Valentino Rossi Net Worth, Money and More
Net worth – $120 million
Motorcycle racer
We know him as ‘The Doctor’, Italy calls him ‘Son of their soil’ and the whole world fondly calls him ‘Vale’. None other than the man who makes your heart vroom! this article is a tribute to the fastest Italian alive, Valentino Rossi. One of the richest sports persons alive, he is worth 120 million dollars, and is currently 4th position in the official MotoGP records.He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name – seven of which are in the premier class.
Privy life
Italy born Rossi is a perfect example of the adage, ‘Like father,like son’. He followed his dads footsteps as a racer,by initially racing carts, the passion for racing bikes grew as he started turning older. He currently lives in London, as he prefers to stay close to his family.He is famously known for his pre ride rituals where he bends down and catches the right peg of his bike with his head bowed.He considers this ritual as a way of ‘talking’ to his bike and as a mark of respect. Rossi has gone through numerous helmet designs throughout his career, most featuring the Sun & Moon motif, signifying (according to Rossi) the two sides of his personality. The artist of Rossi’s current helmet graphics is Aldo Drudi.
His penchant for the number 46 is more of a tribute that he gives to his father who won three successive Grand Prix Championships with the same number. His most preferred bike is his Yamaha YZF- M1,
Career
Explaining an illustrious career like Rossi’s is quite a task,Born to a racer father, Graziano Rossi, he followed in his father’s footsteps having started racing in Grand Prix in 1996 for Aprilia in the 125cc category. The following year he won his first World Championship, after which he moved up to the 250cc category with Aprilia and came out the winner of the 250cc World Championship in 1999. Followed by 2001, he won the 500cc World Championship with Honda, as well as the MotoGP World Championships (also with Honda) in 2002 and 2003. Rossi continued his line of back-to-back championships with the acquisition of the 2004 and 2005 titles after leaving Honda for Yamaha, before reclaiming the title in 2008 and preserving it in 2009. For the 2011 season, he left Yamaha to join Ducati, but in 2012, it was already officially confirmed that he would get back to Yamaha for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
Moto GP
Valentino kick-started his career in MotoGP IN 2002-2003 with Honda and then switched over to Yamaha for the next six seasons.He then switched over to Ducati before coming back to Yamaha again. He totally has 183 podium finishes and 59 pole positions.With 15 consecutive wins, Rossi holds the present record to the most number of race starts in a MotoGP career.
Zooming his way to the Million dollar club
Now we all know the success Rossi has had more than just a normal level if success early on in his career and his main source of wealth comes from racing bikes.The nine-time MotoGP World Champion earns millions as salary bonuses and endorsement money from companies such as Fiat and energy drink Monster in addition to his race winnings. Rossi’s other sponsors like Dainese and Kera Koll pour in a few millions as well. Among the top 10 highest earning sports persons of 2011, Rossi is also Italy’s richest athlete.
The fastest man on two wheels is also crazy about cars. His latest prized possession is a Ferrari 458 Italia in addition to a BMW M3 Sedan that was gifted to him. Rossi has recently made a new addition to his list of toys in the form of a Pershing 56 luxury yacht that he purchased for $2.2 million. Rossi suffered a career threatening injury in 2010 when he broke his leg but despite that he still managed to rake in $35 million and gained respect from the world and his fellow athletes.Rossi also owns a villa in Ibiza, an island in the Mediterranean Sea which is well known for its summer club parties which attract large numbers of tourists.
His Ferrari is worth $250,000 dollars and is purely customised for his needs. Being the brand ambassador for various brands also fetched him quite a lil bit of extra money.
Rossi and Charity
The revved up soul has a heart.He is associated with causes like, ‘Riders for health’, and ‘Dirt Motocross Charity Event.Most of his money earned during these events go completely for charity. charity motocross event called “motocross dei Campioni, 30 anni dopo” organized by Valentino Rossi drew more than 10,000 supporters. The aim of the event was to raise funds for a children’s hospital based in Pesaro, Italy which helps to cure children suffering from leukaemia.
Achievements
Multiple MotoGP World Championships.
* Ranked as 63rd in the Forbes Most Powerful Celebrity 100 List (2005).
* The youngest rider ever to win the 125cc World Championship.
* Ranked as 64th in the Forbes Most Powerful Celebrity 100 List (2006).
* Ranked as the 2nd highest paid non US citizen athlete in their “International 20″ (2006).
* The first rider in the 55-year history of Moto GP to take back-to-back victories riding machines from two different manufacturers, The 2003 Repsol Honda RC211V and the 2004 Gauloises Yamaha YZR M1.
* One of the two riders to win back-to-back titles on different machinery with Repsol Honda RC211V (2003) and with Gauloises Yamaha YZR M1 (2004).
* The youngest rider ever to have won World Championships in all three classes 125GP, 250GP, and the 500GP/Moto GP.* First in all time podium standings with 104 podiums in premier class.
* Fourth youngest rider ever to win the 500cc title.
* Eighth rider to have won three or more successive premier-class titles.
* Only rider to win seven consecutive races at his home Grand Prix at Mugello (2002-2008).
And that’s to sum up about the fastest man on two wheels!
