Marco Bezzecchi
For many, Valentino Rossi is the greatest motorcycle Grand Prix rider of all time. Six-time world champion Jim Redman feels that the Italian completely changed his perception of racing.
The Doctor was the face of MotoGP throughout the 2000s. After winning the 125cc title in 1997 and the 250cc title in 1999, Rossi joined the premier class in 2000, finishing second in his debut season before going on to dominate the championship.
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He won five consecutive titles between 2001 and 2005, before winning his sixth and seventh crowns in 2008 and 2009. Kevin Schwantz saw Rossi was special before he reached MotoGP, and he more than showed that talent when he arrived.
The Italian was arguably bigger than the sport, with his incredible talent and dominance giving him a substantial global following. He was also an inspiration, with Alvaro Bautista saying that Rossi changed riders’ mentality by being far more relaxed than serious.
Valentino Rossi made Jim Redman ‘barely’ understand racing after watching him in MotoGP
Winning two 250cc titles and four 350cc championships, Redman is well-equipped to give his thoughts on who is the Grand Prix ‘GOAT’. Discussing Rossi, he spoke of his ‘genius’ in understanding his opponents and using their weaknesses to his advantage.
He said, via quotes from Marca: “The next man changed what you think about someone. I saw Valentino Rossi and realised that racing had become something I barely understood.
“It wasn’t just about the bike anymore, or speed, courage, or technique; it was about the mind. Rossi didn’t just race against you, he studied you. He learned your patterns, your weaknesses, the corner where you hesitated, the moment your confidence cracked. And he used all of that against you.
“Catalunya 2009, against Jorge Lorenzo, on the last lap. Turn 1: Nothing. Rossi, waiting behind, patient. Turn 5: building the pressure. Final corners: everyone thought it was over.
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“Lorenzo had the line, the speed, but Rossi didn’t go wide, he went to the inside, the impossible line, braking late, leaning further, trusting the front tyre more than allowed. In my day, that move would have been suicide.
“The tyres wouldn’t have held you, the brakes wouldn’t have stopped you in time, but Rossi had something I never.
“We had information. He knew the tyre, the grip… and most importantly: he knew Lorenzo. He knew exactly where to hit, that was his genius. Not just his riding skills, but his ability to read a race, read a rival and break him at the perfect moment.”
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Jim Redman thought Valentino Rossi was ‘the complete rider’, until Marc Marquez arrived
Redman added that he believed that Rossi was ‘the end’ and that no one else could top what he showed in MotoGP. However, he would soon be proved wrong in the form of Marc Marquez.
“I thought Rossi was the end, the complete rider: intelligence, technique, instinct, what more could you ask for? But I saw a kid from Cervera and I couldn’t understand what I was seeing,” he said.
Arriving in 2013, Marquez was immediately on the pace and showed world-class talent, winning the championship in his rookie season before claiming another six titles. Having idolised Rossi as a child, the Spaniard would soon forge an intense rivalry.
Rossi and Marquez’s conflict in 2015 still shakes the MotoGP paddock today. The latter keeps that rivalry going in 2026, as he looks to beat the former’s nine Grand Prix titles with Ducati.
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