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Valentino Rossi

(www.laureus.com)
Updated: 2010-03-09 20:14
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Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi (Italy) Motor Cycling, 30

One of the greatest motor cycle racers of all time, Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi won his seventh senior MotoGP World Championship in 2009. Now he is only one senior world title behind Laureus World Sports Academy member Giacomo Agostini who won eight. It was Rossi’s ninth world title in total, having also won at 125cc in 1997 and 250cc in 1999. In 2008 Rossi had overtaken Agostini’s long standing career record of 68 500cc Grand Prix wins, and by the end of 2009 he had increased his total to 77 following wins in Spain, Catalonia, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic and San Marino/Rimini. His win at Assen in the Netherlands was his 100th career victory.