MotoGP: Valentino Rossi turns forty

Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi turns 40 years old today, only days ahead of kicking off his 24^th season in Grand Prix racing at the first race of 2019. Rising to rarefied ground among even the small group of elite athletes he’s already part of, he’s not only one of the few competing in any sport who have a genuine claim to being the Greatest of all Time in their field, but he’ll start the first race of the season having achieved another milestone – middle age.

Winning across not only all three classes of Grand Prix racing but also taking success on two strokes and four, 125s, 250s, 500s, 990s, 800s and the current crop of 1000cc MotoGP machines, he’s lived and raced an incredible career – even if he admitted to MCN in an exclusive interview to celebrate the milestone that middle age has sneaked up on him!

“Fuck, 40 years old. It’s desperate! But it’s important, because if you’re lucky it’s half way. You feel it because it’s 40 and it’s something special and you have to celebrate it in a good way, but it’s not actually a big difference compared to 36. 36 compared to 25 is a big thing, but 36 compared to 40 doesn’t change much.”

To read the full interview with him, pick up next Wednesday 20^th February’s bumper Valentino Rossi special edition.