Valentino Rossi [Hardcover]

Mat Oxley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 26, 2004

Updated to tell the story of the 2002 and 2003 MotoGP seasons, here is the compelling story of Valentino Rossi, arguably the greatest motorcycle racer ever - certainly the most entertaining. The cheeky-faced Italian, who has a massive fan base outside the sport as well as within motorcycle racing, has already proved his sublime talent. Aged 24, he conquered the three Grand Prix World Championship titles in just five seasons, winning the 125 crown in 1997, the 250 crown in 1999, and the (very last) 500 title in 2001. He also won the inaugural MotoGP Championship in 2002. All that speed and, against the morass of anti-personality stars that prevail today, he's such a cool dude. The book covers: why he grew up so fast and so funny, with input from his parents (father was a GP winner in the late 1970s); year-by-year career history, from riding minibikes aged 10 through to the 2003 MotoGP season - the victories, the defeats, the rivals, the crashes; the bikes, the riding techniques; how he adapted his spectacular riding style to maintain his dominance as the two-stoke 500 GP class gave way to four-stroke MotoGP for 2002; Rossi at play, post-race partying and the Valenteenieboppers who chase him around; and the infamous Rossi hairstyles, happenings and phrases.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mat Oxley, author of the official biography Mick Doohan:Thunder from down under, knows Rossi well from ghosting his magazine columns, and has ridding the 2001 title-winning NSR500 bike. A former Isle of Man TT winner, Oxley writes for Performance Bikes and Bike. He lives in London.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Haynes Publishing; 2nd edition (February 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844250423
• ISBN-13: 978-1844250424
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,559,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have, January 26, 2005

By 

FirebladeX (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Valentino Rossi (Hardcover)

First, lets get the obvious stuff out of the way. The author is a former Isle of Man TT winner, and a moto-journalist of great repute, so the book is not only well written but accurate in terms of technicalities. The printing, full color photos, the hardcover, all that is perfect. With that said...

This is a phenomenal book in every sense. Starting with Vale's childhood, his early age, and all the way into competitive sport and to the present state of conquering the world of Grand Prix racing and being the king of the hill... this book is a must have. The best thing I liked about the book (not counting the fact that it chronicles Rossi's life so well and in so much detail) is that it reflects the true personality of a man. A man who never refuses to stop having fun, never stops trying harder and learning more. A man who wins not because some demons in his head are chasing him, but for the joy of it all.

A remarkable read about a very remarkable man indeed. Valentino Rossi. Perhaps the greatest of them all.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true motogenius, October 22, 2005

By 

F. Fitzpatrick (Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Valentino Rossi (Hardcover)

What a great book. I bought this book as a present for my husband and being a fan of motogp myself we both really loved this book. A must for all Valentino Rossi fans to add to the collection. A great insight into the man and what drives his talent.Great photos.An inexpensive purchase but worth it's weight in gold.Very colourful and detail is excellent.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting view into the mind of the greatest racer, February 12, 2008

By 

any3 (nyc) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Valentino Rossi: Portrait of a Speed God (Hardcover)

I enjoyed reading this book tremendously. The writing style was surprisingly good, though I'm not entirely sure if it was more representative of the author or the translator. The reader is taken through his childhood, decision to commit to racing motorcycles, evolution through the European classes to MotoGP, many bad-boy exploits and finally some of the most challenging experiences Rossi has participated in as a MotoGP rider. It was fascinating to compare his perspective from inside the helmet with my perspective as an observer. It reads much like the script to Sundance film, starting in the present, digressing into history, and progressing back to present. I found it a bit difficult to follow at times but in the end was satisfied. If you follow MotoGP at all this book tells you what you already know, Rossi is a bad a-- on and off the track, yet warm, thoughtful, personable most of all simply human.

If you are a fan of Rossi or MotoGP this is a must read.