Ron Lieback: AllAboutBikes Content Editor

...Stay Twisted; Throttle Your Soul

 

 

First it was talks of Formula 1 racing, then a switch to Ducati, but it’s now we know that Valentino Rossi will stay right where he’s at. After winning his ninth title at Sepang (seventh in the premier class, fourth on a Yamaha), the 30-year-old Italian will continue in MotoGP, racing for Fiat Yamaha in 2010.

With one race to go this season at Valencia, the no. 46 rider, a number his father used when racing, has broken and matched some records. With nine titles, he has now matched Mike Hailwood and Carlo Ubbiali. And with his win at Assen, he became only the second rider to win 100 races across all classes; Rossi now has 103 wins, 19 less than Giacomo Agostini’s all-time record of 122.

If Rossi dominates again during the 2010 season, he may be on the way to break Agostini’s all-time record for wins, and maybe grab another title. Only two riders hold more titles than Rossi: Agostini with 15 and Angel Nieto with 13.

In a recent press conference, Rossi foreshadowed the 2010 season: “I think next year will be very, very hard. We’re all on the same bikes and I think it will be between me, Lorenzo, Stoner and Pedrosa again. On Tuesday in Valencia we will try the new model and I am looking forward to working on the new M1, but I have the greatest rival in my team so it won’t be easy.”

And when things aren’t easy, it makes for some great racing.

Maybe next year we’ll see some additional flamboyant celebrations from Rossi and his team, such as the odd festivities including a chicken after Sepang. I’m sure we all got a laugh, but nothing was clear until I heard Rossi’s explanation:

 “The t-shirt and the celebration is called the ‘Gallina Vecchia!’ In Italian we say that the old chicken makes good soup, but it's no use for laying eggs. I am old now, 30, but this old hen has made another egg today and now we have nine! As usual I thought it up at home in Tavullia, together with my fan club, and we had great fun designing the t-shirt and the helmet.”