explained the handling benefits of our concept and, finally, he understood. We knew that a large cowling causes heavier handling and lift.”
Valentino Rossi won eight of the first nine races in the MotoGP era en route to the title
Aprilia machinery had allowed Rossi to showcase his talents in the lower classes, before his arrival in the 500cc championship saw him join the Honda ranks. Rossi won 11 out of the 15 races en route to the 1997 125cc title, and he also won the 1999 250cc title with nine wins.
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Stepping up to the 500cc class on a Honda NSR500 in 2000 also let Rossi show off his skill, as he finished second in the standings as the top Honda rider. Eleven wins in 16 races then gave Rossi the 2001 500cc title, too, but he was not happy with Honda’s 2002 MotoGP bike.
Rossi first tested the Honda RC211V in 2001 as the Japanese brand prepared for the start of the MotoGP era in 2002. But the Italian struggled to adapt to how Honda’s four-stroke bike behaved at high speeds, and he felt his challenges were down to the fairing being too small.
Despite Rossi’s initial concerns that RC211V project leader Shiozaki was able to placate, the bike’s debut brought him instant success at the start of the MotoGP era in 2002. Rossi beat fierce rival Max Biaggi to win the 2002 title by 140 points, with Ukawa 146 behind in third.
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